Pakistani religious parties have offered blood money to the family of slain Punjab governor Salman Taseer to pardon his killer.
United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has all but confirmed the Central Intelligence Agency's assertions that certain elements in Pakistan are working with the Al Qaeda and undermining the United States-led war on terror. "I would say they're not our theoretical ally; they are our ally," she said, but acknowledged, "there are elements in Pakistan that one worries that there are connections to the militants in the region."
'Biden's promise of returning to 'normalcy' after Trump appears to mean that the same old politicians, who are responsible for the 'endless wars' in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, are being brought out of the woodwork after four years,' notes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
The job was assigned to Blackwater, now known as Xe Services, the company whose operations in Iraq had come under intense scrutiny. CIA earlier hired it for its secret (now abandoned) programme to eliminate top Al Qaeda leaders.
Undeterred by the threats of retaliation from militants, the US intends to step up its drone strikes in Pakistan's tribal areas and may extend them deeper inside the country, a media report said today.
'Suspect all, fix all.' 'It is this mindset that begins at the very top of an establishment and then trickles down and across,' notes Shekhar Gupta.
'It will merely give him a forum to make political statements before an international audience. Even if he were to recant, the sceptics may still scoff. He is a small fry in any case.'
Should Iraq, today a fledgeling and frail democratic republic, one day become a bastion for freedom and human rights in the Middle East, leading to the domino-like collapse of military and theocratic dictatorships in the region, perhaps historians will judge Bush more kindly than the commentators, says Matthew Schneeberger
The British-controlled Indian ocean island of Diego Garcia might have served as a secret prison for America's Central Intelligence Agency, a media report said on Friday.
Despite being a bit contrived, Rendition, based on an original and tightly drawn screenplay by Kelley Sane, is a poignant, heartwarming and timely film connected to 9/11.
Two legislative amendments seeking a cut in the United States aid to Pakistan have been defeated in the House of Representatives with most lawmakers arguing that it is essential to maintain ties with a nuclear armed country despite it not doing enough in the war against terrorism.
US think tank Lisa Curtis talks about the Pakistan polls and its aftermath.
'No other Communist leader after Lenin had such an internationalist vision as Fidel,' says Prakash Karat, the CPI-M leader in this eloquent tribute to Fidel Castro who passed into the ages on Friday.
The verdict was announced after the government submitted a 'new summary' to extend the service of 59-year-old Gen Bajwa.
Russell Crowe is back. The actor of hard-hitting films like The Insider, Gladiator and A Beautiful Mind, will be seen in the upcoming film, Body of Lies. The movie whose tagline reads: 'Trust No One, Deceive Everyone,' is releasing in India on October 17. It is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by David Ignatius and is written by William Monahan and directed by Ridley Scott.
The reliability of US information and assessments on Iran is increasingly at issue as the Bush administration confronts the emerging regional power on multiple fronts.
'We spent Rs 59,000 crore on acquiring 36 Rafales and we do not know if we will ever use them. The chances are that we never will,' argues Aakar Patel.
India was fooled into believing that Communist China wanted a 'negotiated' settlement with the Tibetans; it was never the case, says Claude Arpi.
Pakistan's military on Monday deployed an indigenously-made armed drone to attack a militant compound, killing at least three "high-profile" terrorists.
Tenet's remarks in his book were in contrast to Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's statement that Armitage had threatened to bomb the country 'back to the Stone Age.'
'If he looked at it purely as an Islamic bomb, he would not have sold the nuclear secrets to North Korea. Khan was fighting the West, through North Korea, Iran and Libya,'\nsays Gordon Corera.
The Uttar Pradesh chief minister said, chapter 12 of Fulcrum of evil: ISI, CIA and Al Quaeda nexus by former joint director of IB Moloy Krishna Dhar claiming his links with ISI, is not true.
'The facts have become unimportant and useless.' 'What is important is the constantly shouting of patriotism even as one undermines the interests of the people.' 'And the abusing of rivals as being traitors,' says Aakar Patel.
The correction was made in the Urdu version of the book Sub Sey Pehlay Pakistan, (Pakistan First) released two days ago.
If the ruling BJP stresses on Hindu nationalist themes ahead of the general election in May, there will be communal violence'
"This job requires 24 hours a day, seven days a week focus and commitment to do it right. I currently could not make that commitment," the New York Times quoted Robert S Harward as saying.
Days after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif spoke against the use of US drones in Pakistan at the UN General Assembly, a CIA-operated spy plane targeted a house in the lawless North Waziristan region and killed four suspected militants.
The FBI is investigating whether Bush's chief political and strategic adviser Karl Rowe was among those who blew the cover of CIA operative Valerie Plame.
CIA Director Porter Goss has recently said that he has a pretty good idea that Osama bin Ladin is still in the Paksitan-Afghanistan frontier area.
Pompeo defended the killing of Soleimani saying he was making efforts for an attack on Americans in the region.
'Tehran,' Foreign Minister Zarif said, 'had expected the Modi government to be "more resilient" in the face of Washington's bullying,' notes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
The report has corroborated the evidence of Taiwan government that no air crash had occurred at Taipei airport or anywhere in that country on August 18, 1945, in which the Indian leader was supposed to have been killed.
'He has a splendid opportunity to capitalise on the CPEC and turn the economy around decisively, putting Pakistan firmly on a higher growth trajectory.' 'Indeed, under the Imran-Bajwa dispensation, there has been a noticeable whittling down of support to militant groups,' points out Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Time magazine's decision to reveal the source of an investigative story by its reporter has divided scribes and academics in New York.
'Washington is well aware that the Haqqani group was responsible for terrorist attacks on the Indian diplomatic establishments in Afghanistan.' 'But today US self-interest dictates that Sirajuddin Haqqani's mainstreaming in Afghan political life and a potential elevation eventually to a leadership role at the national level is useful and necessary, since he can deliver peace,' notes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
"The report has as much validity as the report by the CIA director about the alleged existence of Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq," he said referring to the report by Paul Volcker, former chairman of the US Federal Reserve.
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