BALOCHISTAN: At least 58 cadets and guards have been killed after militants attacked a police college in the Balochistan city of Quetta, officials say. Three militants wearing suicide bomb vests entered the college late on Monday, reportedly taking hostages. A major security operation lasted for hours and all attackers were killed. No group has said they carried out the assault, ...

KABUL: The United States has called on Pakistan to go after all terrorist networks operating on its soil, reiterating that it will not hesitate “to act alone” to “disrupt and destroy” them, US official said. “The problem is that there are forces within the Pakistani government — specifically in Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) — that refuse to take similar steps ...

KABUL: The US, NATO troops’ commander in Afghanistan Gen. John Nicholson, terming poor leadership in certain levels as a sole reason behind casualties surge. “We are very concerned about the casualty rate,” said Nicholson in an interview with NBC news, explaining that last year the Afghans suffered high casualties and this year it has been “the same or slightly higher.” ...

KABUL: The Taliban leaders based in Pakistan have reportedly been asked to join peace talks or leave the country along with the family members. “The squeeze is continuing on them [the Taliban] and some have already left, or [are] leaving the country,” a senior Pakistani official told VOA in background interview. According to the report, the latest crackdown by Islamabad ...

“Economics shapes politics; an increase in economic interests of neighbours in Afghanistan via transit routes can shape regional politics and can lead to more sustainable peace in Afghanistan.” Frederic Batait, a French economist, has rightly said that “when goods do not cross borders, soldiers will”. Afghanistan being a ‘Heart of the Asia’ has/had geo-political and geo-economic importance for the region. ...

EDITORIAL: Any step which lies in stopping violence is absolutely appreciable. There is no denial to the fact that Afghan masses desperately wait for peace and security to be maintained in the war-hit country. To achieve that, Afghan civilian despite military personnel have rendered huge sacrifices. But however peace yet to come. Recently, the Taliban and the representatives of the ...

WASHINGTON: Asserting that Pakistan’s powerful spy agency ISI is not taking action against all terror groups, the US has warned Pakistan that it will not hesitate to act alone, when necessary, to disrupt and destroy terror networks operating in the country. “The problem is that there are forces within the Pakistani government — specifically in Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence or ISI ...

The question of democracy in Pakistan is far from settled despite the commitment of the founding fathers and political leaders of following generations. Dissolution of the first Constituent Assembly of the country in 1954 after a bureaucratic coup heralded a 6/10 years cycle of intervention by dictatorial forces for ambushing the democratic process. But it is also true that people ...

CHITRAL: The chief consultant of the Golen Gol hydropower project has tendered his resignation to the quarters concerned, citing the reason that his suggestions were continually ignored by Wapda, the executing agency of the project. A knowledgeable source told Dawn requesting anonymity that the consultant Mr George, a German national, was known for his efficiency who possessed varied experience in ...

Fata should be “de-colonised” first, says Afrasiab Khattak. ISLAMABAD: Well-known lawmakers and human rights experts discussed threadbare a report formulated by a high-level committee about reforms in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) at a consultative meeting organised by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on Saturday, and said it had several flaws that should be removed before it was ...