Apart from religious hatred that makes it kosher for the Sunnis to massacre the Shias, the targeting of Shias serves a political objective of the Islamists in destabilising the Pakistani state. As a result, the Sunni extremists are killing two birds with one stone, says Sushant Sareen.
It is learnt that China placed a hold on the proposal by India and the US to designate Mahmood as a global terrorist under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council.
The death toll is feared to rise with women and children casualties in the deadly blast.
Images from the Asia Cup opening match between Pakistan and Bangladesh played in Mirpur on Sunday.
A recent statement by a "foreign country's defence minister" was enough to prove who is harbouring terrorism in Pakistan, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said on Thursday.
'A conventional war is not in fashion today and not seen as being able to deliver the objective.' 'Perhaps surgical strikes that are deeper, this time not on Pakistan's terrorist facilities, but on Pakistan army facilities.' 'The nation has to be prepared for losses.' 'War is not something that can be pussyfooted around.' 'If we go for limited number of posts in Kashmir, these are very difficult posts to capture and very difficult operations.' 'Be prepared for 200 to 300 killed.'
Five Pakistani soldiers and at least 27 militants, including some foreigners, were killed On Sunday in clashes and air strikes in the restive northwestern tribal belt, where the military has launched a major offensive against the Taliban.
The protestors converged across the street from the world body's headquarters to condemn atrocities and human rights violations by Pakistan just as Sharif was addressing the General Debate of the General Assembly.
The 13th report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team cites a UN Member State as saying that Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), a Deobandi group ideologically closer to the Taliban "maintains eight training camps in Nangarhar, three of which are directly under Taliban control."
Hafiz Talha Saeed is a senior leader of the LeT and is the head of the cleric wing of the terrorist organisation.
Pakistan parliament on Thursday adopted a unanimous resolution against the caricatures published by French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, saying it is a deliberate attempt to 'widen misunderstandings among civilisations' and incite violence.
'If the US intention was to use the FATF platform to isolate Pakistan and impose sanctions against it, that is not going to work when influential countries such as Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia, China and Russia will not lend support to the US campaign,' says Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
She said the encounter in Jammu's Sidhra area in the morning, where four terrorists were killed, belied the government claims of uprooting terrorism in J and K.
China has put a hold on a proposal by the United States and India at the United Nations to blacklist Abdul Rauf Azhar, the brother of Jaish-e Mohammed (JEM) chief Masood Azhar and a senior leader of the Pakistan-based terror organisation.
Officials said this was another example of Pakistan misusing higher studies as bait for recruitment in terror groups.
The All India Muslim Personal Law Board on Thursday said there was no scope of change in the triple talaq system and rejected the suggestion by some community outfits for building a consensus on making a three-month period mandatory before finalisation of divorce.
At least 10 persons were killed and 20 others injured when three bombs ripped through a cinema hall in this restive northwestern Pakistani city on Tuesday.
The start of Indian lobbying in the US can be traced back to Pakistan's anti-India lobbying. Policy wonk Ashok Sharma documents this journey and its catalytic role in transforming the US-India relationship.
'The accusation that Pakistan risks losing sovereignty to China is emotive and has the potential to spread.' 'China will, however, remain intent on achieving its strategic ambitions of acquiring Gwadar port and securing a large chunk of Pakistan occupied Kashmir,' says former RA&W officer Jayadeva Ranade.
Pakistan found itself in the cross hairs of Middle East politics after Saudi Arabia included it in a 34-nation military coalition of Muslim countries to combat terrorism without getting Islamabad's consent, media reports said on Wednesday.
Around 100 lawmakers from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Pakistan Peoples' Party submitted the no-confidence motion before the National Assembly Secretariat on March 8, alleging that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf government led by Khan was responsible for the economic crisis and the spiralling inflation in the country.
The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Centre to apprise an 83-year-old mother quarterly about the steps taken to trace her son, Captain Sanjit Bhattacharjee, who has been missing in action and is said to be lodged in a jail in Pakistan for over 25 years.
Sanjeev Nayyar suggests 16 measures by which we can tackle our unrelenting and untrustworthy neighbour.
India has summoned a senior official of the Pakistan high commission and issued a strong demarche over the incident, official sources said.
The Pakistan government has, however, put the JuD on the list of groups being closely watched by the officials.
Malala Yousufzai's book has been banned in Pakistan's private schools after the teenage activist was accused of becoming a tool of the West for writing "highly controversial" contents in her memoir.
Priyantha Kumara was murdered by Pakistani fundamentalists last Friday, provoking civil society protests in Lahore and Karachi against the horrific crime.
According to the police, Sarwar told them during questioning that he killed Huma as he could not tolerate women occupying senior positions, which was against the tenets of Islam and an attempt to subjugate men
The Afghan deputy foreign minister explains how his nation's President became disillusioned with Pakistan. Ajai Shukla listens in.
'William Mustoe, the director of horticulture during British rule, named the Presidential Palace garden after the Mughals.' 'He simply kept the name because it was made on the pattern of a Mughal garden.''He simply kept the name Mughal gardens because it was made on the pattern of Mughal garden.'
Kashmiris are our own people," said HM Rajnath Singh in Rajya Sabha.
The home minister said, "Pakistan has been regularly violating ceasefire agreements, but India has given a befitting reply."
The leader of Pakistan's hardline Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam party said the government and political parties in Pakistan favoured a negotiated settlement to outstanding issues.
Pakistan's Shia Ismaili Muslims on Thursday buried the bus attack victims who were killed by Islamic State militants
Pakistan on Wednesday hanged a man convicted for attempting to assassinate former military ruler Pervez Musharraf, the seventh execution in the country after a moratorium on death penalty was lifted following the Peshawar school carnage.
'Quiet back channel advice will probably be rendered by Saudi Arabia to India that international perception on both issues does not favour India and that it should be prudent to look inwards and introspect on where the failing has been,' notes Lieutenant General Syed Ata Hasnain (retd).
Asia Cup will be held in the UAE, Australia will host the T20 showpiece in October-November.
