Asian Lite News Archive

Category: PAKISTAN

  • Sharif calls for peace

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    Shun negative politics, says Nawaz Sharif Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said it was the need of the hour to shun negative politics and use energy for the country’s progress, and anyone hindering development will be held accountable. Sharif is facing pressure to step down from protesting Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) party of Imran Khan and Pakistan Awami…

  • Pak stalemate continues

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    Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif met the powerful army chief on Tuesday, a source in his administration said, as a political deadlock over mass protests for the government’s resignation showed no signs of resolution. Pakistan has been gripped by peaceful opposition protests demanding Sharif’s resignation this month, with thousands of demonstrators camped outside parliament in…

  • Pak protest: What will army do?

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    A leading Pakistani daily Thursday wondered about the army’s role in the current political impasse, saying that perhaps it even steered events from behind and was like a “big brother chiding the children of democracy to behave – or else”. “In the evolution of virtually every political crisis, there comes a point where the military…

  • Pak defends talk with separatists

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    Pakistan’s ambassador to India defended his recent talks with Kashmiri separatists, saying that including them in a dialogue is the only way to find a lasting peace between the South Asian rivals. Abdul Basit spoke to reporters in New Delhi two days after India called off diplomatic talks with Pakistan because he had met with separatist…

  • Pak Army calls for dialogues

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    Pakistan army calls for dialogue as protesters reach parliament  The Pakistan army on Wednesday called for dialogue to resolve the current political crisis in the country as thousands of anti-government protesters forced their way to reach the parliament building demanding resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The current “situation requires patience, wisdom and sagacity from…

  • Army to monitor Imran’s march

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    As Imran marches on, Islamabad security given to army  As a protest march continued in Pakistan, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan Tuesday announced that the army has been entrusted with the responsibility of securing Islamabad’s sensitive Red Zone area. The move came as protestors from Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and the Pakistan Awami…

  • Indo-Pak stand off Unfortunate: US

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    As India called off foreign secretary-level talks with Pakistan over its envoy’s meeting with Kashmiri separatists, the US termed the cancellation “unfortunate” and said it continued to support their efforts to improve bilateral relations. “It is unfortunate that planned talks between India and Pakistan have fallen through,” State Department spokesperson Marie Harf told reporters in…

  • Modi flexes muscle to tame Pakistan

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    India calls off talks over Pakistan envoy’s invite to separatists  In a tough move, India Monday called off the Aug 25 foreign secretary-level talks with Pakistan after the latter’s envoy held a meeting with a separatist Kashmiri leader. Pakistan described the decision as a “setback” to its efforts to promote good neighbourly relations. External Affairs…

  • Imran seeks Nawaz resignation

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    Thousands of protesters gathered in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad as rally leaders Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri called for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to step down. They are alleging rigging in the 2013 elections, which saw the first civilian government transfer of power. Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) chief Imran Khan demanded Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s resignation. The PM’s…

  • Imran Khan survives attack

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    Imran Khan attacked during Pakistan anti-government march Opposition leader Imran Khan Friday said he was attacked by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) activists during an anti-government march in Pakistan’s Punjab province, TV reports said. The attack took place in the industrial city of Gujranwala, Dunya TV reported, adding that the PML-N activists hurled stones that smashed…

  • Pak protest approaches Capital

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    Two convoys are taking thousands of anti-government protesters from the Pakistani city of Lahore to Islamabad, the capital, amid tight security. The protesters are separately led by opposition politician Imran Khan and anti-government cleric Tahirul Qadri. They want Prime Minister  Nawaz Sharif to resign and have promised a change of government. Tahir ul Qadri, who…

  • GALLERY- Pakistan Celebrates I-Day

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    Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif  inspects honor gurads during a ceremony to mark Pakistan’s Independence Day in Islamabad. Sharif used his Independence Day speech to pay tributes to the security forces fighting militants in North Waziristan tribal region

  • Pakistan celebrates I-Day

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    As Pakistan celebrated its 68th Independence Day Thursday, supporters of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehrik (PAT) parties remained determined to march towards Islamabad. The marches have been called to protest against alleged rigging in the 2013 general elections, Dawn online reported. According to officials, parts of Islamabad have been blocked off by placing…

  • SO WHAT’S THE NEW INDO-PAK EQUATION

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    Bikram Vohra analysing the issue of “war and proxy-war” as India and Pakistan prepare to celebrate 68th Independence Day Indian Prime Minister Modi deflected from the importance of the scheduled Indo-Pak Foreign Secretary talks by resetting the parameters of the relationship between two neighbours who have not been neighbourly for 70 odd years. And, besides…

  • Jashan e Azaadi Mubarak!

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    In a televised address to the nation, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif rejected demands for his resignation and reiterated that his government will complete five-year constitutional term. Sharif’s remarks came at a time when opposition leader Imran Khan was demanding his resignation as he claimed that last year’s elections were rigged, Xinhua reported. The announcement came just…

  • Modi’s allegations empty rhetoric: Pak

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    A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused it of waginga proxy war against India, Pakistan on Wednesday took him on by dubbing it as “baseless rhetoric.” Pakistan said both countries should focus on resolving issues instead of engaging in blame game.“The press reports of Indian accusations, at the highest political level, are most unfortunate, especially…

  • Indo-Pak Kiss But in Reel Life

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    She may be Pakistan’s sweetheart, but the country’s most highly paid actress, Humaima Malik, says she worries about how home audiences will respond to her latest on-screen romance – soon she’ll be seen locking lips with Indian co-star Emraan Hashmi in her first Bollywood starring role, a BBC report said. With this kiss, Malik joins…

  • Ceasefire Violation in Indo-Pak Border

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    India has accused Pakistan of violating ceasefire in the border. Pakistan Army Sunday opened fire without provocation at Indian positions along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, an official said.“Pakistan Army fired at our positions on the LoC in Mendhar area of the Poonch district,” defence spokesman Colonel Manish Mehta .“Pakistan firing…

  • PICS: Sikhs protest in Pakistan

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    Pakistani Sikh minority shout slogans during a protest against the killing of a colleague in northwest Pakistan’s Peshawar. A Sikh trader was shot dead and two others injured when unknown gunmen opened fire on them in Peshawar.

  • Pakistan summons Afghan envoy

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     Pakistan Wednesday summoned Afghan envoy and lodged a strong protest over an attack launched by terrorists from across the border. Pakistan’s foreign ministry said in a statement that between 70 and 80 terrorists were involved in the cross-border attack on Pakistan military posts in Upper Dir of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, bordering Afghanistan, late Tuesday, Xinhua…

  • Pak army turn heat on militants

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    Pakistan army chief says the troops wwill not allow terrorists back in Waziristan Pakistan Army chief Raheel Sharif  said the “terrorists will not be allowed” to return to the North Waziristan tribal region where a major offensive against militants continues. Gen. Sharif was addressing the Pakistani forces involved in operations against the Pakistani Taliban and…

  • Sweets exchanged at Wagah checkpost

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     The border guards of India and Pakistan Tuesday greeted each other and exchanged sweets at the border checkpost at Attari-Wagah, 30 km from Amritsar, on the occasion of Eid. Officers and troopers of Pakistan Rangers offered sweets to their Indian counterparts. Indians and Pakistanis embraced one another at the border gates, 300 km from here.…

  • Promote trade with India: The Dawn

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    A leading Pakistani newspaper Sunday moaned the lost opportunities and called for speedy promotion of trade with India. More than a decade after the signing of the South Asia Free Trade Agreement by both countries, bilateral trade was far below the potential, the Dawn suggested in an editorial. “Having missed an opportunity to advance opening…

  • Pakistan target Haqqani Network

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    Pakistan Thursday said the country’s security forces are targeting all armed groups including the Haqqani Network in the ongoing major offensive in North Waziristan tribal region. The comments came a day after Afghan intelligence officials said that Pakistani forces have not yet taken any action against the Haqqani Network, blamed for recent deadly attacks in…

  • Pak fashion due in Mumbai

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    Lakmé Fashion Week (LFW) Winter-Festive 2014 will host four Pakistani designers Faiza Samee, Rizwan Beyg, Sania Maskatiya and Zara Shahjahan. Presented by POPxo.com and Hello! Pakistan, the designers will mark their LFW debut with a grand show Aug 22 at the winter-festive edition of LFW. “This season we are very excited to host four exceptional…

  • India, Pak foreign secretaries to meet

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    Foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan are to meet in Islamabad Aug 25, in a major forward movement in reviving stalled peace talks two months after the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif. The date and venue of the talks was decided Wednesday during a telephonic talk between Indian…

  • US drone attack kills eight in Pakistan

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     At least eight militants were killed Saturday in a US drone attack in Pakistan’s North Waziristan region. According to officials, the attack occurred at around 3 a.m. when an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) fired two missiles on a compound in Dattakhel area, around 35 km west of Miranshah, Dawn online reported. The dead militants belonged…

  • Modi welcome to visit Pakistan: Envoy

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     Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be welcome whenever he chooses to visit Pakistan, said that country’s envoy here Friday. Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit said a visit to Pakistan by Modi “would be welcome whenever he comes”. But Basit noted that such high-level visits “don’t happen without adequate preparation”. “It is too early to…

  • 35 killed in Pakistan military air strikes

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     At least 35 suspected militants were killed Wednesday during air strikes carried out by Pakistani military in North Waziristan, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. According to an ISPR spokesman, the air strikes occurred in Shawal area which is located at the border of North and South Waziristan and considered to be hub of terrorists,…

  • PICS: Heatwave in Pakistan

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    Pakistanis play in a canal during a hot day in east Pakistan’s Lahore on July 15, 2014. Temperatures reach over 45 degrees Celsius in many parts of the country  

  • Delhi distances itself from Vaidik

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    Amid a raging row, the government said Tuesday that it had nothing to do with yoga guru Ramdev’s aide Ved Pratap Vaidik’s meeting with Pakistani terrorist Hafiz Saeed in Lahore. Both in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, senior cabinet ministers distanced the government from Vaidik even as the latter claimed that he met Saeed…

  • Hafiz Saeed issue rocks Rajya Sabha

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    There was uproar in the Rajya Sabha Monday over the meeting of an aide of yoga guru Ramdev with the 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed, disrupting the question hour. A picture of the yoga guru’s close aide Ved Pratap Vaidik with Hafiz Saeed was circulated on social media, stirring a raging controversy. As soon as the…

  • Malala dares Boko Haram

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    The most famous teen in the planet, Malala Yousafali, arrives in Nigeria to support the release of 200 girls abducted from their school by Islamic militants in April. The teenager, who was shot by the Taliban, defied security warnings to fly to Nigeria on her 17th birthday, The Times reported. “I want to highlight this…

  • ‘Sharif to learn from LTTE defeat’

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    Pakistan may not be able to replicate Sri Lanka’s success vis-a-vis the LTTE but needs to learn from it to overcome Islamist militants, a Pakistani police officer has said. “The Sri Lankan strategy shows that with military might and popular support the state can defeat insurgents,” Mohammad Ali Babakhel said in an article carried Sunday…

  • ISIS inspiring Pakistani militants

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     The ISIS in Iraq is influencing Pakistani militants, with at least one group declaring allegiance to the insurgents, a Pakistani security analyst has said. Muhammad Amir Rana said in Dawn Sunday that the Pakistani militant group Tehreek-i-Khilafats declaration of allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) “has surprised many”. The ISIS, now…

  • ‘ISIS inspiring Taliban in Pakistan’

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    Muhammad Amir Rana, security analyst, says ISIS inspiring Pakistani militants The ISIS in Iraq is influencing Pakistani militants, with at least one group declaring allegiance to the insurgents, a Pakistani security analyst has said. Muhammad Amir Rana said in Dawn Sunday that the Pakistani militant group Tehreek-i-Khilafat’s declaration of allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq…

  • SPECIAL REPORT: Pakistan TV Shows

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    Pakistani TV shows are breaking down walls of mistrust, delusions  says Vikas Datta  “Mulk taksim huye, dil to abhi ek hai/Isi liye hamne khidkiyan kat rakhi hai deewaron mein (The nations were divided, but hearts are still one/That is why we’ve cut windows into the walls (between us))”, wrote an Urdu poet. Divided amid bloodshed, experiencing long spells…

  • BIG INTERVIEW: Samina Peerzada

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    Samina Peerzada told Radhika Bhirani that Pakistan-India content exchange will push connect She grew up watching the films of Bollywood’s late ethereal beauty Madhubala, has enjoyed new wave Indian gems like “Parineeta” and “Barfi!”, and loves to catch up on “Comedy Nights With Kapil”. But Samina Peerzada, a veteran actor-filmmaker from Pakistan, says exchange of content from…

  • UN honours Shamshad Akhtar

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    Shamshad Akhtar, Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, was honoured by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, during a swearing-in ceremony held at the UN headquarters in New York. Ms Akhtar of Pakistan was appointed as the executive secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia…

  • Asian illegal migrants concern EU

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    Kavita Bajeli-Datt meets EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmström in Brussels. The EU wants to discuss illegal migration with Modi government. In 2012, EU member-states returned around 12,000 Indian citizens found to be staying irregularly. Afghanistan (33,500) and Pakistan (29,000) are the two top countries from where illegal migrants were found staying illegally in EU. The European…

  • New Silk Road rail link to Pakistan

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    China has allocated funds for building a railway line from the city Kashgar in northwestern Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region to Pakistan’s deep-sea Gwadar Port on the Arabian Sea, local media reported. “The 1,800-km China-Pakistan railway is planned to also pass through Pakistan’s capital of Islamabad and Karachi,” China Daily Monday quoted Zhang Chunlin, director of…

  • Asian parents urged to engage with children  

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    Senior politicians, academics, religious leaders from the Muslim community have appealed to the Asian families to engage with their children to stem the radicalisation of the younger generation. Afzal Khan, former Manchester mayor and  Labour’s newly elected MEP from North West, said some of the Asian parents are not even devoting enough quality time to…

  • Indo-Pak trade talks to resume

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    Commerce ministers of India and Pakistan will meet in Bhutan in July to discuss the revival of talks on trade liberalisation, media reported. According to officials, the ministers would meet July 24, Dawn online reported. This will be the first meeting of Indian Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman with Pakistan’s Comm�erce Minister…

  • Pakistan arrests 250 for plane attack

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    Pakistani police have held 250 people suspected to be involved in a gun attack on a plane Tuesday that killed one passenger and injured two crew members, a media report said Thursday. A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Airbus A-310, carrying 196 passengers and 10 crew members from Riyadh, came under fire while landing at Peshawar’s…

  • Pakistan rejects Afghan claims

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    Pakistan refutes Afghan claim on cross-border incursions Pakistan rejected as “baseless” the remarks by the Afghan foreign ministry that Pakistani troops have intruded into its territory and killed security personnel and civilians. Kabul was demanding a response to the Pakistani firing that killed three soldiers and eight civilians in eastern Kunar province this week, the…

  • Pakistan, Nawaz to taste ‘Arab Spring’

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     Cleric Qadri to launch what he vows will be “Pakistan’s Arab Spring — a people’s revolution” Pakistan is heading for another phase of chaos as Canada-based preacher turned politician Tahirul Qadri arrived at Benazir Bhutto International Airport near Islamabad on Monday. The authorities, fearing an escalation of unrest, diverted the commercial flight to the eastern…

  • Pakistan faces new crisis

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    Sahana Ghosh says Pakistan is facing fundamental challenges to its capacity With Sunni militants advancing on Iraqi capital Baghdad and the twin attacks on Karachi airport, an Indo-Canadian author and expert on South Asian politics says Pakistan’s fight against insurgent groups is getting harder while the country is “not that effective” in confronting them, given…

  • PICS – Pakistanis flee tribal region

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    As the paksitani army intensify attack on militants, about 100,000 flee northwest tribal region of Pakistan.  The military launched the operation Sunday night, saying it was targeting militants who have long used the region as a base from which to launch attacks targeting security forces and civilians. But a curfew put in place Saturday prevented residents…

  • US drone kills five in Pakistan

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    At least five people were killed in a US drone strike launched early Wednesday in Pakistan’s tribal region of North Waziristan, a media report here said. The strike was carried out at about 4.00 a.m. when US drones fired six missiles at a house and a vehicle in Miranshal town of North Waziristan, a restive…

  • Pakistan faces Iraq model crisis

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    C Uday Bhaskar, Distinguished Fellow, Society for Policy Studies, is analysing the new Iraqi crisis for Asian Lite, the international newspaper for the Asian diaspora. Can Pakistan be saved from going the Iraq way?  The Pakistan military launched Zarb-e-Azb, a major offensive operation against terror groups operating from North Waziristan Sunday, a week after the…