Zahir-ul-Islam's appointment as the chief of the intelligence agency was the outcome of a consensus between the political and military leadership of Pakistan, says B Raman
Pakistan's top leadership on Thursday underlined the country's commitment to pursue energy projects with Iran, including a multi-billion dollar gas pipeline, despite growing pressure from the United States to abandon such ventures.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who was less than well disposed towards India, was stripped of his portfolio as foreign minister in the reconstitution of the Pakistan federal cabinet following which he refused to take oath.
Pakistan on Friday highlighted the need for continuation of dialogue process with India, saying it was an "encouraging sign" that the parleys are helping develop better understanding of each other's point of view on all issues, including Jammu and Kashmir.
Top Pakistani diplomat Jalil Abbas Jilani, who was expelled by India in 2003 after being accused of funnelling funds to Kashmiri separatists, has been named as the next foreign secretary, official sources said on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani on Sunday acknowledged that the Kashmir issue would have to be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy as Pakistan "cannot afford wars" in the 21st century. Four wars have already been fought on the Kashmir issue and the region still "was a flashpoint", he said, but admitted that in the 21st century "we cannot afford wars". "We want to resolve issues through dialogue, diplomacy, prudent policy and national consensus," he said.
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh could meet his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani on the sidelines of the Commonwealth heads of government meeting scheduled to be held in November in Trinidad, sources said.However, when asked about the meeting, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, who met his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi in New York on Sunday, said,: "We have just come out of one (meeting). So, give us some time."
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's demeanour and remarks during his appearance in the Supreme Court was lauded on Friday by the Pakistani media, but it said the question of reopening graft cases against the President will continue to haunt the government.
In what could add to the growing confrontation between Pakistan's civilian and military leadership, army officials have warned that the army will "not cooperate" with the new defence secretary who was appointed by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani after he sacked Lt Gen (retd) Naeem Khalid Lodhi.
In what could add to the growing confrontation between Pakistan's civilian and military leadership, army officials have warned that the army will "not cooperate" with the new Defence Secretary who was appointed by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani after he sacked Lt Gen (retd) Naeem Khalid Lodhi.
The Pakistani judicial commission that probed the abduction and murder of journalist Syed Saleem Shahzad has not held any institution or individual responsible for the crime, according to media reports on Wednesday.
Pakistan's embattled former ambassador to United States, Husain Haqqani, fears he will be murdered if he leaves his sanctuary in the official residence of the Pakistan Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, a media report said on Wednesday.
Pakistan agreed to a change in the format for future talks with India in return for New Delhi's consent to resume broad-based engagement with it, diplomatic sources said on Friday.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Mahmood Qureshi has said that there has been trust deficit between India and Pakistan, and that it has to be bridged at the earliest.
A three-judge bench headed by Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk reminded Attorney General Irfan Qadir that former Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani had been convicted for contempt and sentenced for refusing to act on the apex court's orders to revive the corruption cases.
President Asif Ali Zardari's son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has quietly stepped in to assume a larger role in the affairs of the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP) as his father recovers from a heart condition in a hospital in Dubai.
Pakistan's main opposition leader Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday demanded that the government should form a judicial commission within three days to ascertain how Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden was able to hide in the country.
Rejecting Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's criticism of the unilateral action that killed Osama bin Laden, the United States on Monday asserted that it would not apologise to the Pakistan government for the incident.
Leader of opposition and senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Advani raised the issue of the joint statement between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Gilani, during his five minute meeting with United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, at his residence on Monday.
India and Pakistan's decision to carry on with the dialogue process drew mixed response in Kashmir on Friday with mainstream parties welcoming it and separatists insisting that the Sharm-el-Sheikh meeting was "inconclusive" without the participation of Kashmiris.
Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir and Ambassador to the European Union Jalil Abbas Jilani are among possible contenders to replace Husain Haqqani, who resigned as the country's envoy to the US because of the "Memogate" controversy.
India's seeking Most Favoured Nation status from Pakistan will be the top agenda during the two-day Commerce Secretary level talks beginning in New Delhi on Monday.
Tahir Ali assesses Pakistan's draining popularity among Afghanistan's power circles and the Taliban, both of whom are fed up with Islamabad's double-standards
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrived in Gan on Wednesday on a four-day visit to Maldives during which he will attend the South Asian Association For Regional Cooperation Summit and have a meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday said cricket and diplomacy between India and Pakistan should be kept separate and the game should allowed to remain a game.
India on Tuesday strongly objected to Pakistan's attempt to link Kashmir issue to terrorism in the region and maintained that the bilateral dialogue would resume only when Islamabad creates conditions for it. "It (terrorism) has nothing to do with Kashmir. Terror, whether it is in Kashmir, in Mumbai or elsewhere, is abominable," External Affairs Minister S M Krishna said. He was responding to Pakistan Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani's remarks.
With Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani accepting Dr Manmohan Singh's invitation to watch the India-Pakistan World Cup semifinals, Mohali has hit fever pitch. India's security agencies face a daunting challenge before Wednesday's high-profile clash as intelligence agencies have warned for a possible terror strike at one of the WC venues, says senior analyst B Raman.
The Pakistan government has announced it would posthumously confer the Hilal-i-Pakistan, one of the country's highest civilian honours, on late United States Special Representative Richard Holbrooke.
Asserting that Pakistan will be held responsible if there is a Mumbai-type attack, India on Monday termed "very irresponsible" the statement by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani that his country cannot guarantee that such an incident will not recur.
General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, who has acknowledged his force is "India-centric" due to unresolved issues between the two countries, will continue playing a key role in shaping foreign policy after the three-year extension granted to him as Pakistan's Army chief. Announcing the government's decision to extend Kayani's tenure late Thursday night, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said the move was necessary to ensure continuity of military leadership for ongoing operations agai
The United States has conveyed a veiled threat to Pakistan that their bilateral defence cooperation can come under a cloud if the standoff on the issue of double murder-accused US national Raymond Davis' immunity persists.
Kashmir Solidarity Day will be observed in Pakistan on February 5, as it has been every year since 1990. The propaganda that is being organised is on predictable lines.
Seeking resumption of composite dialogue, Pakistan has said that India must "act responsibly" and stop being negative or it too will lose interest in taking the peace process forward.
In its first public appeal to Taliban and other Afghanistan-based militant groups, Pakistan on Friday asked them to "turn a new leaf" and join direct talks with the Kabul government under a peace process aimed at ending the decade-old war in the neighbouring country.
As Pakistan's armed forces on Sunday staged a massive drill in the Cholistan desert, close to the Indian border, the country's civil and military leadership said Islamabad's defence strategy is based on credible minimum deterrence and had 'no offensive design' against anyone.
President Asif Ali Zardari today conferred one of Pakistan's highest civilian honours on US Vice President-elect Joseph Biden in recognition of his "consistent support for democracy and socio-economic development" in the country.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Pakistan Army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani will come face to face for the first time since they crossed swords over the memo issue, when a cabinet committee meets on Saturday to discuss crucial issues related to national security and relations with the US.
In a blow to Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's government, key partner Muttahida Quami Movement on Monday quit his government at the centre and also made an exit from the ruling coalition in the Sindh province, citing Pakistan Peoples Party's "undemocratic and dictatorial" attitude."
In an interview with Outlook magazine, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, in an apparent volte-face, said Pakistan actually never handed any dossier to India during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's meeting with Yousuf Raza Gilani on the sidelines of the NAM summit at Sharm-el-Sheikh in July.
As confrontation mounted between the Pakistan government and the army on the one side, and the judiciary on the other, opposition leader Nawaz Sharif said holding immediate polls was the only was out of the crisis.
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