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US Ambassador David Hale briefs Bajwa on US’s South Asia policy

Pakistan wants the US’s trust, not its financial assistance: COAS ISLAMABAD: Pakistan does not want material or financial assistance from the US, but needs to be trusted and treated with respect, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa told US Ambassador David Hale on Wednesday. The two had a meeting at the army’s General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, where ...

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Book on Hamid Karzai foreign trips hits newsstands

KABUL: A book titled ‘Starai Mazal’ (Tiresome Journey), dealing with former president Hamid Karzai’s foreign trips, has hit the newsstands in Kabul. Published by the Acsose Publication Centre, the 183-page book has been written by senior journalist Hakeem Basharat, who is associated with the country’s largest news agency Pajhwok Afghan News. Basharat remained close to the former president and traveled ...

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Trump fires up US war machine condemning Afghanistan to endless war

A strategy solely focused on “killing terrorists” without including plans for peace building and nation building is going to fail terribly, and deplorably. President Trump’s long-awaited strategy for Afghanistan and South Asia has finally been announced. But it has grave implications for Afghanistan. While there is some clarity on the US stance vis-a-vis Pakistan and its safe havens for the ...

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Why Trump is right to get tough with Pakistan

President Trump deserves high marks for his new Afghanistan strategy. It is bold, reasoned and offers the prospect of success against the violent Islamist groups of the region. But it will also face opposition in the region. The president will have to show an unflagging commitment to the cause and be prepared to respond to moves by adversaries to disrupt ...

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New US strategy an opportunity for Pakistan to review its old approach: Ghani

KABUL: President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has said the new strategy by the United States for the South Asia is yet another opportunity for Pakistan to review its old regional approach, specifically the country’s approach towards Afghanistan. The Afghan President made the remarks during his speech to the nation after the announcement of the strategy by President Donald Trump. He said ...

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U.S. may sanction Pakistani officials with ties to terrorists, Trump official says

President Donald Trump’s new, get-tough approach with Pakistan’s government could potentially include sanctioning Pakistani government officials with ties to terrorist organizations, a senior administration official said Tuesday morning, part of an overall regional strategy that he said has put Pakistan “on notice” that “business as usual as it has been up to now is over.” Trump, in nationally televised address ...

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Ghani hails reiteration of US support for Afghanistan

KABUL: President Ashraf Ghani on Tuesday welcomed his American counterpart Donald Trump’s new strategy for the war in Afghanistan. Ghani said the US had shown an enduring commitment to Afghanistan’s war against terrorism and the war-torn country’s stability. In a statement from the Presidential Palace, Ghani appreciated the Trump administration’s reaffirmation of support to the government and people of Afghanistan. “I ...

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Karzai says Trump’s new strategy is against Afghans’ will

KABUL: Former President, Hamid Karzai in reaction to the US new strategy announced by President Donald Trump, said the strategy was against peace as the Afghans’ main will. Trump in a televised speech early Tuesday, spoke about sending more troops to the war-ravaged country, but did not detailed on the exact extra number. “We strongly condemn this position of the ...

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Afghan envoy to Washington Hamdullah Mohib thanks Trump for tougher approach on Pakistan

Afghan envoy to Washington Hamdullah Mohib on Monday thanked the US President Donald Trump for his tougher approach towards Pakistan, harboring terrorist outfits against its neighbors and USA. “We welcome this decision, which is the result of intense deliberations and takes into account both countries’ needs and considerations. This is the first time a focus has been put on what ...

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After Trump’s Afghan policy statement, China reaffirms support to Pakistan

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. ─AFP/File Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday reaffirmed Beijing’s support to Pakistan during a meeting with Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua hours after US President Donald Trump lambasted Pakistan for allegedly offering safe haven to “agents of chaos” in his South Asia policy announcement. Earlier, as Beijing came to Islamabad’s defence in light of Trump’s remarks, Chinese Foreign Ministry ...

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