islamabad - Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan, Liu Jian, vowing to strengthen Pak-China ties further in all fields said on Wednesday that China has been cooperating with the international community and regional partners to ensure peace, progress and prosperity in the region and the world.Addressing a ...

ISLAMABAD – Prominent strategists and foreign policy experts are scheduled to discuss the shifting strategic dynamics and emerging power equilibrium in South Asia and the neighboring regions tomorrow (April 17), at a local hotel in Islamabad.The one-day moot, organized by Strategic Vision ...

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt’s central bank will hold an exceptional foreign exchange auction for $600 million on Sunday to cover strategic imports such as wheat, meat and cooking oil, it said in a statement.The auction is 15 times the size of the three $40 million currency auctions the ...

ISLAMABAD - Eight rounds of bilateral consultations between Pakistan and Russia will be held in Islamabad on April 25 with main focus on strategic issues including disarmament, non-proliferation, arms control issues and strategic stability in South Asia.“We attach high importance to our ...

The geopolitical landscape of the AfPak Region (APR) and South Central Asian Region (SCAR) is about to undergo a massive transformation. As the US/Nato/Isaf combine prepares to egress, new regional alignments are emerging with serious geopolitical, economic and strategic connotations. This change ...

The US could cut its defence spending because of the fiscal cliff. But it would be wrong to assume that such a cut will weaken the US military.In fact, the US has allocated more funds for the development of Prompt Global Strike, a system that can deliver a precision non-nuclear weapon strike ...

Any impression that the pamphlet attributed to the Taliban affirming that they would, now onwards, attack only Nato forces and not Pakistani army was genuine was contradicted by the killing of 14 security forces personnel in Miranshah, North Waziristan, on Sunday. The objective might be to try to ...

What is Pakistan Army’s  strategic direction? Is it to focus on western border, internal front/security, or eastern border? The simple answer to these questions  is that existential threat remains from India and thus the primary focus must be on it. The new army doctrine has done ...

US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton stated in November 2011, “As the war in Iraq winds down and America begins to withdraw its forces from Afghanistan, the United States stands at a pivot point. In the next 10 years, we need to be smart and systematic about where we invest time and energy, ...

KARACHI  - Many foreign delegates and companies have confirmed their participation in the four-day 7th Expo Pakistan, scheduled from October 4 to 7, said Makhdoom Amin Fahim.The Expo has become an annual feature to showcase the variety and quality of products and services offered by Pakistan. ...

Pakistan and the United States have discussed restoration of strategic dialogue and the promotion of reconciliatory process in Afghanistan. The discussions were held at the delegation level talks in Islamabad on Saturday. The two sides also discussed cooperation in different sectors. The Foreign ...

The Pak-US relations have gone through cycles of warm engagement to cold estrangement. Interestingly, these relations were usually warm during military dictatorships in Pakistan, even though the US leaders always paid lip service to democratic norms. This highlights two cold realities of ...

KARACHI - The Institute of Business Administration (IBA) Karachi took a winning leap as it inked down a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indian School of Business (ISB) to provide executive education in Pakistan. The MoU was signed by Dr Ishrat Husain, Dean and Director, IBA Karachi, and ...

Peace between Pakistan and India is a strategic imperative dictated by economic realities and the status of the two countries as de facto nuclear powers. Both Pakistan and India suffer from widespread poverty, low GDP per head and a low level of human development. Peace between Pakistan and India ...

ISLAMABAD – A reshuffle within military’s top hierarchy is on the cards with outgoing spymaster Lieutenant-General Ahmed Shuja Pasha may head the Strategic Planning Division (SPD), the top tactical body that oversees Pakistan’s nuclear programme, after his retirement on March ...

KABUL  - Doubts grew on Monday that the United States and Afghanistan could narrow sharp differences in negotiations and reach a long-term strategic partnership deal.The Strategic Partnership Agreement, which Washington and Kabul have been discussing for over a year, will be the framework for ...

WASHINGTON - The US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs late on Wednesday started congressional hearing on Balochistan, a move which has angered Pakistan, reported a private TV channel.Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, who chaired the sitting, described Balochistan as a ...

TEHRAN (AFP) - Tehran said it will test-fire missiles in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, a move likely to stoke tensions with Washington already running high over Iran's threats to close the strategic oil waterway if sanctions are enforced."Shorter- and longer-range, ground-to-sea, ...

OUR STAFF REPORTER ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Institute for Development Economics (PIDE) Vice Chancellor Dr Amjad has said that Pakistan will have to open up trade with India for bringing back international confidence into Pakistans economy if nothing else. He was speaking at a roundtable on Global ...

LAHORE Afghan President Karzais recent pre-scheduled visit to India was effectively exploited by the host country to generate ill will against Pakistan. The out-going US Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullens remarks linking ISI with Haqqani Network prompted Indian Prime Minister ...

Ryan Crocker sounds very far from Washington and not only because he is talking over an uncertain phone line from Kabul. The US ambassador is one of the great protagonists of the post-9/11 era, serving more than half of the last 10 years in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan. Along with Gen. David ...

FAISALABAD - American President Barack Obama is planning to visit Pakistan this year in order to strengthen bilateral relations, said Jennifer Larson, Public Affairs Officer, US Consulate General, Lahore. She was addressing students at a session on 'Pakistan-United States Relations towards Future ...

KARACHI - United Bank Limited and Voice Trust Holding today signed a comprehensive Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) regarding their strategic relationship covering a Joint Venture (JV) in Pakistan as well as a launch of international programmes. This partnership will combine UBLs branchless ...

KARACHI - The implementation on Karachi Strategic Development Plan 2020 is continued partially due to involvement of approximately 20 different land owning agencies operating in Karachi under the federal and provincial governments. The Local Government Department of Sindh stated this in its ...

WASHINGTON - Pakistan and the US are set to try and repair relations as tension between the two uneasy allies increased in recent months over host of issues, including the US drone strikes and clandestine CIA operations. Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir, who arrives in this capital city later ...

GWADAR - It was a revealing two-day visit to this new port city, which was arranged by ISPR for media persons basically to cover a function at the Gwadar Institute of Technology, a joint venture of Balochistan Government and Pakistan Army. The Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Khan Raisani and General ...

ISLAMABAD - Conveying Pakistans sincere sentiments of goodwill, solidarity and support for the continued stability, pe-ace and prosperity of the Kingdom of Bahrain, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has expressed his concerns over the safety and security of Pakistani community in Bahrain and urged ...

KARACHI - Pakistan Telecommunication Company Ltd (PTCL) and Excise and Taxation Department (Government of Sindh) have entered a strategic partnership. The agreement signing ceremony was held at the office of Secretary Excise and Taxation Manzoor A Memon here on Tuesday. PTCL turned another ...

ISLAMABAD - To many it might be yet another retreat of the PPP-led government. But for Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani it was not short of his lifetime political manoeuvre. Ostensibly it was out of compulsion that he withdrew the recent price hike in the petroleum products. To a great ...

DUSHANBE (APP) Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Thursday reiterated the resolve to further strengthen their strategic bilateral ties in trade, economy, energy, defence and other areas. The two leaders, who had a brief meeting here on the sidelines of the 9th ...