Top Taliban commander Nasiruddin Haqqani, a key fundraiser of his outfit, has been arrested by Pakistani security agencies apparently in response to United States demands for action against militant networks in the restive North Waziristan tribal region.
A former aide of Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud has accused him of plotting the assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto in 2007.
'If push comes to shove, Pakistan does have the capability to make it difficult for the US and NATO forces to make even a withdrawal of troops out of Afghanistan in orderly fashion,' says Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
A majority of Pakistanis favour their government not fighting Al Qaeda and Taliban and view United States as the greatest threat to their personal safety, according to a survey by a US agency.Almost three-quarter of Pakistanis who participated in the poll opined that embattled President Pervez Musharraf should resign and if he doesn't, he should be removed by the Parliament.The survey, conducted across Pakistan, also said that the Al Qaeda has gained public support.
Saturday's audacious attack by Taliban militants in Rawalpindi has shocked the Pakistani establishment and society.
Against the backdrop of the WikiLeaks disclosure about Pakistani spy agency Inter-Services-Intelligence's double-game in Afghanistan, former US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage has said the Pakistani spy agency has a relationship with the Taliban.
Two blasts ripped through as many mosques in the restive Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of northwest Pakistan on Friday, killing 12 people and injuring 25 others, security officials said.
The prime suspect in the terror attack on a police academy near Lahore has revealed that all his accomplices were Afghans and information provided by him, a Pakistani Taliban operative, has led to the arrest of some "local facilitators", the investigators said on Tuesday.
Since being ousted of the main towns of the Swat valley during the recent military operation, Maulana Fazlullah-led Taliban are making preparation for new offensive during the month of Ramzan. According to Taliban, the holy warriors always achieved high targets during this month, so they would go all out to retake the valley of Swat.
Taliban has come under tremendous pressure following Pakistan's military action against the militant group in Swat valley and adjoining areas, United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Sunday.
Factions of the Pakistani and Iranian intelligence agencies have been supporting the Taliban and other terrorist groups to carry out attacks on the US-led international forces in Afghanistan, said a top US commander in the restive country.
FBI agents arrested Hafiz Muhammed Sher Ali Khan, 76, and his son Irfan Khan, 37, in South Florida on Saturday. Both are US citizens and residents of Miami. Hafiz Khan is the imam of a mosque in Miami.
A Pakistani journalist has petitioned the Supreme Court to bar the civilian government and the military from making any contacts or conducting negotiations with the Taliban, saying such an act is forbidden by the Constitution.
India on Monday rejected the charge that it was fomenting unrest in Pakistan by funding Taliban fighters based along the border with Afghanistan.
Pakistani news website thenews.com.pk reported that a clash broke out between the groups led by Hakimullah Mehsud and Wali-ur-Rehman. The meeting was convened to appoint a sucessor to slain Taliban commander Beitullah Mehsud.
'The last thing he would want is new tensions with India.'
India has much paranoia in India about a new 'Terroristan' coming up between Pakistan and a Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. Pakistan has zero ability economically, diplomatically, geostrategically or militarily to create one. If they try, it will be great for India as they will destroy themselves yet again, asserts Shekhar Gupta.
Baitullah Mehsud, the chief of Pakistani Taliban, who claimed credit for the recent deadly attack on a police academy near Lahore, has links with the country's Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI), a media report said.
Asked if Pakistan can be an ally in the war on terror, Royce said, "I think the civilian government is."
US intelligence agencies had been tracking the hostages and shared their location when they were shifted to Pakistan.
Pakistan, which is witnessing an influx of Tehreek-i-Taliban terrorists in significant numbers in the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's tribal districts, is also facing a threat from the Islamic State (ISIS) which is trying to establish a foothold in the country, the ministry of interior has said.
Hours after the Pakistani Taliban threatened to kill him, Pakistan's former military ruler and President Pervez Musharraf on Saturday appeared unfazed and said he will return home from self-exile to lead his party in the upcoming general election. "I am going home as announced. I am not scared of anything -- be it the death threat from terrorists or the arrest on arrival," Musharraf said after addressing his party supporters at a reception.
The shocking footage of the shooting incident, which took place a few days back near the border of Orakzai tribal agency, was made available to a Pakistani media outlet on Friday.
Most of the Afghan Taliban frontier leadership had reportedly been sheltered in Karachi under a Pakistani security establishment's secret programme -- the New Karachi Project -- according to a newspaper report.
'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.
What does the Taliban chief's death means for various stakeholders?
A key Taliban commander has been arrested in connection with the violence in this Pakistani port city that has been hit by gang warfare since the last two years.
At least 17 Taliban militants were killed on Friday in a fresh assault by Pakistani security forces on a Taliban stronghold in the volatile Orakzai tribal region, official sources said.
Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan has showed its solidarity with the militants of Indian Kashmir and has said that the Taliban are struggling for implementing Islamic Shariah not only in Pakistan but also in the region including Kashmir.
What does Pakistan mean for a young Indian? Devanik Saha attempts an answer.
Pakistanis are writing reams to thank Hollywood power couple Angelina Jolie-Brad Pitt for donating a million dollar to assist people displaced by the military operations against the Taliban in the country's northwest.
Beijing's growing assertiveness as kingmaker in Kabul has suffered a setback with Washington quietly moving in, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Blaming the Pakistan government for the killing of its chief Hakimullah Mehsud, Taliban has warned that it "will soon start targeting" the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leadership for its alleged support to the United States in the region.
Six Pakistani security personnel and 17 Taliban militants were killed in an overnight gun fight in the restive Kurram tribal region of northwest Pakistan, security officials said on Wednesday.
Pakistan's double standards in the fight against terrorism are biting it back, and it is high time for the country to redouble its efforts to combat the menace and finish it off once and for all, a newspaper editorial has said.
The police are investigating the possible involvement of the Taliban in the kidnapping of a five-year-old British boy of Pakistani origin, who was kidnapped while visiting relatives in Punjab province.
The court found 4 of the accused guilty and handed down the 25 year sentence.
American officials possess satellite photos that 'purportedly' show Pakistani army trucks picking up Taliban troops, Time said.
The Pakistani military on Tuesday claimed to have wrested the Taliban stronghold of Sararogha in South Waziristan, where 21 militants and a soldier were killed in fierce clashes over the past 24 hours.
Tahir Ali looks back at the disturbing history that has made suicide attacks a nightmarish part of Pakistan's present reality
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