Tensions have soared along the India-Pakistan border in Jammu and Kashmir, as the Border and Security Force (BSF) and Pakistan Rangers exchanged cross-border gunfire on Monday.&nbsp;

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The Border Security Force (BSF) said&nbsp;that it retaliated against ceasefire violations by Pakistan and destroyed its firing posts at several locations along the International Border (IB) in the region.

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WATCH</a> Retaliatory operation by Border Security Force against Pakistan Rangers along International Border in Jammu region (Source: BSF) <a href="https://t.co/t9HLALaSWO">pic.twitter.com/t9HLALaSWO</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/955438592125321217?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&quot;BSF is giving suitable and pin-pointed retaliation to an unprovoked fire by Pakistani forces from across the IB in Jammu. At several locations, the enemy&#39;s firing positions, ammunition and fuel dump have been destroyed by the precision firing of the border guarding force personnel,&quot; said a BSF spokesperson.

The BSF has fired over 9,000 rounds of mortar shells in the past four days as part of &ldquo;pinpointed&rdquo; retaliatory action against Pakistan&rsquo;s unprovoked firing, officials said.

The spokesperson also released two small video clips purportedly showing the destruction of the fuel dump.

Twelve people, including five security personnel, have been killed and over 60 others injured in Pakistani firing from across the border in Jammu since Thursday.&nbsp;

(With inputs from PTI)

The spokesperson also released two small video clips purportedly showing the destruction of the fuel dump

Tensions have soared along the India-Pakistan border in Jammu and Kashmir, as the Border and Security Force (BSF) and Pakistan Rangers exchanged cross-border gunfire on Monday. × The Border Security Force (BSF) said that it retaliated against ceasefire violations by Pakistan and destroyed its firing posts at several locations along the International Border (IB) in the region. #WATCH Retaliatory operation by Border Security Force against Pakistan Rangers along International Border in Jammu region (Source: BSF) pic.twitter.com/t9HLALaSWO — ANI (@ANI) January 22, 2018 × "BSF is giving suitable and pin-pointed retaliation to an unprovoked fire by Pakistani forces from across the IB in Jammu. At several locations, the enemy's firing positions, ammunition and fuel dump have been destroyed by the precision firing of the border guarding force personnel," said a BSF spokesperson. The BSF has fired over 9,000 rounds of mortar shells in the past four days as part of “pinpointed” retaliatory action against Pakistan’s unprovoked firing, officials said. The spokesperson also released two small video clips purportedly showing the destruction of the fuel dump. Twelve people, including five security personnel, have been killed and over 60 others injured in Pakistani firing from across the border in Jammu since Thursday. (With inputs from PTI)

Watch: BSF destroys Pakistan firing positions, fuel dump in retaliatory firing

Pakistan on Wednesday condemned a &quot;unilateral&quot; US military drone strike inside its territory that security officials said killed two members of the Afghan Taliban-allied Haqqani network, adding to already tense relations between the uneasy allies.

The unmanned aircraft&#39;s missiles &quot;targeted an Afghan refugee&quot; camp in Pakistan&#39;s northwestern Kurram region, a statement from the Pakistani foreign office said.

&quot;Such unilateral actions, as that of today, are detrimental to the spirit of cooperation between the two countries in the fight against terrorism,&quot; the Pakistani statement said.

The US-led military mission in Afghanistan, which trains and assists Afghan government forces fighting the Taliban, said it &quot;regularly conducts offensive operations within the borders of Afghanistan with the intent of bringing security and stability not only to Afghanistan, but also the entire region&quot;, but said it had no information on the drone strike reports.

Two missiles hit a house and killed Haqqani network militants Ahsan Khorai and Nasir Mehmood in the village of Dapa Mamozai in Kurram, according to a police officer and an intelligence official.

&quot;Two militants from Haqqani network were killed in the drone attack,&quot; the intelligence official based in the area said.

There has been an uptick in US drone strikes inside Pakistan in the mountainous border regions bordering Afghanistan since US President Donald Trump took office in January 2017, though they are a long way off their peak in 2010.

Earlier this month, one man was severely wounded in a suspected drone attack in FATA, while another Haqqani militant was killed on December 26 in a suspected US drone strike inside Pakistan.

Trump has taken a hardline stance on Pakistan, which he says provides safe haven to high-level commanders from the Haqqani network, a group which often conducts deadly attacks in Afghanistan.

Relations between Washington and Islamabad have frayed over the past month in the wake of Trump&#39;s angry tweet on January 1 about Pakistan&#39;s &quot;lies and deceit&quot; over its alleged support for the Afghan Taliban and their allies. The United States this month also suspended military assistance worth about $2 billion.

Islamabad denies sheltering militants and accuses Washington of not respecting Pakistan&#39;s vast sacrifices in the war on militancy.

Over the past decade, almost all US drone strikes inside Pakistan have taken place within the border areas, but some Pakistani officials fear the United States under Trump will begin carrying out strikes outside the tribal areas.

Relations between Pakistan and the United States have endured strain during the 16-year war in Afghanistan, especially after al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden was killed by US special forces inside Pakistan in 2011.

The unmanned aircraft's missiles 'targeted an Afghan refugee' camp in Pakistan's northwestern Kurram region, a statement from the Pakistani foreign office said

Pakistan on Wednesday condemned a "unilateral" US military drone strike inside its territory that security officials said killed two members of the Afghan Taliban-allied Haqqani network, adding to already tense relations between the uneasy allies. The unmanned aircraft's missiles "targeted an Afghan refugee" camp in Pakistan's northwestern Kurram region, a statement from the Pakistani foreign office said. "Such unilateral actions, as that of today, are detrimental to the spirit of cooperation between the two countries in the fight against terrorism," the Pakistani statement said. The US-led military mission in Afghanistan, which trains and assists Afghan government forces fighting the Taliban, said it "regularly conducts offensive operations within the borders of Afghanistan with the intent of bringing security and stability not only to Afghanistan, but also the entire region", but said it had no information on the drone strike reports. Two missiles hit a house and killed Haqqani network militants Ahsan Khorai and Nasir Mehmood in the village of Dapa Mamozai in Kurram, according to a police officer and an intelligence official. "Two militants from Haqqani network were killed in the drone attack," the intelligence official based in the area said. There has been an uptick in US drone strikes inside Pakistan in the mountainous border regions bordering Afghanistan since US President Donald Trump took office in January 2017, though they are a long way off their peak in 2010. Earlier this month, one man was severely wounded in a suspected drone attack in FATA, while another Haqqani militant was killed on December 26 in a suspected US drone strike inside Pakistan. Trump has taken a hardline stance on Pakistan, which he says provides safe haven to high-level commanders from the Haqqani network, a group which often conducts deadly attacks in Afghanistan. Relations between Washington and Islamabad have frayed over the past month in the wake of Trump's angry tweet on January 1 about Pakistan's "lies and deceit" over its alleged support for the Afghan Taliban and their allies. The United States this month also suspended military assistance worth about $2 billion. Islamabad denies sheltering militants and accuses Washington of not respecting Pakistan's vast sacrifices in the war on militancy. Over the past decade, almost all US drone strikes inside Pakistan have taken place within the border areas, but some Pakistani officials fear the United States under Trump will begin carrying out strikes outside the tribal areas. Relations between Pakistan and the United States have endured strain during the 16-year war in Afghanistan, especially after al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden was killed by US special forces inside Pakistan in 2011.

Pakistan condemns 'unilateral' US drone strike on its territory

The Lahore High Court today restrained the Pakistan government from arresting Hafiz Saeed, the 2008 Mumbai terror attack mastermind and JuD chief, till further order.

Saeed had yesterday moved the court seeking protection from arrest or action against Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) and Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation (FIF) ahead of the visit of the monitoring team of the United Nations Security Council 1267 Sanctions Committee.

The team will be visiting Islamabad from tomorrow for an assessment of Islamabad&#39;s compliance with the world body&#39;s sanctions regime.

In his plea, he had said that the government wants to arrest him at the behest of US and India, whose lobby for the last many years has been trying to prove that he was &quot;somehow involved in Mumbai attacks&quot;.

Justice Amin Aminuddin Khan heard Saeed&#39;s plea and refrained the government from taking any adverse action against him.

&quot;The LHC today accepted JuD chief Hafiz Saeed&#39;s application and issued order restraining the federal government from arresting him till futher order,&quot; a court official confirmed to PTI. 
He said the court also issued notice to the government to file its reply on March 17.

Appearing for the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founder, his counsel Advocate A K Dogar told the court that the UNSC delegation was due in the country this week and the government intends to take an &quot;adverse action&quot; against him during the team&#39;s stay in the country.

He said the government may arrest his client at the behest of the US and India.

The Punjab government, Dogar said, had detained Saeed for 10 months under the Maintenance of Public Order ordinance but a judicial review board had rejected its application for extending his house arrest last November as it failed to justify his detention.

Saeed is the founder/chairman of JuD and Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation (FIF) and he had set up 142 schools and three universities and was engaged in public welfare for a long time, Dogar said.

The UN team&#39;s visit is taking place amid increasing pressure on Pakistan from the US and Indian governments with respect to inadequate implementation of the sanctions on Saeed and entities linked to him.

The State Department had said last week that the US had clearly conveyed its concern to Pakistan on Saeed and called for his prosecution &quot;to the fullest extent of the law&quot;.

It also said that Saeed&#39;s name was on the UN list of designated terrorists.

Saeed was listed under UN Security Council Resolution 1267 in December 2008. The UNSC sanctions list includes the names of JuD, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Al-Qaeda, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, FIF and other groups and individuals.

The UNSC monitoring committee oversees the sanctions measures imposed by the Security Council under the rules. The member states are required to freeze without delay the funds and other financial assets or economic resources of designated individuals and entities.

Last week, Pakistan banned companies and individuals from making donations to the JuD, the FIF and other organisations on the UNSC sanctions list.

The JuD is believed to be the front organisation for the LeT which is responsible for carrying out the Mumbai attack that killed 166 people. It has been declared as a foreign terrorist organisation by the US in June 2014.

Saeed had yesterday moved the court seeking protection from arrest or action against Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) and Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation (FIF) ahead of the visit of the monitoring team of the United Nations Security Council 1267 Sanctions Committee

The Lahore High Court today restrained the Pakistan government from arresting Hafiz Saeed, the 2008 Mumbai terror attack mastermind and JuD chief, till further order. Saeed had yesterday moved the court seeking protection from arrest or action against Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) and Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation (FIF) ahead of the visit of the monitoring team of the United Nations Security Council 1267 Sanctions Committee. The team will be visiting Islamabad from tomorrow for an assessment of Islamabad's compliance with the world body's sanctions regime. In his plea, he had said that the government wants to arrest him at the behest of US and India, whose lobby for the last many years has been trying to prove that he was "somehow involved in Mumbai attacks". Justice Amin Aminuddin Khan heard Saeed's plea and refrained the government from taking any adverse action against him. "The LHC today accepted JuD chief Hafiz Saeed's application and issued order restraining the federal government from arresting him till futher order," a court official confirmed to PTI. He said the court also issued notice to the government to file its reply on March 17. Appearing for the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founder, his counsel Advocate A K Dogar told the court that the UNSC delegation was due in the country this week and the government intends to take an "adverse action" against him during the team's stay in the country. He said the government may arrest his client at the behest of the US and India. The Punjab government, Dogar said, had detained Saeed for 10 months under the Maintenance of Public Order ordinance but a judicial review board had rejected its application for extending his house arrest last November as it failed to justify his detention. Saeed is the founder/chairman of JuD and Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation (FIF) and he had set up 142 schools and three universities and was engaged in public welfare for a long time, Dogar said. The UN team's visit is taking place amid increasing pressure on Pakistan from the US and Indian governments with respect to inadequate implementation of the sanctions on Saeed and entities linked to him. The State Department had said last week that the US had clearly conveyed its concern to Pakistan on Saeed and called for his prosecution "to the fullest extent of the law". It also said that Saeed's name was on the UN list of designated terrorists. Saeed was listed under UN Security Council Resolution 1267 in December 2008. The UNSC sanctions list includes the names of JuD, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Al-Qaeda, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, FIF and other groups and individuals. The UNSC monitoring committee oversees the sanctions measures imposed by the Security Council under the rules. The member states are required to freeze without delay the funds and other financial assets or economic resources of designated individuals and entities. Last week, Pakistan banned companies and individuals from making donations to the JuD, the FIF and other organisations on the UNSC sanctions list. The JuD is believed to be the front organisation for the LeT which is responsible for carrying out the Mumbai attack that killed 166 people. It has been declared as a foreign terrorist organisation by the US in June 2014.

Lahore High Court restrains Pakistan govt from taking action against Saeed

A UN Security Council team has arrived in Pakistan for an assessment of Islamabad&#39;s compliance with the world body&#39;s sanctions regime, amid mounting global pressure on the country to act against Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed and entities linked to him.

Though there was no official word about the arrival of the UN Security Council&#39;s sanctions monitoring team, Geo News reported that it arrived late yesterday.

The visit of the United Nations Security Council 1267 Sanctions Committee is taking place amid increasing pressure on Pakistan from the US and India with respect to the inadequate implementation of the sanctions on Saeed and entities linked to him.

However, Pakistani officials insist that the trip is a routine one.

A media report had said that Pakistan will not allow the committee any direct access to Jamaat-ud Dawa (JuD) chief Saeed or his entities.

Yesterday, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/lahore-high-court-restrains-pakistan-govt-from-taking-action-against-saeed-30637">a Pakistani court restrained the government from arresting Saeed</a> till March 17.

The JuD chief, who was listed under UN Security Council Resolution 1267 in December 2008, had moved the court seeking protection from arrest or action against JuD and Falah-i- Insaniat Foundation (FIF) ahead of the visit of the UN team.&nbsp;

However, Pakistani officials insist that the trip is a routine one

A UN Security Council team has arrived in Pakistan for an assessment of Islamabad's compliance with the world body's sanctions regime, amid mounting global pressure on the country to act against Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed and entities linked to him. Though there was no official word about the arrival of the UN Security Council's sanctions monitoring team, Geo News reported that it arrived late yesterday. The visit of the United Nations Security Council 1267 Sanctions Committee is taking place amid increasing pressure on Pakistan from the US and India with respect to the inadequate implementation of the sanctions on Saeed and entities linked to him. However, Pakistani officials insist that the trip is a routine one. A media report had said that Pakistan will not allow the committee any direct access to Jamaat-ud Dawa (JuD) chief Saeed or his entities. Yesterday, a Pakistani court restrained the government from arresting Saeed till March 17. The JuD chief, who was listed under UN Security Council Resolution 1267 in December 2008, had moved the court seeking protection from arrest or action against JuD and Falah-i- Insaniat Foundation (FIF) ahead of the visit of the UN team.

UNSC team monitoring sanctions arrives in Pakistan: Report

At least three suspected terrorists of the Haqqani network were killed on Wednesday in a suspected US drone strike in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan.

The drone strikes, carried out by US spy planes, targeted the house belonging to Afghan refugees, the report said.

Two missiles hit a house and killed Taliban-allied Haqqani network commander Ehsan alias Khawari and his two companions in the Dappa Mamazoi area.&nbsp;

Local sources belonging to the Orakzai Agency said that the strike was carried out on the Haqqani Network hideout.

Last week, two other militants were also killed in a drone strike in Shanqilay area of Afghanistan.&nbsp;

There has been a slight uptick in US drone strikes inside Pakistan in the mountainous border regions bordering Afghanistan since US President Donald Trump took office in January 2017, though they are a long way off their peak in 2010.

Pakistan has repeatedly said that drone strikes on its soil are a violation of its sovereignty and denies the charge, saying it acts against militants without discrimination.

Two missiles hit a house and killed Taliban-allied Haqqani network commander Ehsan alias Khawari and his two companions in the Dappa Mamazoi area

At least three suspected terrorists of the Haqqani network were killed on Wednesday in a suspected US drone strike in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan. The drone strikes, carried out by US spy planes, targeted the house belonging to Afghan refugees, the report said. Two missiles hit a house and killed Taliban-allied Haqqani network commander Ehsan alias Khawari and his two companions in the Dappa Mamazoi area. Local sources belonging to the Orakzai Agency said that the strike was carried out on the Haqqani Network hideout. Last week, two other militants were also killed in a drone strike in Shanqilay area of Afghanistan. There has been a slight uptick in US drone strikes inside Pakistan in the mountainous border regions bordering Afghanistan since US President Donald Trump took office in January 2017, though they are a long way off their peak in 2010. Pakistan has repeatedly said that drone strikes on its soil are a violation of its sovereignty and denies the charge, saying it acts against militants without discrimination.

US drone strike kills Haqqani network commander, 2 others in Pakistan

The same day as today, exactly a year back, an event of great political significance took place.

There&rsquo;s no denying that that the entire world closely watched American business magnate Donald Trump lock horns with his Democratic counterpart Hilary Clinton in the run up to becoming the 45th President of United States.

As it turned out, most of America voted for the Republican candidate Donald Trump who took the oath to &ldquo;faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States&rdquo;.

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<h5>It wasn&rsquo;t quite a cordial year for the Pakistan-US ties which touched a new low when the White House decided to pull out a whopping $1.9 billion aid to Pakistan.</h5>
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The Trump administration completes a year today and the US President has successfully clocked-in 365 days of governance that, in a nutshell, has been marred by surprises, chaos, upheavals, revelations and controversies, of course.

A look at Trump&rsquo;s maiden year would certainly involve some of his biggest announcements and strongest of stances over international issues and on America&rsquo;s ties with other countries.

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<h5>It all started somewhere halfway down the year with Trump outlining a new strategy on Afghanistan.</h5>
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<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=It all started somewhere halfway down the year with Trump outlining a new strategy on Afghanistan." target="_blank">&nbsp;</a></div>
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While Trump&rsquo;s declaration on identifying <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-recognises-jerusalem-as-israels-capital-sparks-firestorm-26072">Jerusalem as Israel&rsquo;s capital</a> was an event that raked many controversies, his positioning on Iran, North Korea and the Arab world came into the limelight time and again.

It wasn&rsquo;t quite a cordial year for the Pakistan-US ties which touched a new low when the White House decided to pull out a whopping $1.9 billion aid to Pakistan.

It all started somewhere halfway down the year with Trump outlining a new strategy on Afghanistan with an aim to resolve more than a decade old conflict.

But &ldquo;a hasty withdrawal would create a vacuum for terrorists, including ISIS and Al Qaeda,&rdquo; Trump noted in August 2017.

And thus followed his statement on putting considerable &ldquo;pressure&rdquo; on Pakistan with an aim to dismantle terrorist activism breeding on the Afghan-Pakistan border.

Not to mention, the White House, time and again, called out to Pakistan to adopt stringent measures against terrorism that allegedly bred from within its territories.

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<h5>Trump&rsquo;s reactions on Pakistan came as a shock to the world!</h5>
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Trump recently accused Pakistan of providing &lsquo;safe havens&rsquo; to terrorism and extremist groups.

&ldquo;The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies &amp; deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!,&rdquo; Trump tweeted as the New Year dawned.

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The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies &amp; deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/947802588174577664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 1, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The Trump administration notes that Pakistan can reverse the aid cut by taking strategic and stringent measures.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-can-do-without-us-aid-foreign-minister-khawaja-asif-29980">Pakistan&rsquo;s Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif</a> recently noted that while the country is trying to better its ties and balance relations with the White House, it will not take anything against its &ldquo;national integrity&rdquo;.

Khawaja also noted that the relationships between the two countries were normal before the US President made scathing remarks against Pakistan. &ldquo;Pakistan can do without the US aid,&rdquo; Asif noted.

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When will Pakistan apologize to us for providing safe sanctuary to Osama Bin Laden for 6 years?! Some &quot;ally.&quot;
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/220976065231863809?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 5, 2012</a></blockquote>
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Pakistan&rsquo;s retaliatory stance is now been speculated with many fearing that the country could clip US access to routes used to supply American troops in Afghanistan.

US State Department added another twist in its plot with Pakistan when it recently announced placing Pakistan on a special watch list for &ldquo;severe violations of religious freedoms&rdquo; under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.

The US defense department <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-defense-department-blocks-military-payments-to-pakistan-18160">froze military payments to Pakistan</a> in July 2017.

&quot;Secretary Mattis has informed congressional defense committees that he was not able to certify that Pakistan has taken sufficient actions against the Haqqani network to permit full reimbursement of Fiscal Year 2016 Coalition Support Funds,&quot; Pentagon spokesman Adam Stump said.

The past year saw Donald Trump sparing no opportunity to hint at the possibility of clamping down on Pakistan with harsher measures.

&ldquo;We make massive payments every year to Pakistan&hellip; They have to help,&rdquo; the President exclaimed recently.

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It&#39;s not only Pakistan that we pay billions of dollars to for nothing, but also many other countries, and others. As an example, we pay the Palestinians HUNDRED OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS a year and get no appreciation or respect. They don&rsquo;t even want to negotiate a long overdue...
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/948322496591384576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 2, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The recent cut of aid to Pakistan is just a one of the many ways for the White House to put Islamabad under &ldquo;pressure&rdquo;.

The Trump administration has also given a thought to resorting to more stringent measures like removing Pakistan from US non-NATO allies.

Husain Haqqani, a Former Pakistani ambassador to the United States, previously noted that Trump&rsquo;s stance on Pakistan is indicative of his administration&rsquo;s &ldquo;step-by-step plan to indicate that business as usual is no longer possible.&rdquo;

While the US aid cut to Pakistan prevails, the White House celebrates Donald&rsquo;s Trump one year of governance.

Meanwhile, tensions continue to simmer in Islamabad.

Fresh reports suggest that Pakistan can even decide to close air routes to Afghanistan, a move that will cripple US anti-terrorism military operations in Afghanistan.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif recently noted that while the country is trying to better its ties and balance relations with the White House, it will not take anything against its 'national integrity'

The same day as today, exactly a year back, an event of great political significance took place. There’s no denying that that the entire world closely watched American business magnate Donald Trump lock horns with his Democratic counterpart Hilary Clinton in the run up to becoming the 45th President of United States. As it turned out, most of America voted for the Republican candidate Donald Trump who took the oath to “faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States”. It wasn’t quite a cordial year for the Pakistan-US ties which touched a new low when the White House decided to pull out a whopping $1.9 billion aid to Pakistan. × The Trump administration completes a year today and the US President has successfully clocked-in 365 days of governance that, in a nutshell, has been marred by surprises, chaos, upheavals, revelations and controversies, of course. A look at Trump’s maiden year would certainly involve some of his biggest announcements and strongest of stances over international issues and on America’s ties with other countries. It all started somewhere halfway down the year with Trump outlining a new strategy on Afghanistan. × While Trump’s declaration on identifying Jerusalem as Israel’s capital was an event that raked many controversies, his positioning on Iran, North Korea and the Arab world came into the limelight time and again. It wasn’t quite a cordial year for the Pakistan-US ties which touched a new low when the White House decided to pull out a whopping $1.9 billion aid to Pakistan. It all started somewhere halfway down the year with Trump outlining a new strategy on Afghanistan with an aim to resolve more than a decade old conflict. But “a hasty withdrawal would create a vacuum for terrorists, including ISIS and Al Qaeda,” Trump noted in August 2017. And thus followed his statement on putting considerable “pressure” on Pakistan with an aim to dismantle terrorist activism breeding on the Afghan-Pakistan border. Not to mention, the White House, time and again, called out to Pakistan to adopt stringent measures against terrorism that allegedly bred from within its territories. Trump’s reactions on Pakistan came as a shock to the world! × Trump recently accused Pakistan of providing ‘safe havens’ to terrorism and extremist groups. “The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!,” Trump tweeted as the New Year dawned. The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 1, 2018 × The Trump administration notes that Pakistan can reverse the aid cut by taking strategic and stringent measures. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif recently noted that while the country is trying to better its ties and balance relations with the White House, it will not take anything against its “national integrity”. Khawaja also noted that the relationships between the two countries were normal before the US President made scathing remarks against Pakistan. “Pakistan can do without the US aid,” Asif noted. When will Pakistan apologize to us for providing safe sanctuary to Osama Bin Laden for 6 years?! Some "ally." — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 5, 2012 × Pakistan’s retaliatory stance is now been speculated with many fearing that the country could clip US access to routes used to supply American troops in Afghanistan. US State Department added another twist in its plot with Pakistan when it recently announced placing Pakistan on a special watch list for “severe violations of religious freedoms” under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. The US defense department froze military payments to Pakistan in July 2017. "Secretary Mattis has informed congressional defense committees that he was not able to certify that Pakistan has taken sufficient actions against the Haqqani network to permit full reimbursement of Fiscal Year 2016 Coalition Support Funds," Pentagon spokesman Adam Stump said. The past year saw Donald Trump sparing no opportunity to hint at the possibility of clamping down on Pakistan with harsher measures. “We make massive payments every year to Pakistan… They have to help,” the President exclaimed recently. It's not only Pakistan that we pay billions of dollars to for nothing, but also many other countries, and others. As an example, we pay the Palestinians HUNDRED OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS a year and get no appreciation or respect. They don’t even want to negotiate a long overdue... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 × The recent cut of aid to Pakistan is just a one of the many ways for the White House to put Islamabad under “pressure”. The Trump administration has also given a thought to resorting to more stringent measures like removing Pakistan from US non-NATO allies. Husain Haqqani, a Former Pakistani ambassador to the United States, previously noted that Trump’s stance on Pakistan is indicative of his administration’s “step-by-step plan to indicate that business as usual is no longer possible.” While the US aid cut to Pakistan prevails, the White House celebrates Donald’s Trump one year of governance. Meanwhile, tensions continue to simmer in Islamabad. Fresh reports suggest that Pakistan can even decide to close air routes to Afghanistan, a move that will cripple US anti-terrorism military operations in Afghanistan.

Trump & Pakistan: Deceit, lies & games nations play

A class XIIth student on Monday gunned down his school principal over alleged blasphemy in Pakistan&#39;s restive Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, police said.

The incident occurred within the premises of privately-run Islamia College in Charsadda district.

Sareer Khan was killed by Fahim Ashraf who was later arrested with a gun, district police chief Zahoor Afridi said.

&quot;The student was raising slogans at the time of his arrest that he killed a blasphemer but so far no evidence of blasphemy has been found against the victim,&quot; Afridi said.

Sources in the college contradicted blasphemy claims, saying that the principal had Masters of Arts (MA) degree in Islamic Studies and was also a Hafiz-e-Quran, meaning he had memorised the entire Holy Quran.

Ashraf was angry at the principal who marked him absent when he missed classes for three consecutive days in November last year to attend a protest by religious groups, they said.

He also had an argument with the principal over the issue some days back.

Afridi said that an investigation was being carried out and facts would be made public.

Meanwhile, college students and relatives of the accused blocked a road and disrupted traffic but the district administration pacified them.

Blasphemy is a highly sensitive issue in Pakistan and people have been killed in the past on mere suspicion.

Mashal Khan, a university student, was lynched last year by a mob of fellow students in Charsadda over alleged blasphemy, which was never proved by the police.

Blasphemy is a highly sensitive issue in Pakistan and people have been killed in the past on mere suspicion

A class XIIth student on Monday gunned down his school principal over alleged blasphemy in Pakistan's restive Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, police said. The incident occurred within the premises of privately-run Islamia College in Charsadda district. Sareer Khan was killed by Fahim Ashraf who was later arrested with a gun, district police chief Zahoor Afridi said. "The student was raising slogans at the time of his arrest that he killed a blasphemer but so far no evidence of blasphemy has been found against the victim," Afridi said. Sources in the college contradicted blasphemy claims, saying that the principal had Masters of Arts (MA) degree in Islamic Studies and was also a Hafiz-e-Quran, meaning he had memorised the entire Holy Quran. Ashraf was angry at the principal who marked him absent when he missed classes for three consecutive days in November last year to attend a protest by religious groups, they said. He also had an argument with the principal over the issue some days back. Afridi said that an investigation was being carried out and facts would be made public. Meanwhile, college students and relatives of the accused blocked a road and disrupted traffic but the district administration pacified them. Blasphemy is a highly sensitive issue in Pakistan and people have been killed in the past on mere suspicion. Mashal Khan, a university student, was lynched last year by a mob of fellow students in Charsadda over alleged blasphemy, which was never proved by the police.

12th grader kills principal in Pakistan over alleged blasphemy

The <a href="http://www.wionews.com/preview/article/29908" target="_blank">United Nations Security Council (UNSC) sanctions </a>monitoring team won&#39;t be allowed a direct access to 26/11 Mumbai terror mastermind Hafiz Saeed or his entities, according to a report in a Pakistan media daily.

The UN Council is scheduled to visit Pakistan this week, January 26, for an assessment of Islamabad&#39;s compliance with the world body&#39;s sanctions regime.

The visit was is taking place amid increasing pressure on Pakistan from the US and India with respect to the inadequate implementation of the sanctions on JuD chief Hafiz Saeed.&nbsp;

Saeed was put under sanctions by the UN in December 2008, a month after the Mumbai terror attack.&nbsp;

The globally designated terrorist, who was released from house arrest last year in November, even urged the UN after his release asking for his name be removed from their list of sanctioned terrorists.

However, it did not happen.&nbsp;

The UN team will hold meetings with Pakistani officials on the list of the sanctioned outfits including JuD, Al-Qaeda, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation, Lashkar-e-Taiba and other organisations and individuals.

Expressing concern, former Pakistan Diplomat Husain Haqqani condemned the decision, saying it would be in Pakistan&#39;s interest to give complete access to Saaed and its entities. &nbsp;

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It would be in Pakistan&#39;s interest to give United Nations monitoring team complete access to Hafiz Saeed &amp; all entities associated with him. The very fact that Pak wants to hide him from rest of the world basically makes world more suspicious: Husain Haqqani, former Pak Diplomat <a href="https://t.co/p2nfgvHh6c">pic.twitter.com/p2nfgvHh6c</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/955392714433953792?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Last week, Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said there&#39;s no case against Saeed, which is why he can&#39;t be prosecuted.

The UN Council is scheduled to visit Pakistan on January 26

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) sanctions monitoring team won't be allowed a direct access to 26/11 Mumbai terror mastermind Hafiz Saeed or his entities, according to a report in a Pakistan media daily. The UN Council is scheduled to visit Pakistan this week, January 26, for an assessment of Islamabad's compliance with the world body's sanctions regime. The visit was is taking place amid increasing pressure on Pakistan from the US and India with respect to the inadequate implementation of the sanctions on JuD chief Hafiz Saeed. Saeed was put under sanctions by the UN in December 2008, a month after the Mumbai terror attack. The globally designated terrorist, who was released from house arrest last year in November, even urged the UN after his release asking for his name be removed from their list of sanctioned terrorists. However, it did not happen. The UN team will hold meetings with Pakistani officials on the list of the sanctioned outfits including JuD, Al-Qaeda, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation, Lashkar-e-Taiba and other organisations and individuals. Expressing concern, former Pakistan Diplomat Husain Haqqani condemned the decision, saying it would be in Pakistan's interest to give complete access to Saaed and its entities. It would be in Pakistan's interest to give United Nations monitoring team complete access to Hafiz Saeed & all entities associated with him. The very fact that Pak wants to hide him from rest of the world basically makes world more suspicious: Husain Haqqani, former Pak Diplomat pic.twitter.com/p2nfgvHh6c — ANI (@ANI) January 22, 2018 × Last week, Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said there's no case against Saeed, which is why he can't be prosecuted.

Pakistan won't allow UN sanctions monitoring team access to Hafiz Saeed: Reports

Pakistan today strongly condemned a terror attack in Kabul that claimed at least 95 lives and called for cooperation among countries for effectively combating and eliminating the scourge of terrorism.

An explosives-packed ambulance blew up in a crowded area of Kabul today, killing at least 95 people and wounding 158 others, officials said, in one of the biggest blasts to rock the war-torn city in recent years.

Condemning the terror attack, Pakistan emphasised on the need for concerted efforts and effective cooperation among the states to eradicate the scourge of terrorism.

&quot;No cause or ends justify acts of terrorism against innocent people. We emphasise the need for concerted efforts and effective cooperation among the states to eradicate the scourge of terrorism,&quot; the Foreign Office said.

&quot;We convey our deepest sympathies for those who have lost their loved ones and our sincere prayers and wishes are for early recovery of those who have sustained injuries in this dreadful terror attack,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

Condemning the terror attack, Pakistan emphasised on the need for concerted efforts and effective cooperation among the states

Pakistan today strongly condemned a terror attack in Kabul that claimed at least 95 lives and called for cooperation among countries for effectively combating and eliminating the scourge of terrorism. An explosives-packed ambulance blew up in a crowded area of Kabul today, killing at least 95 people and wounding 158 others, officials said, in one of the biggest blasts to rock the war-torn city in recent years. Condemning the terror attack, Pakistan emphasised on the need for concerted efforts and effective cooperation among the states to eradicate the scourge of terrorism. "No cause or ends justify acts of terrorism against innocent people. We emphasise the need for concerted efforts and effective cooperation among the states to eradicate the scourge of terrorism," the Foreign Office said. "We convey our deepest sympathies for those who have lost their loved ones and our sincere prayers and wishes are for early recovery of those who have sustained injuries in this dreadful terror attack," he said.

Pakistan calls for cooperation for combating terrorism

The BSF and Pakistan Rangers today held a flag meeting along the International Border (IB) here during which India registered its strong protest on the recent spate of firing from Pakistan, asserting that such &quot;provocative&quot; acts would &quot;not be tolerated&quot;.&nbsp;

The Border Security Force said the sector commander-level meeting took place in Suchetgarh area of the border &quot;on the request&quot; of the Pakistani side.&nbsp;

A similar request by the Indian side was &quot;not responded to&quot; by the Rangers a few days back, official sources had said.&nbsp;

Thirteen persons -- seven civilians and six security personnel -- were killed and 65 others injured in Pakistani shelling along IB and LoC in Jammu region in the last 10 days.&nbsp;

The meeting was the first between the two sides since &quot;heavy shelling and firing was experienced on the IB during the last week&quot;, the border guarding force said in a statement.&nbsp;

&quot;During the meeting, the BSF strongly objected to (Pakistan&#39;s) dastardly acts of sniping at its two soldiers on January 3 and 17 and further unprovoked firing and shelling targeting a number of Indian villages, innocent civilians and their properties.&nbsp;

&quot;The BSF conveyed strong protest with message that such provocative acts are unacceptable and will not be tolerated,&quot; the statement said.&nbsp;

The 30-minute meeting held at noon saw a five-member BSF team led by BSF Deputy Inspector General (DIG) P S Dhiman sitting across a 10-member Pak Rangers team that was headed by Brigadier Amjad Hussain of Pak Rangers, sector commander of the Chenab (Sialkot) sector.&nbsp;

During the last week, the statement said, the BSF &quot;successfully foiled a number of infiltration attempts from the Pakistani soil, including neutralisation of one intruder who tried to infiltrate on January 4 in the Arnia Sector.&quot;&nbsp;

The BSF had fired over 9,000 rounds of mortar shells across the Jammu IB in the last few days as part of &quot;pinpointed&quot; retaliatory action against this &quot;unprovoked&quot; firing from across the border.&nbsp;

It said it had destroyed firing positions and fuel dumps of the Pakistan Rangers at multiple places.&nbsp;

Senior officials of the force and in the Union home ministry in Delhi had said that the situation along the 190-km IB here was &quot;very tense&quot; as Pakistan had &quot;opened&quot; heavy fire in the entire stretch since last evening.&nbsp;

The BSF Director General (DG), who recently toured the area, had said that the situation along the IB here was &quot;very tense&quot; and his men were on a high alert.&nbsp;

The last such meeting of sector commanders of the two sides was held on September 29 last year.&nbsp;

The BSF and Pakistan Rangers today held a flag meeting along the International Border (IB) here during which India registered its strong protest on the recent spate of firing from Pakistan, asserting that such 'provocative' acts would 'not be tolerated'

The BSF and Pakistan Rangers today held a flag meeting along the International Border (IB) here during which India registered its strong protest on the recent spate of firing from Pakistan, asserting that such "provocative" acts would "not be tolerated". The Border Security Force said the sector commander-level meeting took place in Suchetgarh area of the border "on the request" of the Pakistani side. A similar request by the Indian side was "not responded to" by the Rangers a few days back, official sources had said. Thirteen persons -- seven civilians and six security personnel -- were killed and 65 others injured in Pakistani shelling along IB and LoC in Jammu region in the last 10 days. The meeting was the first between the two sides since "heavy shelling and firing was experienced on the IB during the last week", the border guarding force said in a statement. "During the meeting, the BSF strongly objected to (Pakistan's) dastardly acts of sniping at its two soldiers on January 3 and 17 and further unprovoked firing and shelling targeting a number of Indian villages, innocent civilians and their properties. "The BSF conveyed strong protest with message that such provocative acts are unacceptable and will not be tolerated," the statement said. The 30-minute meeting held at noon saw a five-member BSF team led by BSF Deputy Inspector General (DIG) P S Dhiman sitting across a 10-member Pak Rangers team that was headed by Brigadier Amjad Hussain of Pak Rangers, sector commander of the Chenab (Sialkot) sector. During the last week, the statement said, the BSF "successfully foiled a number of infiltration attempts from the Pakistani soil, including neutralisation of one intruder who tried to infiltrate on January 4 in the Arnia Sector." The BSF had fired over 9,000 rounds of mortar shells across the Jammu IB in the last few days as part of "pinpointed" retaliatory action against this "unprovoked" firing from across the border. It said it had destroyed firing positions and fuel dumps of the Pakistan Rangers at multiple places. Senior officials of the force and in the Union home ministry in Delhi had said that the situation along the 190-km IB here was "very tense" as Pakistan had "opened" heavy fire in the entire stretch since last evening. The BSF Director General (DG), who recently toured the area, had said that the situation along the IB here was "very tense" and his men were on a high alert. The last such meeting of sector commanders of the two sides was held on September 29 last year.

IB shelling: BSF, Rangers meet, India says will not tolerate such incidents

The Border Security Force on Friday broke away with the traditional and customary exchange of sweets on the occasion of Republic Day with the Pakistan Rangers.

The split from the customary practice took place after Pakistan&nbsp;conducted continuous ceasefire violation in India.

Speaking on the matter DG BSF KK Sharma said &quot;Atmosphere was such that no exchange of sweets took place with Pakistan Rangers. I think in the coming time old tradition of exchanging sweets will be revived soon said DG BSF KK Sharma&quot;.

He also said &quot; Ceasefire violations was the main issue of discussion during flag meeting with Pakistan. Both sides&nbsp;agreed that ceasefire violations should be reduced. BSF never initiates ceasefire violations.&nbsp;

A 30 minutes flag meeting was held between BSF and Pakistan Rangers along the International border where India recorded its strong disapproval for the series of ceasefire violations administered by Pakistan in India.&nbsp;India firmly said in the meeting &quot; such provocative acts will not be tolerated&quot;.&nbsp;

The meeting was held between five member BSF team with a group of 10 Pakistan Rangers.&nbsp;

During the last 10 days, the ceasefire violations claimed the lives of seven civilians and six security personnel.&nbsp;

The last such meeting was conducted in September.&nbsp;

The forces of the two countries did not exchange sweets on the occasion of Independence day also.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The split from the customary practice took place after Pakistan conducted continuous ceasefire violation in India

The Border Security Force on Friday broke away with the traditional and customary exchange of sweets on the occasion of Republic Day with the Pakistan Rangers. The split from the customary practice took place after Pakistan conducted continuous ceasefire violation in India. Speaking on the matter DG BSF KK Sharma said "Atmosphere was such that no exchange of sweets took place with Pakistan Rangers. I think in the coming time old tradition of exchanging sweets will be revived soon said DG BSF KK Sharma". He also said " Ceasefire violations was the main issue of discussion during flag meeting with Pakistan. Both sides agreed that ceasefire violations should be reduced. BSF never initiates ceasefire violations. A 30 minutes flag meeting was held between BSF and Pakistan Rangers along the International border where India recorded its strong disapproval for the series of ceasefire violations administered by Pakistan in India. India firmly said in the meeting " such provocative acts will not be tolerated". The meeting was held between five member BSF team with a group of 10 Pakistan Rangers. During the last 10 days, the ceasefire violations claimed the lives of seven civilians and six security personnel. The last such meeting was conducted in September. The forces of the two countries did not exchange sweets on the occasion of Independence day also.

BSF refuses to exchange sweets with Pakistan Rangers on Republic Day

Apart from China, it is the Saudi Arabian influence that may become more prominent in Pakistan. Despite the waning of US influence, it still has residual influence over Pakistan and Saudi Arabia; it was said that if there were two constants in the affairs of these nations it was Allah &amp; America, in that order.&nbsp;

The tectonic changes wrought in Saudi affairs have perplexed watchers &ndash; what has been done by the young Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, was just unthinkable a few years back. It is unlikely that such draconian social reforms and economic changes can be brought about in so traditional a society without some backing. The praise heaped by Donald Trump appears to be the catalyst behind these reforms as is the forging of a pan-Arabic alliance of Sunni countries to combat Iran, Syria and Hezbollah influence in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia has indeed become a front line US proxy &ndash; its campaign in Yemen (and obliquely against Iran) is clear proof of that. &nbsp;

Saudi Arabia:&nbsp;fountainhead of Islamic resurgence

&nbsp;&nbsp;Despite recent overtures towards India and increase in trade, we have to bear in mind that Saudi Arabia was the fountainhead of Islamic resurgence worldwide and more so in South Asia. It has actively exported and funded Wahhabi movements in J&amp;K, root cause of our current troubles. It is axiomatic that in any Indo- Pak dispute Saudi Arabia will ally with its Muslim ally rather than us &ndash; we must have no illusions about this. How strong this support will be in the near future, however, is a moot point.&nbsp;

Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman (known as MBS) is &ldquo;riding a tiger&rdquo; in changing the status quo in his society &ndash; it is amazing how he has managed to garner loyalty from even the Saudi National Guard &ndash; a branch loyal to late King Abdullah faction of the Al Saud family &ndash; by ousting Prince Mitteb bin Abdullah. MBSs task is cut out and his country is likely to take some time to stabilise, before it can look outwards.&nbsp;

He will need all his wits in managing a major crisis within the royal family, having arrested some of the wealthiest and most powerful of his uncles and cousins, leading his country out of obscurantism, reducing Wahhabi influence at home and abroad. He has effectively subdued the religious hardliners &ndash; evident from unheard of freedom now provided to women. Given these far-reaching changes, Saudi Arabia is unlikely to extend its influence abroad, especially through economic dispensation. India needs to wait and watch how the situation develops, and whether Saudi funding for madrassas and jihadi groups dries up substantially. &nbsp;

MBS is now in full control of the four most important elements of his country &ndash; economy, media, security, and the military (Land, Naval &amp; Air Forces), as well as its counterweight, the Saudi National Guard. He has done away with the ultra-orthodox Department of &ldquo;Propagation of Virtue &amp; Prevention of Vice&rdquo; &ndash; i.e., the dreaded black-robed Wahhabi Muttawas. In one fell stroke, he has defanged the radical and ultra-orthodox elements by bringing under his wing the &lsquo;Council of Senior Clerics&rsquo; and the unofficial &lsquo;Awakening Clerics&rsquo;. This has placed him in an autocratic position to do as he pleases. &nbsp;

&nbsp;With the era of direct American influence in the Middle East waning, Saudi rulers have moved to rapidly build up their military that does not overly rely on the United States and is capable of meeting both Iranian and jihadist threats. It has diversified weapon procurement from Russia.&nbsp;

The Saudi military has been, in many ways, the proverbial &ldquo;chocolate cream soldiers&rsquo; army&rdquo; more familiar with parade ground routines, and to provide employment opportunity to the youth. This benign role suited the monarchy, always fearful of a palace coup. It relied more on the Saudi National Guards, a force comprising more rural and loyal subjects. Defence of the country was outsourced to the US, in exchange for a secure flow of oil and through massive arms purchases.&nbsp; &nbsp;

&nbsp;This changed thanks to the hard lessons during its first conflict with the Houthis in 2009&ndash;2010, where the Saudi military performed poorly. In response to this, Riyadh has sought to strengthen Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and its own armed forces by urgently enhancing its special forces capabilities, upgrading training across the board, localising military production, reforming the military bureaucracy, getting the retired Pak Army Chief on board as the main strategist, and seeking out new sources of arms.&nbsp;

Pakistan is a vassal state

Appointment of Gen Raheel Sharif as the Commander of the Gulf Coalitions Forces has been a brilliant stroke, and has brought a sea change in the strategic and operational capability of the Saudi Forces. Improved relations with Russia have allowed Saudi Arabia to diversify its arms and equipment purchases and has also augmented the Kingdom&rsquo;s influence over global oil prices. However, for the immediate future, the final arbiter of their fate still remains the US; any disruption in the supply of spares, and 90% of their equipment will turn to junk.&nbsp; &nbsp;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It is said the Saudi King can summon the Pak PM and Army Chief at a moment&rsquo;s notice &mdash; even in the midst of a major domestic crisis. So to all intent and purpose, Pakistan is a vassal state, dependent for its existence and economy on external powers, be it China or Saudi Arabia. The latter has little to offer at the present moment, barring platitudes of Muslim solidarity, owing to its dwindling oil economy, expensive war against Yemen, and its confrontation with Qatar-Iran.&nbsp;

There also begs the question, what will be the role of Islamic fundamentalism under the new wave of liberalisation presently underway in the Kingdom? It would be difficult for Saudi Arabia to maintain a dual policy of liberal Islam at home, while supporting Wahhabi style militant organisations abroad. And when he is backed and supported by the Pentagon and Ambassador Nikki Haley, this means that an alliance is taking shape in the region under American leadership. That is certain because he has had the gumption to imprison Prince Al Waleed bin Talal, the wealthiest of Saudi princes.&nbsp;

It may be recalled that the outspoken Al Waleed had a Twitter spat with US President Donald Trump back in 2016. Responding to Trump&#39;s calls for banning Muslims from entering the US, Bin Talal had asked him to drop out of the US Presidential elections, calling him a &ldquo;disgrace not only to the GOP but to all America&rdquo;. Little wonder he has paid for it on US directions. &nbsp;

&nbsp;&nbsp;Pak-Saudi nuclear and missile linkages &nbsp;

&nbsp;&nbsp;On the nuclear front, an unholy nexus existed between Pakistan, China, North Korea and Saudi Arabia, as far back as 1985. Chinese engineers established two missile bases at Al Kharj (some 100 kms south of Riyadh) and at Al Sullaylil (400 kms South of Riyadh). It was rumored, but never positively established, that an arrangement existed between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia that former would provide nuclear warheads to be mated with Chinese help, with the latter&#39;s CSS2 (Dong Feng) ICBMs, in the event of a strike against Israel.&nbsp;

Likewise, Pakistan was to have a lien on Saudi missiles to strike against India. This mutual pact was touted as the Islamic Bomb. But things have undergone a dramatic shift since those days &ndash; Pakistan now has its own SRMBMs &amp; MRBMs, which can reach most parts of the India sub-continent, so its dependence on Saudi ICBMs is largely hypothetical.&nbsp; &nbsp;

&nbsp;&nbsp;Can the leopard change its spots? &nbsp;

&nbsp;&nbsp;Saudi Arabia has been the main source of funding for practically all Muslim terrorism &ndash; Moros in Philippines, Jihadi groups in Pakistan and J&amp;K, the&nbsp;war in Chechnya, the Al Shabab in Africa, and all Muslim militant activities in Europe and the US. Can it continue to play this double game, or will it change course? Remember this is the same country which in the 1990s said, &ldquo;today, we Muslims are 2 billion strong, out of a world population of 7 billion; in due course, we shall become 5 billion, and rule the world&rdquo;. This scenario might well come true, as Muslim growth rate is 2.4 against a decline in all other faiths. Therefore any radicalisation of the faith can have serious consequences for world peace.&nbsp; &nbsp;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Conclusion &nbsp;

The void created by the USA abandoning Pakistan is likely to be filled by China, both economically and militarily. Naturally, this will have consequences for the Pak, as they will have to cede numerous concessions to the latter. Already Pakistan is deeply indebted to China for the CPEC and its further involvement in the OBOR project will push it deeper into China&rsquo;s arms. With China&rsquo;s strategy to surround India by creating a &lsquo;String of Pearls&rsquo;, i.e., of bases in the Indian Ocean - some in our immediate neighbourhood - it becomes essential for us to evolve a countervailing strategy. &nbsp;

&nbsp;&nbsp;These developments do not augur well for India, aligned as it is with the US, a nation that can change its stance at a moments notice. It would do well for the security establishment to hedge its bets, and keep the line to Russia open. &nbsp;

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;

&nbsp;

Despite recent overtures towards India and increase in trade, we have to bear in mind that Saudi Arabia was the fountainhead of Islamic resurgence worldwide and more so in South Asia.

Apart from China, it is the Saudi Arabian influence that may become more prominent in Pakistan. Despite the waning of US influence, it still has residual influence over Pakistan and Saudi Arabia; it was said that if there were two constants in the affairs of these nations it was Allah & America, in that order. The tectonic changes wrought in Saudi affairs have perplexed watchers – what has been done by the young Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, was just unthinkable a few years back. It is unlikely that such draconian social reforms and economic changes can be brought about in so traditional a society without some backing. The praise heaped by Donald Trump appears to be the catalyst behind these reforms as is the forging of a pan-Arabic alliance of Sunni countries to combat Iran, Syria and Hezbollah influence in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia has indeed become a front line US proxy – its campaign in Yemen (and obliquely against Iran) is clear proof of that. Saudi Arabia: fountainhead of Islamic resurgence Despite recent overtures towards India and increase in trade, we have to bear in mind that Saudi Arabia was the fountainhead of Islamic resurgence worldwide and more so in South Asia. It has actively exported and funded Wahhabi movements in J&K, root cause of our current troubles. It is axiomatic that in any Indo- Pak dispute Saudi Arabia will ally with its Muslim ally rather than us – we must have no illusions about this. How strong this support will be in the near future, however, is a moot point. Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman (known as MBS) is “riding a tiger” in changing the status quo in his society – it is amazing how he has managed to garner loyalty from even the Saudi National Guard – a branch loyal to late King Abdullah faction of the Al Saud family – by ousting Prince Mitteb bin Abdullah. MBSs task is cut out and his country is likely to take some time to stabilise, before it can look outwards. He will need all his wits in managing a major crisis within the royal family, having arrested some of the wealthiest and most powerful of his uncles and cousins, leading his country out of obscurantism, reducing Wahhabi influence at home and abroad. He has effectively subdued the religious hardliners – evident from unheard of freedom now provided to women. Given these far-reaching changes, Saudi Arabia is unlikely to extend its influence abroad, especially through economic dispensation. India needs to wait and watch how the situation develops, and whether Saudi funding for madrassas and jihadi groups dries up substantially. MBS is now in full control of the four most important elements of his country – economy, media, security, and the military (Land, Naval & Air Forces), as well as its counterweight, the Saudi National Guard. He has done away with the ultra-orthodox Department of “Propagation of Virtue & Prevention of Vice” – i.e., the dreaded black-robed Wahhabi Muttawas. In one fell stroke, he has defanged the radical and ultra-orthodox elements by bringing under his wing the ‘Council of Senior Clerics’ and the unofficial ‘Awakening Clerics’. This has placed him in an autocratic position to do as he pleases. With the era of direct American influence in the Middle East waning, Saudi rulers have moved to rapidly build up their military that does not overly rely on the United States and is capable of meeting both Iranian and jihadist threats. It has diversified weapon procurement from Russia. The Saudi military has been, in many ways, the proverbial “chocolate cream soldiers’ army” more familiar with parade ground routines, and to provide employment opportunity to the youth. This benign role suited the monarchy, always fearful of a palace coup. It relied more on the Saudi National Guards, a force comprising more rural and loyal subjects. Defence of the country was outsourced to the US, in exchange for a secure flow of oil and through massive arms purchases. This changed thanks to the hard lessons during its first conflict with the Houthis in 2009–2010, where the Saudi military performed poorly. In response to this, Riyadh has sought to strengthen Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and its own armed forces by urgently enhancing its special forces capabilities, upgrading training across the board, localising military production, reforming the military bureaucracy, getting the retired Pak Army Chief on board as the main strategist, and seeking out new sources of arms. Pakistan is a vassal state Appointment of Gen Raheel Sharif as the Commander of the Gulf Coalitions Forces has been a brilliant stroke, and has brought a sea change in the strategic and operational capability of the Saudi Forces. Improved relations with Russia have allowed Saudi Arabia to diversify its arms and equipment purchases and has also augmented the Kingdom’s influence over global oil prices. However, for the immediate future, the final arbiter of their fate still remains the US; any disruption in the supply of spares, and 90% of their equipment will turn to junk. It is said the Saudi King can summon the Pak PM and Army Chief at a moment’s notice — even in the midst of a major domestic crisis. So to all intent and purpose, Pakistan is a vassal state, dependent for its existence and economy on external powers, be it China or Saudi Arabia. The latter has little to offer at the present moment, barring platitudes of Muslim solidarity, owing to its dwindling oil economy, expensive war against Yemen, and its confrontation with Qatar-Iran. There also begs the question, what will be the role of Islamic fundamentalism under the new wave of liberalisation presently underway in the Kingdom? It would be difficult for Saudi Arabia to maintain a dual policy of liberal Islam at home, while supporting Wahhabi style militant organisations abroad. And when he is backed and supported by the Pentagon and Ambassador Nikki Haley, this means that an alliance is taking shape in the region under American leadership. That is certain because he has had the gumption to imprison Prince Al Waleed bin Talal, the wealthiest of Saudi princes. It may be recalled that the outspoken Al Waleed had a Twitter spat with US President Donald Trump back in 2016. Responding to Trump's calls for banning Muslims from entering the US, Bin Talal had asked him to drop out of the US Presidential elections, calling him a “disgrace not only to the GOP but to all America”. Little wonder he has paid for it on US directions. Pak-Saudi nuclear and missile linkages On the nuclear front, an unholy nexus existed between Pakistan, China, North Korea and Saudi Arabia, as far back as 1985. Chinese engineers established two missile bases at Al Kharj (some 100 kms south of Riyadh) and at Al Sullaylil (400 kms South of Riyadh). It was rumored, but never positively established, that an arrangement existed between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia that former would provide nuclear warheads to be mated with Chinese help, with the latter's CSS2 (Dong Feng) ICBMs, in the event of a strike against Israel. Likewise, Pakistan was to have a lien on Saudi missiles to strike against India. This mutual pact was touted as the Islamic Bomb. But things have undergone a dramatic shift since those days – Pakistan now has its own SRMBMs & MRBMs, which can reach most parts of the India sub-continent, so its dependence on Saudi ICBMs is largely hypothetical. Can the leopard change its spots? Saudi Arabia has been the main source of funding for practically all Muslim terrorism – Moros in Philippines, Jihadi groups in Pakistan and J&K, the war in Chechnya, the Al Shabab in Africa, and all Muslim militant activities in Europe and the US. Can it continue to play this double game, or will it change course? Remember this is the same country which in the 1990s said, “today, we Muslims are 2 billion strong, out of a world population of 7 billion; in due course, we shall become 5 billion, and rule the world”. This scenario might well come true, as Muslim growth rate is 2.4 against a decline in all other faiths. Therefore any radicalisation of the faith can have serious consequences for world peace. Conclusion The void created by the USA abandoning Pakistan is likely to be filled by China, both economically and militarily. Naturally, this will have consequences for the Pak, as they will have to cede numerous concessions to the latter. Already Pakistan is deeply indebted to China for the CPEC and its further involvement in the OBOR project will push it deeper into China’s arms. With China’s strategy to surround India by creating a ‘String of Pearls’, i.e., of bases in the Indian Ocean - some in our immediate neighbourhood - it becomes essential for us to evolve a countervailing strategy. These developments do not augur well for India, aligned as it is with the US, a nation that can change its stance at a moments notice. It would do well for the security establishment to hedge its bets, and keep the line to Russia open. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Pakistan's terror entente with Saudi Arabia has deep roots

In 1948, when Pakistan attacked the northern part of India, our forces successfully repulsed their attack and were in the process of re-acquiring the lost territory lost when the national leadership announced not only a cease-fire but a UN intervention too. Arguably, this formed the base of the Kashmir conflict. Over the next decades, India had to fight five wars with Pakistan in 1965, 1971, 1984,1999 and the proxy war in Kashmir had been relentless.

&nbsp;

In 1965, India captured about 2000 sq. km of Pakistan&#39;s territory in the sensitive Sialkot and Kashmir sectors but returned it with the hope that this would end eruptions of violence in the future. Despite the wars, the country was forced to fight, like in 1971, India has never dithered from the code of conduct of a winning side.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

After the conclusive victory of 1971, India did hand over 93000 Prisoners of War and 5500 sq km of captured territory. We returned all of these and did not bargain for Kashmir at all.

&nbsp;

In the last decade of the last century, Pakistan started its proxy war in Kashmir, we kept on losing precious lives but did not do anything except strongly condemning all kind of terrorist attacks. Over 30 years of proxy war resulted in establishing the image of our country as a soft-willed one. Anyone can do anything to us and we have only one solution- strongly condemning the terrorist action and wait for another action to condemn again.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

We have lost more soldiers in Kashmir than in 1965 and 1971 wars put together.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Having fought in Kashmir for so many years in the peak of insurgency and seeing the valiant soldiers fall to the political aspirations, I ponder at times as to what should be the role of our government, civil society members and the individuals?&nbsp;

&nbsp;

What concerns me deeply is whether Pakistan sees India after all as a soft-willed state and, therefore, goes on to carry these attacks with impunity. Why do we experience the same cycle of events: an incident happens, politicians condemn it, citizens burn few candles and express grief on social media, Forces kept on making plans for revenge which never get a nod from the political leadership and blood continues to flow. After a week or so, everyone falls silent and wait for another incident to happen.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

There have been numerous terror incidents, for so many years, Pakistani Army personnel has been coming to this side of the border, decapacitating our boys and taking their severed heads as a trophy and every time we are successful in orally condemning it and that too not strongly. They come to our territory, fire the American missiles on our soldiers, kill them and our political leadership is, once again, successful only in strongly condemning it.

This political weakness of our country is open to the world for last 70 years and the patience of a common citizen is perhaps breaking down. It is high time that the leadership of the nation should do something which can help it to regain the faith of common citizen and prove that India is able to protect ourselves.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

So what should our leaders do now? It is a million-dollar question. Question is not the capability of the armed forces. The question is of a strong political will. The question is of acting, not just verbally condemning, and the most important question is when will it happen.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Last week I was on a panel with one of the national news channels and had a retired Lt General of Pakistan Army as a co-panelist from Pakistan. To my surprise, he was constantly vomiting venom and was very much confident that India will never be able to do any offensive action against Pakistan. Our weak political will has been proving that time and again.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

After so many incidents now, this is the right time to take a hard decision and prove the worthiness of the leadership. I am sure that the government will listen and react instead of just strongly condemning it.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;

Question is not the capability of the armed forces. The question is of a strong political will.

In 1948, when Pakistan attacked the northern part of India, our forces successfully repulsed their attack and were in the process of re-acquiring the lost territory lost when the national leadership announced not only a cease-fire but a UN intervention too. Arguably, this formed the base of the Kashmir conflict. Over the next decades, India had to fight five wars with Pakistan in 1965, 1971, 1984,1999 and the proxy war in Kashmir had been relentless. In 1965, India captured about 2000 sq. km of Pakistan's territory in the sensitive Sialkot and Kashmir sectors but returned it with the hope that this would end eruptions of violence in the future. Despite the wars, the country was forced to fight, like in 1971, India has never dithered from the code of conduct of a winning side. After the conclusive victory of 1971, India did hand over 93000 Prisoners of War and 5500 sq km of captured territory. We returned all of these and did not bargain for Kashmir at all. In the last decade of the last century, Pakistan started its proxy war in Kashmir, we kept on losing precious lives but did not do anything except strongly condemning all kind of terrorist attacks. Over 30 years of proxy war resulted in establishing the image of our country as a soft-willed one. Anyone can do anything to us and we have only one solution- strongly condemning the terrorist action and wait for another action to condemn again. We have lost more soldiers in Kashmir than in 1965 and 1971 wars put together. Having fought in Kashmir for so many years in the peak of insurgency and seeing the valiant soldiers fall to the political aspirations, I ponder at times as to what should be the role of our government, civil society members and the individuals? What concerns me deeply is whether Pakistan sees India after all as a soft-willed state and, therefore, goes on to carry these attacks with impunity. Why do we experience the same cycle of events: an incident happens, politicians condemn it, citizens burn few candles and express grief on social media, Forces kept on making plans for revenge which never get a nod from the political leadership and blood continues to flow. After a week or so, everyone falls silent and wait for another incident to happen. There have been numerous terror incidents, for so many years, Pakistani Army personnel has been coming to this side of the border, decapacitating our boys and taking their severed heads as a trophy and every time we are successful in orally condemning it and that too not strongly. They come to our territory, fire the American missiles on our soldiers, kill them and our political leadership is, once again, successful only in strongly condemning it. This political weakness of our country is open to the world for last 70 years and the patience of a common citizen is perhaps breaking down. It is high time that the leadership of the nation should do something which can help it to regain the faith of common citizen and prove that India is able to protect ourselves. So what should our leaders do now? It is a million-dollar question. Question is not the capability of the armed forces. The question is of a strong political will. The question is of acting, not just verbally condemning, and the most important question is when will it happen. Last week I was on a panel with one of the national news channels and had a retired Lt General of Pakistan Army as a co-panelist from Pakistan. To my surprise, he was constantly vomiting venom and was very much confident that India will never be able to do any offensive action against Pakistan. Our weak political will has been proving that time and again. After so many incidents now, this is the right time to take a hard decision and prove the worthiness of the leadership. I am sure that the government will listen and react instead of just strongly condemning it. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Terrorist attacks continue, what will India's leaders do?

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/always-wanted-to-work-in-films-based-on-social-issues-akshay-kumar-32021" target="_blank">Akshay Kumar</a> starrer&nbsp;&quot;PadMan&quot;&nbsp;released countrywide in India on February 9 amid rave reviews from all corners.&nbsp;

While the film has managed to pull the audience to the theatres, it has been banned in the neighbouring country, Pakistan.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/padman-review-akshay-kumars-film-is-warm-relevant-and-serves-its-purpose-32277" target="_blank">Also Read:&nbsp;PadMan review: Akshay Kumar&#39;s film is warm, relevant and serves its purpose</a>

Ever since the ban, women of Pakistan have taken to Twitter to condemn it and ask for a release of the film as it deals with a socially relevant issue and has nothing controversial in it.&nbsp;

Many women have been questioning the intent of the ban with support from some men too.&nbsp;

This is what Twitter users are writing:&nbsp;

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Dear Sir, the film <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Padman?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Padman</a> has been released internationally. Your decision-making is embarrassingly slow. Why should a film about menstrual hygein &amp; cheap sanitary napkins denied a release or delayed? Pakistan deserves to become a part of this conversation on reproductive health <a href="https://t.co/tTzZTDvIg7">https://t.co/tTzZTDvIg7</a>
&mdash; Ammara Ahmad (@ammarawrites) <a href="https://twitter.com/ammarawrites/status/962806993638608896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Yes, Pakistani Women menstruate too. I support <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Padman?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Padman</a> and menstrual hygiene. Ban on <a href="https://twitter.com/PadManTheFilm?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PadManTheFilm</a> in Pakistan is senseless. Release it now. <a href="https://t.co/KpsTL6Rc3a">pic.twitter.com/KpsTL6Rc3a</a>
&mdash; Ammara Ahmad (@ammarawrites) <a href="https://twitter.com/ammarawrites/status/962294732918489088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Banning PadMan in Pakistan is another one of those illogical things that simply affect the business of cinemas in Pakistan. 
Menstruation is a fact of life, and bringing it to mainstream consciousness is neither immoral nor un-Islamic.
&mdash; Mehr Tarar (@MehrTarar) <a href="https://twitter.com/MehrTarar/status/962353264074338304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&quot;Against our traditions &amp; culture&quot; Oh well, coz women don&#39;t menstruate here... What stupid people sitting at Censor Board ! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PadMan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PadMan</a> must be allowed in Pakistan ! <a href="https://t.co/S7PUfBV9ak">https://t.co/S7PUfBV9ak</a>
&mdash; Gharidah Farooqi (@GFarooqi) <a href="https://twitter.com/GFarooqi/status/962412837321805824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Dear Censor Board of Pakistan 
Yes! We <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pakistani?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Pakistani</a> women get our periods too! Every month we bleed, it&#39;s simple biology. 
 
I condemn the ban on <a href="https://twitter.com/PadManTheFilm?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PadManTheFilm</a> in Pakistan!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IAmPadman?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IAmPadman</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Padman?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Padman</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UnBan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UnBan</a> <a href="https://t.co/mnrNLJkROC">pic.twitter.com/mnrNLJkROC</a>
&mdash; The Lodhi (@AnnamL0dhi) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnnamL0dhi/status/962231453839962114?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Banning padman in Pakistan just shows how we havent mentally progressed as a nation. Utterly disappointing.
&mdash; Amna Mazhar (@ozilinaa) <a href="https://twitter.com/ozilinaa/status/962365366440792064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Those banning should know this &ldquo;taboo&rdquo; topic is the reason they are alive. No menstration means no fertility. No fertility 4 means no babies. Banners were babies 2 na. Nature se bhi panga. Leh. Apas ki baat. ???? Misogyny much? &lsquo;PadMan&rsquo; banned in Pakistan <a href="https://t.co/ANkxyt194i">https://t.co/ANkxyt194i</a>
&mdash; Nadia Jamil (@NJLahori) <a href="https://twitter.com/NJLahori/status/962476125187436544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Some men also showed support:&nbsp;

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Movies like jism 2 can be shown in Pakistan cinemas but Padman is banned. What a shame it is. Its fine to show half naked women and highly intimidated scenes in movies but a movie based on real issues and everyone loses their minds. 
HEIGHT OF HYPOCRISY!
&mdash; T. (@Crushkacrush) <a href="https://twitter.com/Crushkacrush/status/962705139923668992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2018</a></blockquote>
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1 out of 3 women r died because of cultural taboo. Remaining are victim of nutrition and various virus and cancers.most popular is breast and ovarian cancer but still in pakistan, movie like padman is banned.women in centre r aware what abt 60%in rural areas? <a href="https://twitter.com/saifsamejo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@saifsamejo</a>
&mdash; Ali aamir siming (@AamirSiming) <a href="https://twitter.com/AamirSiming/status/962315106536259584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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As of right now, the film has not been previewed by the&nbsp;Central Board of Film Censors of Pakistan.&nbsp;

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The decision to issue an NOC by the Ministry of Information Broadcasting National History and Literary Heritage is yet to be taken on the release of a foreign feature film &quot;Padman&quot; as the film has not yet been pre-viewed by the Central Board of Film Censors. <a href="https://t.co/NExGsWGV8M">pic.twitter.com/NExGsWGV8M</a>
&mdash; Govt of Pakistan (@pid_gov) <a href="https://twitter.com/pid_gov/status/962591498213699585?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Speaking on the issue, the director of &quot;PadMan&quot;, R Balki said,&nbsp; &quot;It is shame that a film that endeavours to eradicate the stigma towards menstrual hygiene is being seen in this negative light.&quot;

&nbsp;

The women took to Twitter to question the reason behind banning PadMan film in Pakistan

Akshay Kumar starrer "PadMan" released countrywide in India on February 9 amid rave reviews from all corners. While the film has managed to pull the audience to the theatres, it has been banned in the neighbouring country, Pakistan. Also Read: PadMan review: Akshay Kumar's film is warm, relevant and serves its purpose Ever since the ban, women of Pakistan have taken to Twitter to condemn it and ask for a release of the film as it deals with a socially relevant issue and has nothing controversial in it. Many women have been questioning the intent of the ban with support from some men too. This is what Twitter users are writing: Dear Sir, the film #Padman has been released internationally. Your decision-making is embarrassingly slow. Why should a film about menstrual hygein & cheap sanitary napkins denied a release or delayed? Pakistan deserves to become a part of this conversation on reproductive health https://t.co/tTzZTDvIg7 — Ammara Ahmad (@ammarawrites) February 11, 2018 × Yes, Pakistani Women menstruate too. I support #Padman and menstrual hygiene. Ban on @PadManTheFilm in Pakistan is senseless. Release it now. pic.twitter.com/KpsTL6Rc3a — Ammara Ahmad (@ammarawrites) February 10, 2018 × Banning PadMan in Pakistan is another one of those illogical things that simply affect the business of cinemas in Pakistan. Menstruation is a fact of life, and bringing it to mainstream consciousness is neither immoral nor un-Islamic. — Mehr Tarar (@MehrTarar) February 10, 2018 × "Against our traditions & culture" Oh well, coz women don't menstruate here... What stupid people sitting at Censor Board ! #PadMan must be allowed in Pakistan ! https://t.co/S7PUfBV9ak — Gharidah Farooqi (@GFarooqi) February 10, 2018 × Dear Censor Board of Pakistan Yes! We #Pakistani women get our periods too! Every month we bleed, it's simple biology. I condemn the ban on @PadManTheFilm in Pakistan!#IAmPadman #Padman #UnBan pic.twitter.com/mnrNLJkROC — The Lodhi (@AnnamL0dhi) February 10, 2018 × Banning padman in Pakistan just shows how we havent mentally progressed as a nation. Utterly disappointing. — Amna Mazhar (@ozilinaa) February 10, 2018 × Those banning should know this “taboo” topic is the reason they are alive. No menstration means no fertility. No fertility 4 means no babies. Banners were babies 2 na. Nature se bhi panga. Leh. Apas ki baat. ???? Misogyny much? ‘PadMan’ banned in Pakistan https://t.co/ANkxyt194i — Nadia Jamil (@NJLahori) February 10, 2018 × Some men also showed support: Movies like jism 2 can be shown in Pakistan cinemas but Padman is banned. What a shame it is. Its fine to show half naked women and highly intimidated scenes in movies but a movie based on real issues and everyone loses their minds. HEIGHT OF HYPOCRISY! — T. (@Crushkacrush) February 11, 2018 × 1 out of 3 women r died because of cultural taboo. Remaining are victim of nutrition and various virus and cancers.most popular is breast and ovarian cancer but still in pakistan, movie like padman is banned.women in centre r aware what abt 60%in rural areas? @saifsamejo — Ali aamir siming (@AamirSiming) February 10, 2018 × As of right now, the film has not been previewed by the Central Board of Film Censors of Pakistan. The decision to issue an NOC by the Ministry of Information Broadcasting National History and Literary Heritage is yet to be taken on the release of a foreign feature film "Padman" as the film has not yet been pre-viewed by the Central Board of Film Censors. pic.twitter.com/NExGsWGV8M — Govt of Pakistan (@pid_gov) February 11, 2018 × Speaking on the issue, the director of "PadMan", R Balki said, "It is shame that a film that endeavours to eradicate the stigma towards menstrual hygiene is being seen in this negative light."

Pakistani women demand 'PadMan' release, say 'We bleed too'

The deputy chief of the Pakistani Taliban has been killed in a US drone strike, the militant group said in a statement Monday, as Washington continues to intensify attacks along the Afghan border region.

Khalid Mehsood, deputy leader of the umbrella Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), died after the pre-dawn strike in North Waziristan tribal agency on February 8, the militants said in the emailed statement.

The group`s leaders have nominated Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud to take his place, the statement said, adding Mehsud has &quot;undeterring trust&quot; in Pakistani Taliban leader Maulana Fazlullah.

US officials in Islamabad had no immediate comment. Much of the border with Pakistan`s northwestern tribal areas are off-limits to foreign journalists, and strikes along the porous frontier are difficult to verify.

The statement comes as the US has massively stepped up its air offensive in eastern Afghanistan, targeting Taliban drug labs and Islamic State hideouts as President Donald Trump looks to the sky to force the insurgents to the table.

But militants have reacted violently, launching a wave of deadly attacks across the war-torn country, including in Kabul, in a devastating display of defiance.

Officials admit the US strategy is not without risk, and the longer it runs the more costs will accrue.

More bombing almost invariably means more civilian casualties, which could further mobilise Afghans against the United States.

Khalid Mehsood, deputy leader of the umbrella Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), died after the pre-dawn strike in North Waziristan tribal agency on February 8, the militants said in the emailed statement

The deputy chief of the Pakistani Taliban has been killed in a US drone strike, the militant group said in a statement Monday, as Washington continues to intensify attacks along the Afghan border region. Khalid Mehsood, deputy leader of the umbrella Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), died after the pre-dawn strike in North Waziristan tribal agency on February 8, the militants said in the emailed statement. The group`s leaders have nominated Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud to take his place, the statement said, adding Mehsud has "undeterring trust" in Pakistani Taliban leader Maulana Fazlullah. US officials in Islamabad had no immediate comment. Much of the border with Pakistan`s northwestern tribal areas are off-limits to foreign journalists, and strikes along the porous frontier are difficult to verify. The statement comes as the US has massively stepped up its air offensive in eastern Afghanistan, targeting Taliban drug labs and Islamic State hideouts as President Donald Trump looks to the sky to force the insurgents to the table. But militants have reacted violently, launching a wave of deadly attacks across the war-torn country, including in Kabul, in a devastating display of defiance. Officials admit the US strategy is not without risk, and the longer it runs the more costs will accrue. More bombing almost invariably means more civilian casualties, which could further mobilise Afghans against the United States.

Pakistan Taliban confirm No. 2 killed in US drone strike

The multi-billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project in Gwadar port off the coast in Pakistan could be under threat if a catastrophe strikes the region, according to experts.

Gwadar, which is located close to the Makran Trench, last saw a huge earthquake of 8.1 magnitudes in 1945, which triggered a tsunami that battered Iran, Pakistan, Oman and India and killed around 4,000 people. The trench is the meeting point for two tectonic plates.

To prevent such a catastrophe, a team of 40 researchers from China and Pakistan boarded the Experimental 3 vessel for the trench last month and did a &#39;CT scan&#39; (geological survey) in the region. However, not much is known about the zone, the South China Morning Post reported.

The Gwadar port has been leased to China for 40 years and any potential disaster in the area could undermine Beijing&#39;s ambitions to revive the ancient trade route from China through Asia to Africa and Europe.

The CPEC project is also a part of China&#39;s &#39;Belt and Road Initiative&#39;, a vast infrastructure and trade programme to project China&#39;s infrastructural dominance abroad.

Seismologist Yang Hongfeng, from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said scientific expeditions in the region were quite rare.

&quot;A lot of important scientific questions remain unanswered. The results will definitely advance our understanding, [while] providing critical data to reduce the risk in the region,&quot; Yang said.

The expedition is being done to have a better understanding of the subduction zone. According to scientists, this is quite unusual since it has a thick deposit of soft sediment several kilometres below the Earth.

Asif Inam, the director general of National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) said, &quot;The expedition is a joint effort by the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology in Guangzhou and the NIO in Pakistan. It is funded largely by the Chinese government-funded Chinese Academy of Sciences&quot;.

&quot;The information and data being collected during the expedition would make a significant contribution to coastal developers and planners,&quot; he added.

Meanwhile, the threat of an earthquake or tsunami near Gwadar port is a major concern for both the countries.

&quot;There&#39;s a whole lot at stake. The port, if fully developed and operationalised, can be a critical asset for Pakistan, and there&#39;s no nation that Pakistan would be more comfortable entrusting it to than its close friend China,&quot; Michael Kugelman, said a senior associate for South Asia at the US-based think tank Wilson Centre.

Kugelman said the destructive impact that an earthquake or tsunami could have on the operations of the port should not be overstated, given that actual operations were still limited.

&quot;Still, given issues of proximity and general vulnerability - Pakistan doesn&#39;t cope or respond well to natural disasters, given a lack of resources and incapacity - there&#39;s certainly reason to believe that intense earthquake activity would pose a clear and present danger to Gwadar,&quot; he was quoted as saying in the report.

India is already against the CPEC project since it passes through the disputed Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) region. Reports of China&#39;s proposal of building a second overseas military base could create more headache for New Delhi.

&quot;China, India, and Pakistan are on a collision course. This isn&#39;t to say we&#39;re about to see conflict, but escalations in tensions are highly likely as China steps up its activities in the region, and particularly in Pakistan&quot;, Kugelman said.

&quot;If China built a naval base in Gwadar, as reports had suggested, it could trigger even greater tensions with India&quot;, he stated.

The building of the $62 billion economic corridor gives China access to waterways which is about 40 per cent of the world&#39;s oil passes. When built, it will link Gwadar to Xinjiang region in China.&nbsp;

Gwadar, which is located close to the Makran Trench, last saw a huge earthquake of 8.1 magnitudes in 1945, which triggered a tsunami that battered Iran, Pakistan, Oman and India and killed around 4,000 people. The trench is the meeting point for two tectonic plates

The multi-billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project in Gwadar port off the coast in Pakistan could be under threat if a catastrophe strikes the region, according to experts. Gwadar, which is located close to the Makran Trench, last saw a huge earthquake of 8.1 magnitudes in 1945, which triggered a tsunami that battered Iran, Pakistan, Oman and India and killed around 4,000 people. The trench is the meeting point for two tectonic plates. To prevent such a catastrophe, a team of 40 researchers from China and Pakistan boarded the Experimental 3 vessel for the trench last month and did a 'CT scan' (geological survey) in the region. However, not much is known about the zone, the South China Morning Post reported. The Gwadar port has been leased to China for 40 years and any potential disaster in the area could undermine Beijing's ambitions to revive the ancient trade route from China through Asia to Africa and Europe. The CPEC project is also a part of China's 'Belt and Road Initiative', a vast infrastructure and trade programme to project China's infrastructural dominance abroad. Seismologist Yang Hongfeng, from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said scientific expeditions in the region were quite rare. "A lot of important scientific questions remain unanswered. The results will definitely advance our understanding, [while] providing critical data to reduce the risk in the region," Yang said. The expedition is being done to have a better understanding of the subduction zone. According to scientists, this is quite unusual since it has a thick deposit of soft sediment several kilometres below the Earth. Asif Inam, the director general of National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) said, "The expedition is a joint effort by the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology in Guangzhou and the NIO in Pakistan. It is funded largely by the Chinese government-funded Chinese Academy of Sciences". "The information and data being collected during the expedition would make a significant contribution to coastal developers and planners," he added. Meanwhile, the threat of an earthquake or tsunami near Gwadar port is a major concern for both the countries. "There's a whole lot at stake. The port, if fully developed and operationalised, can be a critical asset for Pakistan, and there's no nation that Pakistan would be more comfortable entrusting it to than its close friend China," Michael Kugelman, said a senior associate for South Asia at the US-based think tank Wilson Centre. Kugelman said the destructive impact that an earthquake or tsunami could have on the operations of the port should not be overstated, given that actual operations were still limited. "Still, given issues of proximity and general vulnerability - Pakistan doesn't cope or respond well to natural disasters, given a lack of resources and incapacity - there's certainly reason to believe that intense earthquake activity would pose a clear and present danger to Gwadar," he was quoted as saying in the report. India is already against the CPEC project since it passes through the disputed Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) region. Reports of China's proposal of building a second overseas military base could create more headache for New Delhi. "China, India, and Pakistan are on a collision course. This isn't to say we're about to see conflict, but escalations in tensions are highly likely as China steps up its activities in the region, and particularly in Pakistan", Kugelman said. "If China built a naval base in Gwadar, as reports had suggested, it could trigger even greater tensions with India", he stated. The building of the $62 billion economic corridor gives China access to waterways which is about 40 per cent of the world's oil passes. When built, it will link Gwadar to Xinjiang region in China.

China's multi-billion CPEC project under threat in Pakistan

People from the restive Gilgit region staged yet another<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/protest-in-pok-against-pakistan-government-for-diverting-resources-26599" target="_blank"> protest </a>on Saturday, appealing the Pakistan government to bring back prisoners from China.&nbsp;

Calling the relationship between China and Pakistan &quot; totally fallacious&quot;, a former prisoner released from the jail in China&nbsp;said that nobody is aware of the reality of the relationship between the two countries. They just show off (their friendship) to the world.

&quot;I spent 10 years in a Chinese prison. I appeal to the Pakistan Government to bring back prisoners from China. I feel ashamed as the China- Pakistan friendship is totally fallacious. They just show off to the world, but nobody is aware of the reality.&quot;

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/opinion-why-pakistan-supports-kashmirs-aazadi-and-not-that-of-pok-26042" target="_blank">Opinion: Why Pakistan supports Kashmir&#39;s </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/opinion-why-pakistan-supports-kashmirs-aazadi-and-not-that-of-pok-26042" target="_blank">aazadi</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/opinion-why-pakistan-supports-kashmirs-aazadi-and-not-that-of-pok-26042" target="_blank"> and not that of PoK</a>

Also&nbsp;read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/anti-pakistan-protests-across-pok-to-mark-1947-invasion-22724" target="_blank">Anti-Pakistan protests across PoK to mark 1947 invasion</a>

The relatives of the imprisoned men staged a protest demanding the release of Pakistanis lodged in China prisons.&nbsp;

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Gilgit?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Gilgit</a>: Protests by relatives of people from Peshawar and other areas languishing in jails in China. <a href="https://t.co/eYLj4akrVr">pic.twitter.com/eYLj4akrVr</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/962520332157575168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2018</a></blockquote>
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I spent 10 years in a Chinese prison. I appeal to the Pakistan Government to bring back prisoners from China. I feel ashamed as the China-Pakistan friendship is totally fallacious. They just show off to the world, but nobody is aware of the reality: Nazir Ahmed,protester <a href="https://t.co/1ctByMuPhB">pic.twitter.com/1ctByMuPhB</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/962521464590229505?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/anti-pak-slogans-raised-at-this-rally-in-poks-muzaffarabad-8058" target="_blank">Anti-Pak slogans raised at this rally in PoK&#39;s Muzaffarabad</a>

The relatives of the imprisoned men staged a protest demanding the release of Pakistanis lodged in China prisons.

People from the restive Gilgit region staged yet another protest on Saturday, appealing the Pakistan government to bring back prisoners from China. Calling the relationship between China and Pakistan " totally fallacious", a former prisoner released from the jail in China said that nobody is aware of the reality of the relationship between the two countries. They just show off (their friendship) to the world. "I spent 10 years in a Chinese prison. I appeal to the Pakistan Government to bring back prisoners from China. I feel ashamed as the China- Pakistan friendship is totally fallacious. They just show off to the world, but nobody is aware of the reality." Also read: Opinion: Why Pakistan supports Kashmir's aazadi and not that of PoK Also read: Anti-Pakistan protests across PoK to mark 1947 invasion The relatives of the imprisoned men staged a protest demanding the release of Pakistanis lodged in China prisons. #Gilgit: Protests by relatives of people from Peshawar and other areas languishing in jails in China. pic.twitter.com/eYLj4akrVr — ANI (@ANI) February 11, 2018 × I spent 10 years in a Chinese prison. I appeal to the Pakistan Government to bring back prisoners from China. I feel ashamed as the China-Pakistan friendship is totally fallacious. They just show off to the world, but nobody is aware of the reality: Nazir Ahmed,protester pic.twitter.com/1ctByMuPhB — ANI (@ANI) February 11, 2018 × Anti-Pak slogans raised at this rally in PoK's Muzaffarabad

China- Pakistan friendship 'totally fallacious', says Pakistan prisoner released from China

Pakistan and Afghanistan concluded their bilateral talks on Saturday and had &quot;good discussions&quot;, an official noted.

The dialogue took place in Islamabad&nbsp;under the Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS).&nbsp;

The plan aims to boost cooperation between the two countries and address issues related to counter-terrorism, reduction of violence, peace and reconciliation, refugees&#39; repatriation and joint economic development.

Afghanistan&#39;s Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai led a high-level delegation to Islamabad. The Pakistani delegation was headed by Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua.

This dialogue took place in the second round of APAPPS and reflected determination on both sides to pursue policy formulation.

The first round of APAPPS took place on February 3 in Kabul.&nbsp;

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-buys-weapons-from-international-companies-sells-to-taliban-through-its-domestic-markets-afghan-envoy-to-us-tells-wion-31297">Pakistan buys weapons from international companies, sells to Taliban through domestic markets: Afghan envoy to </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-buys-weapons-from-international-companies-sells-to-taliban-through-its-domestic-markets-afghan-envoy-to-us-tells-wion-31297">US</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-buys-weapons-from-international-companies-sells-to-taliban-through-its-domestic-markets-afghan-envoy-to-us-tells-wion-31297"> tells WION</a>

Pakistan&#39;s Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Faisal took to Twitter and stated that although the meeting witnessed &quot;good discussions&quot; some agreements would require further work.

On the other hand, the Afghan Foreign Ministry said no progress was made on counter-terrorism issues.

In an exclusive interview with WION <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/attack-on-kabuls-intercontinental-hotel-was-planned-in-pakistan-afghan-envoy-to-us-31193">Afghanistan&#39;s envoy to the United States</a>, Majeed Qarar alleged Pakistan&#39;s involvement in the terrorist attack on Kabul&#39;s Intercontinental Hotel.&nbsp;

&quot;The country has been supplying military-grade equipment to terror forces. Instead of solving the matter they meddle with our internal issues. We admit that we have issues, we faced wars for years,&quot; noted Qarar.

Taliban-claimed attacks in Kabul on January 20 and January 27 killed nearly 125 people and injured over 250. Pakistan had offered a joint investigation into the attacks, Kabul had blamed the Haqqani Network for the same.

 
&nbsp;

This dialogue took place in the second round of APAPPS and reflected determination on both sides to pursue policy formulation

Pakistan and Afghanistan concluded their bilateral talks on Saturday and had "good discussions", an official noted. The dialogue took place in Islamabad under the Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS). The plan aims to boost cooperation between the two countries and address issues related to counter-terrorism, reduction of violence, peace and reconciliation, refugees' repatriation and joint economic development. Afghanistan's Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai led a high-level delegation to Islamabad. The Pakistani delegation was headed by Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua. This dialogue took place in the second round of APAPPS and reflected determination on both sides to pursue policy formulation. The first round of APAPPS took place on February 3 in Kabul. Also read: Pakistan buys weapons from international companies, sells to Taliban through domestic markets: Afghan envoy to US tells WION Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Faisal took to Twitter and stated that although the meeting witnessed "good discussions" some agreements would require further work. On the other hand, the Afghan Foreign Ministry said no progress was made on counter-terrorism issues. In an exclusive interview with WION Afghanistan's envoy to the United States, Majeed Qarar alleged Pakistan's involvement in the terrorist attack on Kabul's Intercontinental Hotel. "The country has been supplying military-grade equipment to terror forces. Instead of solving the matter they meddle with our internal issues. We admit that we have issues, we faced wars for years," noted Qarar. Taliban-claimed attacks in Kabul on January 20 and January 27 killed nearly 125 people and injured over 250. Pakistan had offered a joint investigation into the attacks, Kabul had blamed the Haqqani Network for the same.

No progress made on counter-terrorism issues: Afghanistan on talks with Pakistan

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/russian-passenger-plane-with-71-on-board-crashes-outside-moscow-32499">Russian passenger plane with 71 on board crashes outside Moscow</a>

A Russian passenger plane with 71 on board has crashed outside Moscow. The Saratov Airlines plane was carrying 65 passengers and six crew. The plane crashed outside Argunovo village in the Moscow region.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/pregnant-woman-wounded-in-sunjwan-attack-delivers-baby-girl-32488">Pregnant woman wounded in Jammu army camp attack delivers baby girl, death toll at 10</a>

A 35-week pregnant woman who was severely injured in the Sunjawan attack gave birth to a baby girl on Saturday night. The woman was shot in her lower back by four terrorists who had entered the family quarters of the Brigade Army camp in the Sunjwan area of Jammu, opened fire at the security forces and civilians.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/watch-pm-modi-addresses-indian-community-in-dubai-32483">Technology should be used for development, not destruction: PM Modi at World Government Summit in Dubai</a>

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a four-day visit to three West Asian countries, addressed the World Government Summit in Dubai on Sunday. The PM began his address by thanking the Gulf countries, which he said provide almost 30 lakh people from India a home-like environment away from home.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/up-cm-yogi-calls-for-simpler-exams-as-10-lakh-students-skip-boards-32487">UP CM Yogi calls for simpler exams as 10 lakh students skip Boards</a>

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has emphasised on the need to make examinations simpler after over 10 lakh examinees skipped the state board tests in the last four days. It is for the first time in over nine-decade history of the UP Board that such a large number of examinees have quit examinations, which experts said could largely be a result of strict anti-cheating measures implemented by the board in accordance with the state government&rsquo;s directives.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-renowned-lawyer-human-rights-activist-asma-jahangir-dead-at-66-32485">Pakistan: Renowned lawyer, human rights activist Asma Jahangir dead at 66</a>

Renowned lawyer and human rights activist Asma Jahangir passed away on Sunday in Lahore due to a cardiac arrest. She was 66. Jahangir was taken to a private hospital on Ferozepur Road after suffering a cardiac arrest where she passed away. She was the head of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and the Supreme Court Bar Association.

Russian passenger plane with 71 on board crashes outside Moscow A Russian passenger plane with 71 on board has crashed outside Moscow. The Saratov Airlines plane was carrying 65 passengers and six crew. The plane crashed outside Argunovo village in the Moscow region. Pregnant woman wounded in Jammu army camp attack delivers baby girl, death toll at 10 A 35-week pregnant woman who was severely injured in the Sunjawan attack gave birth to a baby girl on Saturday night. The woman was shot in her lower back by four terrorists who had entered the family quarters of the Brigade Army camp in the Sunjwan area of Jammu, opened fire at the security forces and civilians. Technology should be used for development, not destruction: PM Modi at World Government Summit in Dubai Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a four-day visit to three West Asian countries, addressed the World Government Summit in Dubai on Sunday. The PM began his address by thanking the Gulf countries, which he said provide almost 30 lakh people from India a home-like environment away from home. UP CM Yogi calls for simpler exams as 10 lakh students skip Boards Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has emphasised on the need to make examinations simpler after over 10 lakh examinees skipped the state board tests in the last four days. It is for the first time in over nine-decade history of the UP Board that such a large number of examinees have quit examinations, which experts said could largely be a result of strict anti-cheating measures implemented by the board in accordance with the state government’s directives. Pakistan: Renowned lawyer, human rights activist Asma Jahangir dead at 66 Renowned lawyer and human rights activist Asma Jahangir passed away on Sunday in Lahore due to a cardiac arrest. She was 66. Jahangir was taken to a private hospital on Ferozepur Road after suffering a cardiac arrest where she passed away. She was the head of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and the Supreme Court Bar Association.

WION Evening News Brief, February 11, 2018

Prevailing cross- border tension may have restricted Indo-Pak bilateral cricketing ties but Shahid Afridi loves to put across a point firmly -- his &quot;cordial relation&quot; with India captain Virat Kohli cannot and will not be defined by political situation.

&quot;My relationship with Virat is not dictated by political situation. Virat is a fantastic human being and an ambassador of cricket for his country, just like I am for my country,&quot; Afridi told PTI during an interaction on the sidelines of the St Moritz Ice Cricket Tournament.

&quot;He (Kohli) has always shown a lot of respect and has even gone out of his way to present a signed jersey for my foundation (Shahid Afridi Foundation),&quot; he added. 
Afridi&#39;s foundation has been working in providing clean and safe drinking water for the economically weaker sections of society.

&quot;There is a lot of warmth and fellow-feeling whenever I have spoken to Virat. It&#39;s not that we get a chance to speak a lot but from time to time, he would drop in a message and I would do the same. I congratulated him recently when I came to know the he was getting married.

&quot;I believe as cricketers we can set examples of how relationship between individuals can be a template for relationship between countries. I think after Pakistan, the two countries where I have received most love and respect are India and Australia,&quot; said the former Pakistan skipper.

For someone, who was a maverick during his international career, Afridi loves Kohli&#39;s aggression and believes that supporting juniors in crisis situations has also helped him in earning respect from youngsters.

&quot;Virat is doing a brilliant job. I have no problem with aggression if it is a controlled one. And Virat&#39;s character is different from Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who was a composed individual.

&quot;Now suddenly, you cannot change the inherent nature of a person. Virat&#39;s greatest asset is that he can take the team along,&quot; Afridi observed.

Asked to compare Kohli with Pakistan captain Sarfraz Khan, Afridi said: &quot;Sarfraz is still new to the job and he will only get better along the way. The only thing I don&#39;t like is that media running down players during their rough times.

&quot;As long as you are winning, everything is fine and you lose a game and all hell breaks loose. That is grossly unfair. We should not overlook someone&#39;s past achievements just because he is going through a bad patch,&quot; said the cricketer who has been loved and criticised in equal measure.

During the couple of days of Ice Cricket at St Moritz tournament, Afridi at times even beat Virender Sehwag in terms of popularity thanks to the presence of a larger number of expatriate Pakistani fans, who had thronged St Moritz.

The moment he entered the playing area wearing the orange jumper, St Moritz turned into a &#39;Lala Land&#39; as everyone wanted a piece of their beloved &#39;Lala&#39;, as Pakistani fans affectionately call Afridi.

Afridi was a different man at different times.

He autographed the posters, even a Pakistan Tehreek-e- Insaf flag, obliged all the selfie seekers, seemed a tad irritated with multiple one-on-one interview requests, took his wife and youngest daughter out for a walk down the lake and did not even give a second glance at a young Pakistani woman, who in front of everyone shouted &quot;Lala aapse kabhi alag se mil sakti hoon (Can I meet you somewhere else?).&quot;

And yes, he played cricket too and tried to hit out as he would do often during his green jersey days. And the result was more often than not his downfall. It happened the same way but no one cared.

'My relationship with Virat is not dictated by political situation. Virat is a fantastic human being and an ambassador of cricket for his country, just like I am for my country,' Afridi told said

Prevailing cross- border tension may have restricted Indo-Pak bilateral cricketing ties but Shahid Afridi loves to put across a point firmly -- his "cordial relation" with India captain Virat Kohli cannot and will not be defined by political situation. "My relationship with Virat is not dictated by political situation. Virat is a fantastic human being and an ambassador of cricket for his country, just like I am for my country," Afridi told PTI during an interaction on the sidelines of the St Moritz Ice Cricket Tournament. "He (Kohli) has always shown a lot of respect and has even gone out of his way to present a signed jersey for my foundation (Shahid Afridi Foundation)," he added. Afridi's foundation has been working in providing clean and safe drinking water for the economically weaker sections of society. "There is a lot of warmth and fellow-feeling whenever I have spoken to Virat. It's not that we get a chance to speak a lot but from time to time, he would drop in a message and I would do the same. I congratulated him recently when I came to know the he was getting married. "I believe as cricketers we can set examples of how relationship between individuals can be a template for relationship between countries. I think after Pakistan, the two countries where I have received most love and respect are India and Australia," said the former Pakistan skipper. For someone, who was a maverick during his international career, Afridi loves Kohli's aggression and believes that supporting juniors in crisis situations has also helped him in earning respect from youngsters. "Virat is doing a brilliant job. I have no problem with aggression if it is a controlled one. And Virat's character is different from Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who was a composed individual. "Now suddenly, you cannot change the inherent nature of a person. Virat's greatest asset is that he can take the team along," Afridi observed. Asked to compare Kohli with Pakistan captain Sarfraz Khan, Afridi said: "Sarfraz is still new to the job and he will only get better along the way. The only thing I don't like is that media running down players during their rough times. "As long as you are winning, everything is fine and you lose a game and all hell breaks loose. That is grossly unfair. We should not overlook someone's past achievements just because he is going through a bad patch," said the cricketer who has been loved and criticised in equal measure. During the couple of days of Ice Cricket at St Moritz tournament, Afridi at times even beat Virender Sehwag in terms of popularity thanks to the presence of a larger number of expatriate Pakistani fans, who had thronged St Moritz. The moment he entered the playing area wearing the orange jumper, St Moritz turned into a 'Lala Land' as everyone wanted a piece of their beloved 'Lala', as Pakistani fans affectionately call Afridi. Afridi was a different man at different times. He autographed the posters, even a Pakistan Tehreek-e- Insaf flag, obliged all the selfie seekers, seemed a tad irritated with multiple one-on-one interview requests, took his wife and youngest daughter out for a walk down the lake and did not even give a second glance at a young Pakistani woman, who in front of everyone shouted "Lala aapse kabhi alag se mil sakti hoon (Can I meet you somewhere else?)." And yes, he played cricket too and tried to hit out as he would do often during his green jersey days. And the result was more often than not his downfall. It happened the same way but no one cared.

Politics can't define my cordial relation with Kohli: Afridi

A few days back, I was talking to one of the Pakistan Defence Experts on the panel of a renowned news channel over the issue of ceasefire violation at Line of Control. The Indian panelists were in anguish over the recent killings but, surprisingly, the Pakistani panelist who was a retired Lieutenant General mentioned repeatedly in his statement that Pakistan is nuclear capable and any adventure from Indian side will be answered by a nuclear missile.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Before we become a victim to these lies and deceits, we must understand the reality of Pakistan&rsquo;s nuclear programme.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

As per the statement of AQ Khan to Newsweek on 16 May 2011, Pakistan&rsquo;s nuclear programme started as a countermeasure of India&rsquo;s first nuclear test in 1974 but he is wrong. If we go back to study the nuclear program of Pakistan, we must start with their humiliating defeat in 1971. Then PM Mr Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto said that Pakistanis will have to make a nuclear bomb even if they have to eat grass.&nbsp; The entire blueprint of Project 706 or the Kahuta Research Laboratory (KRL) was ready as early as 1973 and the project actually kicked off in 1974. This was the start of a dirty mess created by Pakistan which is still haunting the world.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

To me the actual father of Pakistani Nuclear program was not AQ Khan, it was Dr Munir Ahmed Khan of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC).&nbsp; Munir was a true genius and fathered Pakistan&rsquo;s nuclear weapon programme using Plutonium. AQ Khan, who started Project 706, had the sole objective to develop Pakistan&rsquo;s own nuclear bomb using Uranium as fuel. And, finally, all the devices of Pakistan&rsquo;s Nuclear arsenal were Uranium based only.

&nbsp;

Technically speaking, any nuclear fission device has two major parts. The Device consists of many parts, such as mechanical, electrical, electronic and the detonation mechanism in the body of the bomb is the first part, and the nuclear fuel is the second part. While the first part is not very difficult to obtain, Pakistan could create it easily in 1974 itself. The second part which is the nuclear fuel was the factor which delayed Pakistan&rsquo;s nuclear programme for another 10 years and they could be ready with their first device in 1984 only.

&nbsp;

To understand Pakistan&rsquo;s nuclear programme and the role of AQ Khan in this, we must understand the concept of nuclear fuel. Uranium has several isotopes and the main fissile isotope which acts towards the generation of energy or creation of nuclear bomb is Uranium-235 which is only .5% to .7% in the naturally obtained Uranium. The energy grade uranium has 4-6% of U-235 while in the weapon-grade uranium, the concentration should be more than 90% and that was the main concern for Pakistan.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The equipment required to make weapon-grade uranium is an ultra-high-speed gas centrifuge and the technology was not available with Pakistan. The centrifuge is required to spin the gaseous form of Uranium Hexafluoride at more than 100,000 RPM to generate fissile material. &nbsp;

&nbsp;

This was the time when AQ Khan played a vital role. Though he was a nuclear scientist, he was working as a translator in URENCO at Belgium and Netherlands. He approached the Pakistan Government and asked to help them in making the bomb. As per Mr Kuldeep Nayyar, the Pakistan Government was not aware of him and, thus, the ISI was made to run a full background check on him.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Ironically, the ISI declared him incompetent for any nuclear weapon development but still he made his forays in the government set up through his connects in the PAEC and successfully arranged a meeting with Mr Bhutto. Somehow, he was successful in convincing the top leadership and AQ Khan was given the charge of Kahuta Research laboratory after he returned to Pakistan from the Netherlands.

&nbsp;

Khan knew the importance of Pakistan army in the political scenario; he had seen many coups. Hence, to secure his project from any political disturbance, he made this project separated from PAEC and ran it in close connection with the Pakistan Army.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Over the next few years, he established administrative setups at various shell companies in Dubai and the Middle East to route the centrifuge technology. The designs, calculations and blueprints of these centrifuges were stolen by AQ Khan from URENCO and transferred to Pakistan through different international routes. Unconfirmed reports say that certain Middle Eastern Islamic countries also helped him in this on the pretext of having a dedicated Islamic Bomb.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

By 1980, Pakistan had developed some prototype centrifuges for uranium enrichment which were called as PakSat-1. They developed the centrifuges further and by 1984 could have enough fissile material required for their first bomb.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

I would like to mention here that there were two organisations working in Pakistan towards the development of a nuclear bomb. One was KRL under the Pak Army and AQ Khan which was making a Uranium-based bomb; the other was PAEC itself which continued its 1972 program of the Plutonium-based bomb and established its facilities in Khushab, Jorarabad. By late nineties, Pakistan had the design and capability to produce its Plutonium based device too, however, all the existing devices with Pakistan are Uranium-based and the Plutonium-based device was limited to experiments only.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The bomb was in the making and Pakistan needed the missile technology to drive this project too. Its ally and friend America refused to give any technology to Pakistan on the pretext that it could fall into the wrong hands and the eyes moved to their other friends- China and North Korea.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Under Kim-Jong-Il, North Korea was successful in making its missiles with the help of China and was desperately looking for someone who could help them achieve their mission. When Pak PM Benazir Bhutto visited Pyongyang in 1990, certain secret agreements were signed between both the countries and some classified information about the designs of device and centrifuges was shared with North Korea in 1993 in exchange of missile technology. This missile technology formed the base of most of the missiles of Pakistan which surprisingly resemble North Korean missiles.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

It was not only North Korea but Iran too. When in 2003, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspected Iran and found a large uranium enrichment facility, Iranian government revealed that the centrifuges were obtained from a foreign intermediary through URENCO but surprisingly the design was exactly same as PakSat-1 centrifuge which was invented by Pakistan. Some of the Pakistani centrifuges which were transferred to Iran in 1989 were also recovered.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Pakistan was expanding his black market for other countries too and the key person in this was AQ Khan who was working closely with every government and military chief of Pakistan. In 2003 itself IAEA decided to dismantle Libya&rsquo;s nuclear program and to their surprise, they found Pakistani PakSat-1 centrifuges in one of the Libyan uranium enrichment facility. Libyan government openly accepted that they bought this technology from the black market and the supplier was Pakistan. Imagine had that dismantling not been done, the nuclear bomb would have gone into the hands of Islamic terrorists by now as entire Libya is facing turmoils of war with ISIS.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The cost paid for these materials to Pakistan by North Korea, Iran or Libya were not known. It was also not known if Pak government had sold these designs to any other country too. However, as per rough estimates, the payments went into billions of US Dollars which were reportedly used by Pakistan in spreading terror network in Indian and Afghanistan.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

In 2004, Pakistan government dismissed AQ Khan and initiated an inquiry against him and, ironically, his military connects saved him when Parvez Musharraf took over the country and issued him a presidential pardon. The Pak government said that AQ Khan ran this nuclear black market purely on his own. However, the fact is that he was awarded the highest civilian decoration of Pakistan- &ldquo;Nishan-E-Imtiyaz&rdquo; twice in 1996 and 1999 which proves the undeterred support of Pakistani government to him.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;

Pakistan's nuclear black market extended through N.Korea, Libya, Iran

A few days back, I was talking to one of the Pakistan Defence Experts on the panel of a renowned news channel over the issue of ceasefire violation at Line of Control. The Indian panelists were in anguish over the recent killings but, surprisingly, the Pakistani panelist who was a retired Lieutenant General mentioned repeatedly in his statement that Pakistan is nuclear capable and any adventure from Indian side will be answered by a nuclear missile. Before we become a victim to these lies and deceits, we must understand the reality of Pakistan’s nuclear programme. As per the statement of AQ Khan to Newsweek on 16 May 2011, Pakistan’s nuclear programme started as a countermeasure of India’s first nuclear test in 1974 but he is wrong. If we go back to study the nuclear program of Pakistan, we must start with their humiliating defeat in 1971. Then PM Mr Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto said that Pakistanis will have to make a nuclear bomb even if they have to eat grass. The entire blueprint of Project 706 or the Kahuta Research Laboratory (KRL) was ready as early as 1973 and the project actually kicked off in 1974. This was the start of a dirty mess created by Pakistan which is still haunting the world. To me the actual father of Pakistani Nuclear program was not AQ Khan, it was Dr Munir Ahmed Khan of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC). Munir was a true genius and fathered Pakistan’s nuclear weapon programme using Plutonium. AQ Khan, who started Project 706, had the sole objective to develop Pakistan’s own nuclear bomb using Uranium as fuel. And, finally, all the devices of Pakistan’s Nuclear arsenal were Uranium based only. Technically speaking, any nuclear fission device has two major parts. The Device consists of many parts, such as mechanical, electrical, electronic and the detonation mechanism in the body of the bomb is the first part, and the nuclear fuel is the second part. While the first part is not very difficult to obtain, Pakistan could create it easily in 1974 itself. The second part which is the nuclear fuel was the factor which delayed Pakistan’s nuclear programme for another 10 years and they could be ready with their first device in 1984 only. To understand Pakistan’s nuclear programme and the role of AQ Khan in this, we must understand the concept of nuclear fuel. Uranium has several isotopes and the main fissile isotope which acts towards the generation of energy or creation of nuclear bomb is Uranium-235 which is only .5% to .7% in the naturally obtained Uranium. The energy grade uranium has 4-6% of U-235 while in the weapon-grade uranium, the concentration should be more than 90% and that was the main concern for Pakistan. The equipment required to make weapon-grade uranium is an ultra-high-speed gas centrifuge and the technology was not available with Pakistan. The centrifuge is required to spin the gaseous form of Uranium Hexafluoride at more than 100,000 RPM to generate fissile material. This was the time when AQ Khan played a vital role. Though he was a nuclear scientist, he was working as a translator in URENCO at Belgium and Netherlands. He approached the Pakistan Government and asked to help them in making the bomb. As per Mr Kuldeep Nayyar, the Pakistan Government was not aware of him and, thus, the ISI was made to run a full background check on him. Ironically, the ISI declared him incompetent for any nuclear weapon development but still he made his forays in the government set up through his connects in the PAEC and successfully arranged a meeting with Mr Bhutto. Somehow, he was successful in convincing the top leadership and AQ Khan was given the charge of Kahuta Research laboratory after he returned to Pakistan from the Netherlands. Khan knew the importance of Pakistan army in the political scenario; he had seen many coups. Hence, to secure his project from any political disturbance, he made this project separated from PAEC and ran it in close connection with the Pakistan Army. Over the next few years, he established administrative setups at various shell companies in Dubai and the Middle East to route the centrifuge technology. The designs, calculations and blueprints of these centrifuges were stolen by AQ Khan from URENCO and transferred to Pakistan through different international routes. Unconfirmed reports say that certain Middle Eastern Islamic countries also helped him in this on the pretext of having a dedicated Islamic Bomb. By 1980, Pakistan had developed some prototype centrifuges for uranium enrichment which were called as PakSat-1. They developed the centrifuges further and by 1984 could have enough fissile material required for their first bomb. I would like to mention here that there were two organisations working in Pakistan towards the development of a nuclear bomb. One was KRL under the Pak Army and AQ Khan which was making a Uranium-based bomb; the other was PAEC itself which continued its 1972 program of the Plutonium-based bomb and established its facilities in Khushab, Jorarabad. By late nineties, Pakistan had the design and capability to produce its Plutonium based device too, however, all the existing devices with Pakistan are Uranium-based and the Plutonium-based device was limited to experiments only. The bomb was in the making and Pakistan needed the missile technology to drive this project too. Its ally and friend America refused to give any technology to Pakistan on the pretext that it could fall into the wrong hands and the eyes moved to their other friends- China and North Korea. Under Kim-Jong-Il, North Korea was successful in making its missiles with the help of China and was desperately looking for someone who could help them achieve their mission. When Pak PM Benazir Bhutto visited Pyongyang in 1990, certain secret agreements were signed between both the countries and some classified information about the designs of device and centrifuges was shared with North Korea in 1993 in exchange of missile technology. This missile technology formed the base of most of the missiles of Pakistan which surprisingly resemble North Korean missiles. It was not only North Korea but Iran too. When in 2003, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspected Iran and found a large uranium enrichment facility, Iranian government revealed that the centrifuges were obtained from a foreign intermediary through URENCO but surprisingly the design was exactly same as PakSat-1 centrifuge which was invented by Pakistan. Some of the Pakistani centrifuges which were transferred to Iran in 1989 were also recovered. Pakistan was expanding his black market for other countries too and the key person in this was AQ Khan who was working closely with every government and military chief of Pakistan. In 2003 itself IAEA decided to dismantle Libya’s nuclear program and to their surprise, they found Pakistani PakSat-1 centrifuges in one of the Libyan uranium enrichment facility. Libyan government openly accepted that they bought this technology from the black market and the supplier was Pakistan. Imagine had that dismantling not been done, the nuclear bomb would have gone into the hands of Islamic terrorists by now as entire Libya is facing turmoils of war with ISIS. The cost paid for these materials to Pakistan by North Korea, Iran or Libya were not known. It was also not known if Pak government had sold these designs to any other country too. However, as per rough estimates, the payments went into billions of US Dollars which were reportedly used by Pakistan in spreading terror network in Indian and Afghanistan. In 2004, Pakistan government dismissed AQ Khan and initiated an inquiry against him and, ironically, his military connects saved him when Parvez Musharraf took over the country and issued him a presidential pardon. The Pak government said that AQ Khan ran this nuclear black market purely on his own. However, the fact is that he was awarded the highest civilian decoration of Pakistan- “Nishan-E-Imtiyaz” twice in 1996 and 1999 which proves the undeterred support of Pakistani government to him. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Pakistan's nuclear black market endangers the world

A US drone strike has killed a deputy commander of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan along with three Haqqani network terrorists in in Afghanistan and North Waziristan of Pakistan.

The strike was carried out on Thursday in Pakistan&#39;s Federally Administered Tribal Areas which killed TTP Deputy Commander Khan Said Sajna when two missiles were fired at a compound close to the Afghan border.&nbsp;

Since US&nbsp;President Donald Trump has assumed office, there has been an increase in drone strikes inside Pakistan in the restive mountainous regions bordering Afghanistan.&nbsp;

Earlier in January the United States&nbsp; carried out its first drone strike of the year near border area of the Hangu district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, claiming to kill two&nbsp; alleged Taliban commanders.

&nbsp;

The strike was carried out on Thursday in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas which killed TTP Deputy Commander Khan Said Sajna when two missiles were fired at a compound close to the Afghan border.

A US drone strike has killed a deputy commander of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan along with three Haqqani network terrorists in in Afghanistan and North Waziristan of Pakistan. The strike was carried out on Thursday in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas which killed TTP Deputy Commander Khan Said Sajna when two missiles were fired at a compound close to the Afghan border. Since US President Donald Trump has assumed office, there has been an increase in drone strikes inside Pakistan in the restive mountainous regions bordering Afghanistan. Earlier in January the United States carried out its first drone strike of the year near border area of the Hangu district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, claiming to kill two alleged Taliban commanders.

US drone strike kills Taliban deputy commander, 3 Haqqani network militants

Pakistan has banned events marking Valentine&#39;s Day, and media coverage of them, for the second year in a row after a court ruled the holiday un-Islamic.

The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) issued an advisory on Wednesday warning television and radio stations against any Valentine&#39;s Day celebrations.

&quot;No event shall be held at the official level or at any public place,&quot; Pemra said.

The ban was introduced by Islamabad High Court last year after a petition by a citizen who said the Feb. 14 holiday was a cultural import from the West and &quot;against the teachings of Islam&quot;.

More than 60 percent of the population of the Muslim-majority nation is aged under 30. Many young people and commercial establishments have in recent years embraced Valentine&#39;s Day hearts, flowers and chocolates.

But the country of 208 million has also seen a wave of ultra-religious political activism that has brought a backlash against such celebrations, which some call immoral.

Parties including the Taliban-linked Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam parties have in recent years held rallies to denounce the holiday.

&quot;We&#39;re Muslims. Our religion forbids things like Valentine&#39;s Day,&quot; said Taufeeq Leghari, who was waiting for transport close to a florist&#39;s stall in Rawalpindi, adjacent to Islamabad.

Flower seller Salman Mahmod took a different view.&quot;I don&#39;t know what danger these Islamists would face if I earn a little more from selling flowers and someone can have a chance to celebrate something,&quot; he said.

Young people are not too afraid of the ban.

&quot;I will celebrate,&quot; said 21-year-old university student Abid Ansari in Islamabad. &quot;This is my choice.&quot;

Young people are not too afraid of the ban

Pakistan has banned events marking Valentine's Day, and media coverage of them, for the second year in a row after a court ruled the holiday un-Islamic. The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) issued an advisory on Wednesday warning television and radio stations against any Valentine's Day celebrations. "No event shall be held at the official level or at any public place," Pemra said. The ban was introduced by Islamabad High Court last year after a petition by a citizen who said the Feb. 14 holiday was a cultural import from the West and "against the teachings of Islam". More than 60 percent of the population of the Muslim-majority nation is aged under 30. Many young people and commercial establishments have in recent years embraced Valentine's Day hearts, flowers and chocolates. But the country of 208 million has also seen a wave of ultra-religious political activism that has brought a backlash against such celebrations, which some call immoral. Parties including the Taliban-linked Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam parties have in recent years held rallies to denounce the holiday. "We're Muslims. Our religion forbids things like Valentine's Day," said Taufeeq Leghari, who was waiting for transport close to a florist's stall in Rawalpindi, adjacent to Islamabad. Flower seller Salman Mahmod took a different view."I don't know what danger these Islamists would face if I earn a little more from selling flowers and someone can have a chance to celebrate something," he said. Young people are not too afraid of the ban. "I will celebrate," said 21-year-old university student Abid Ansari in Islamabad. "This is my choice."

Love is in the air, but not on airwaves as Pakistan bans Valentine's Day

According to reports, Pakistan Army violated ceasefire in Poonch&#39;s KG sector earlier today.

Pakistan Army initiated unprovoked and indiscriminate firing involving small arms, automatics and mortars at around 4.20pm IST today in Krishna Ghati sector along the Line of Control.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Ceasefire violation by <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pakistan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Pakistan</a> in Poonch&#39;s KG sector, Army retaliating. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JammuAndKashmir?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JammuAndKashmir</a> <a href="https://t.co/IBvAEfKkwY">pic.twitter.com/IBvAEfKkwY</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/961563476631130112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Indian Army is reported to have been retaliating so far.&nbsp;

The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly was adjourned on Monday after opposition legislators created a ruckus over continuing ceasefire violations by Pakistan.

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Pakistan Army initiated unprovoked and indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatics and mortars from 1620 hours in Krishna Ghati sector along the Line of Control. Indian Army is retaliating. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JammuAndKashmir?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JammuAndKashmir</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/961589118194069505?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Members of the National Conference and Congress raised anti-government slogans over government&#39;s alleged failure to protect the people from Pakistani shelling.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/protect-soldiers-human-rights-army-kids-write-to-nhrc-against-stone-pelters-32210">Army kids</a> have moved the National Human Rights Commission and filed a petition to protect army personnel&#39;s human rights.&nbsp;&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

The Pakistan Army reportedly initiated unprovoked and indiscriminate firing involving small arms

According to reports, Pakistan Army violated ceasefire in Poonch's KG sector earlier today. Pakistan Army initiated unprovoked and indiscriminate firing involving small arms, automatics and mortars at around 4.20pm IST today in Krishna Ghati sector along the Line of Control. Ceasefire violation by #Pakistan in Poonch's KG sector, Army retaliating. #JammuAndKashmir pic.twitter.com/IBvAEfKkwY — ANI (@ANI) February 8, 2018 × Indian Army is reported to have been retaliating so far. The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly was adjourned on Monday after opposition legislators created a ruckus over continuing ceasefire violations by Pakistan. Pakistan Army initiated unprovoked and indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatics and mortars from 1620 hours in Krishna Ghati sector along the Line of Control. Indian Army is retaliating. #JammuAndKashmir — ANI (@ANI) February 8, 2018 × Members of the National Conference and Congress raised anti-government slogans over government's alleged failure to protect the people from Pakistani shelling. Army kids have moved the National Human Rights Commission and filed a petition to protect army personnel's human rights. (With inputs from agencies)

Jammu and Kashmir: Pakistan Army violates ceasefire in Poonch

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi has said anyone calling an Indian Muslim &quot;Pakistani&quot; should be jailed for three years.

Owaisi raised his demand in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

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AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi demanded today in Lok Sabha that the Centre bring a law to punish with three-year jail term any person who calls an Indian Muslim &quot;a Pakistani&quot; (file pic) <a href="https://t.co/RUzjCdit0e">pic.twitter.com/RUzjCdit0e</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/960947335395233792?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 6, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Owaisi added that Muslims living in the country had rejected Mohammad Ali Jinnah&#39;s two-nation theory.&nbsp;

While demanding the law in Parliament, he added that the current BJP government would not bring in such a law.&nbsp;

He also called the triple talaq bill &quot;anti-women&quot;.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Owaisi raised his demand in the Lok Sabha

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi has said anyone calling an Indian Muslim "Pakistani" should be jailed for three years. Owaisi raised his demand in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi demanded today in Lok Sabha that the Centre bring a law to punish with three-year jail term any person who calls an Indian Muslim "a Pakistani" (file pic) pic.twitter.com/RUzjCdit0e — ANI (@ANI) February 6, 2018 × Owaisi added that Muslims living in the country had rejected Mohammad Ali Jinnah's two-nation theory. While demanding the law in Parliament, he added that the current BJP government would not bring in such a law. He also called the triple talaq bill "anti-women".

Anyone calling an Indian Muslim 'Pakistani' should be jailed: Asaduddin Owaisi

Pakistan has again raked up the Kashmir issue at the UN Security Council and accused it of &quot;selectively&quot; implementing its resolution on the matter.

Maleeha Lodhi, Pakistan&#39;s Permanent Representative to the UN, sought periodic review of the implementation of the UN Security Council&#39;s decades-old resolution on the issue.

&quot;Nothing undermines the credibility of the Council more than &#39;selective&#39; implementation of its resolutions,&quot; Lodhi said during an open debate of the Security Council on its working methods.

&quot;The Council should therefore periodically review the implementation of its resolutions, especially on longstanding issues like the Jammu and Kashmir dispute,&quot; she said.

She said the failure of the Council to enforce its own resolutions &quot;undercuts not just the Council&#39;s standing in the world, but the UN as well&quot;.

According to the top Pakistani diplomat, the best way to enhance the democratic and representative character of the Security Council is to reinforce this norm of accountability, and not to support any actions that threaten to undermine or reverse these ideals.

The Council, she said, should be more transparent and balanced in the working of its subsidiary organs.

Elected members should have a more equitable representation of these organs.

India is opposed to any third-party intervention in resolving the Kashmir issue while Pakistan has continuously sought mediation to sort out the differences. Pakistan often raises the issue at various international platforms.

"Nothing undermines the credibility of the Council more than 'selective' implementation of its resolutions," Lodhi said

Pakistan has again raked up the Kashmir issue at the UN Security Council and accused it of "selectively" implementing its resolution on the matter. Maleeha Lodhi, Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the UN, sought periodic review of the implementation of the UN Security Council's decades-old resolution on the issue. "Nothing undermines the credibility of the Council more than 'selective' implementation of its resolutions," Lodhi said during an open debate of the Security Council on its working methods. "The Council should therefore periodically review the implementation of its resolutions, especially on longstanding issues like the Jammu and Kashmir dispute," she said. She said the failure of the Council to enforce its own resolutions "undercuts not just the Council's standing in the world, but the UN as well". According to the top Pakistani diplomat, the best way to enhance the democratic and representative character of the Security Council is to reinforce this norm of accountability, and not to support any actions that threaten to undermine or reverse these ideals. The Council, she said, should be more transparent and balanced in the working of its subsidiary organs. Elected members should have a more equitable representation of these organs. India is opposed to any third-party intervention in resolving the Kashmir issue while Pakistan has continuously sought mediation to sort out the differences. Pakistan often raises the issue at various international platforms.

Pakistan again rakes up Kashmir issue at UN

A Pakistani court sentenced one person to death and five others to life imprisonment on Wednesday for lynching a student accused of blasphemy, a crime which sent shockwaves through the conservative Muslim country.

Mashal Khan, 23, was stripped, beaten and shot by a gang made up mostly of students last April before being thrown from the second floor of his dormitory at Abdul Wali Khan University in the northwestern city of Mardan.

&quot;One of the accused has been awarded a death sentence, (five) were given life imprisonment while 26 have been acquitted,&quot; Saad Abbasi, a defence lawyer, said at the prison where the verdict was announced.

An additional 25 were given three-year sentences, he added, saying he planned to file an appeal against the decision.

The court sentenced Imran Sultan Mohammad to death over his role in shooting Khan during the lynching, a crime he confessed to earlier.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Ahead of the verdict, heavy security was enforced at the jail in the city of Haripur where the accused were detained, with the area cordoned off by police and elite commandos.&nbsp;

The proceedings were held in an anti-terrorism court inside the jail for security reasons.&nbsp;

Around 100 relatives of the accused students waited outside the prison walls as news of the verdict trickled out.

&quot;A day will come that the judge will answer the God. The verdict he has announced is unjust,&quot; said Waheedullah, whose son was given a three-year sentence.

The brutality of the attack, which was recorded on mobile phone cameras and posted online, stunned the public and led to widespread condemnation -- including from prominent Islamic clerics. Protests erupted in several cities.

Students who took part were rounded up after being identified through CCTV footage from the university and video clips.

An official report released months later concluded Khan was falsely accused, saying the murder was instigated by members of a secular student group who felt threatened by Khan&#39;s growing prominence as a critic of rising fees and of alleged corruption at the university.

Blasphemy is an enormously sensitive charge in Pakistan and a criminal offence that can carry the death penalty.

While the state has never executed anyone under blasphemy laws, mere allegations have prompted mob lynchings and lesser violence.&nbsp;

Since 1990 vigilantes have been accused of murdering 65 people tied to blasphemy, according to research compiled by the Center for Research and Security Studies.

A Pakistani court sentenced one person to death and five others to life imprisonment on Wednesday for lynching a student accused of blasphemy, a crime which sent shockwaves through the conservative Muslim country

A Pakistani court sentenced one person to death and five others to life imprisonment on Wednesday for lynching a student accused of blasphemy, a crime which sent shockwaves through the conservative Muslim country. Mashal Khan, 23, was stripped, beaten and shot by a gang made up mostly of students last April before being thrown from the second floor of his dormitory at Abdul Wali Khan University in the northwestern city of Mardan. "One of the accused has been awarded a death sentence, (five) were given life imprisonment while 26 have been acquitted," Saad Abbasi, a defence lawyer, said at the prison where the verdict was announced. An additional 25 were given three-year sentences, he added, saying he planned to file an appeal against the decision. The court sentenced Imran Sultan Mohammad to death over his role in shooting Khan during the lynching, a crime he confessed to earlier. Ahead of the verdict, heavy security was enforced at the jail in the city of Haripur where the accused were detained, with the area cordoned off by police and elite commandos. The proceedings were held in an anti-terrorism court inside the jail for security reasons. Around 100 relatives of the accused students waited outside the prison walls as news of the verdict trickled out. "A day will come that the judge will answer the God. The verdict he has announced is unjust," said Waheedullah, whose son was given a three-year sentence. The brutality of the attack, which was recorded on mobile phone cameras and posted online, stunned the public and led to widespread condemnation -- including from prominent Islamic clerics. Protests erupted in several cities. Students who took part were rounded up after being identified through CCTV footage from the university and video clips. An official report released months later concluded Khan was falsely accused, saying the murder was instigated by members of a secular student group who felt threatened by Khan's growing prominence as a critic of rising fees and of alleged corruption at the university. Blasphemy is an enormously sensitive charge in Pakistan and a criminal offence that can carry the death penalty. While the state has never executed anyone under blasphemy laws, mere allegations have prompted mob lynchings and lesser violence. Since 1990 vigilantes have been accused of murdering 65 people tied to blasphemy, according to research compiled by the Center for Research and Security Studies.

Pakistan court hands out death sentence over blasphemy lynching

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-moves-bill-to-end-non-defence-aid-to-pakistan-32055">US House of Representatives moves bill to end &#39;non-defence aid&#39; to Pakistan</a>

The bill seeks to divert the money for infrastructure projects in the United States.

&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/two-killed-over-200-injured-in-64-magnitude-taiwan-earthquake-32045">2 killed, over 200 injured in 6.4-magnitude Taiwan earthquake</a>

A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck near the coastal city of Hualien in Taiwan late on Tuesday, the US Geological Survey&nbsp;said. 
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<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/worlds-biggest-rocket-spacexs-falcon-heavy-soars-toward-mars-after-perfect-launch-32050">SpaceX sends a sports car into space with world&#39;s most powerful rocket</a>

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A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck near the coastal city of Hualien in Taiwan late on Tuesday, the US Geological Survey said.

US House of Representatives moves bill to end 'non-defence aid' to Pakistan The bill seeks to divert the money for infrastructure projects in the United States. 2 killed, over 200 injured in 6.4-magnitude Taiwan earthquake A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck near the coastal city of Hualien in Taiwan late on Tuesday, the US Geological Survey said. SpaceX sends a sports car into space with world's most powerful rocket The world's most powerful rocket, SpaceX's Falcon Heavy, roared into space through clear blue skies in its debut test flight on Tuesday. Trump tells Pentagon to plan military parade US President Donald Trump has asked for a military parade to showcase American muscle and underscore his role as commander-in-chief. Prepping for 'No More Tours 2' in spring, Ozzy Osbourne says 'I'm not retiring Black Sabbath star Ozzy Osbourne will kickstart last tour of his life this spring but will continue performing gigs around the world, he confirmed.

WION Morning News brief, February 7, 2018

The US House of Representatives<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-is-the-centre-of-the-taliban-says-afghan-president-ashraf-ghani-31620"> moved a bill to end &quot;non-defence aid&quot; to </a>Pakistan. The bill seeks to divert the money for infrastructure projects in the United States.

President Trump has <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/protest-in-kabul-as-afghan-officials-press-pakistan-over-attacks-31477">repeatedly warned Pakistan about </a>stopping aid and lashed out at the government for not doing enough to stop terrorists operating on its soil.

The bill introduced by Congressmen Mark Sanford from South Carolina and Thomas Massie from Kentucky seeks to prohibit the US State Department and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) from sending American taxpayer money to Pakistan.

&ldquo;When the American people support other nations, our generosity shouldn&rsquo;t be used to reward terrorists with US taxpayer dollars,&rdquo; Sanford said while presenting the bill.

Last month the US had suspended security assistance to Pakistan for failing to take &quot;decisive action&quot; against Taliban.

President Trump had earlier said the US has &quot;foolishly&quot; spent $33 billion in aid in the last 15 years and &quot;got nothing but lies &amp; deceit&quot; in return. &nbsp;

Foreign minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif had earlier said Pakistan is better off without the US aid while addressing the Senate Standing Committee on Finance in Pakistan.

&ldquo;Let&rsquo;s bring that money home and use it to help rebuild our infrastructure instead of giving it to a nation that persecutes Christians and imprisons people such as the doctor that helped us get Osama bin Laden,&rdquo; Senator Paul said.

President Trump has repeatedly warned Pakistan about stopping aid and lashed out at the government for not doing enough to stop terrorists operating on its soil.

The US House of Representatives moved a bill to end "non-defence aid" to Pakistan. The bill seeks to divert the money for infrastructure projects in the United States. President Trump has repeatedly warned Pakistan about stopping aid and lashed out at the government for not doing enough to stop terrorists operating on its soil. The bill introduced by Congressmen Mark Sanford from South Carolina and Thomas Massie from Kentucky seeks to prohibit the US State Department and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) from sending American taxpayer money to Pakistan. “When the American people support other nations, our generosity shouldn’t be used to reward terrorists with US taxpayer dollars,” Sanford said while presenting the bill. Last month the US had suspended security assistance to Pakistan for failing to take "decisive action" against Taliban. President Trump had earlier said the US has "foolishly" spent $33 billion in aid in the last 15 years and "got nothing but lies & deceit" in return. Foreign minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif had earlier said Pakistan is better off without the US aid while addressing the Senate Standing Committee on Finance in Pakistan. “Let’s bring that money home and use it to help rebuild our infrastructure instead of giving it to a nation that persecutes Christians and imprisons people such as the doctor that helped us get Osama bin Laden,” Senator Paul said.

US House of Representatives moves bill to end 'non-defence aid' to Pakistan

The US needs to encourage India and Pakistan to address their tensions in order to reduce the risk of a nuclear war, a top Pentagon official told lawmakers today while seeking to restrain Pakistan&#39;s nuclear programme.

Assistant Secretary of Defence for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs Randall Schriver stressed that the US must see a change in Pakistan&#39;s behaviour in the areas of greatest concern to America.

&quot;America&#39;s interests are clear: we must stop the resurgence of safe havens that enable terrorists to threaten America, we must encourage restraint in Pakistan&#39;s nuclear weapons programme and prevent nuclear weapons and materials from falling into the hands of terrorists,&quot; Schriver said.

&quot;We must also encourage India and Pakistan to address tensions, in order to reduce the risk of nuclear war,&quot; he said during a Congressional hearing on Afghanistan held by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Schriver said during Defence Secretary Jim Mattis&#39;s first trip to Pakistan in December, he engaged directly with Pakistan&#39;s Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa on the objectives of the South Asia Strategy.

Mattis underscored that the US appreciated Pakistan&#39;s significant sacrifices in the war against terrorism and that Pakistan can play a vital role in working with America and others to facilitate a peace process in Afghanistan.

&quot;Since the announcement of the South Asia Strategy in August, Pakistan has taken some positive steps. The steps to date, however, do not reflect the type of decisive action that is necessary to restore regional stability,&quot; he said.

He said the Defence Department will continue to press Pakistan to make positive changes in its approach and will provide clear and consistent feedback in response to Islamabad&#39;s action or inaction. 
The department of defence wants to ensure that Pakistan has a &quot;bridge back&quot; to enhanced cooperation if it takes decisive action on US requests, the official said.

Schriver said the new South Asia strategy focused primarily on the challenges in Afghanistan and Pakistan but recognises that addressing these challenges effectively requires a broader regional approach. 
It seeks to discourage hedging behaviour by regional states, puts pressure on the Taliban to join a peace process, and emphasises the importance of regional cooperation to reduce the threat of terrorism and nuclear conflict, he said.

&quot;We are in Afghanistan to make America safer, to protect our citizens, and to ensure that Afghanistan and Pakistan do not serve as safe havens from which terrorists can support and launch attacks against our homeland, American citizens, and our allies. Now, more than ever, the US&#39; vision and leadership must remain clear and steady,&quot; Schriver said.

He said the strategy sought to deliver greater stability in the region by focusing on the region as a whole and shifting from a time-based approach to one based on conditions on the ground in Afghanistan.

&quot;It is important that we send a strong message to all actors that the United States remains committed to the continued development of the Afghan security forces, and that we are focused on promoting a political settlement that protects the interests of the US, Afghanistan, and our international partners,&quot; the top Pentagon official said.

Randall Schriver stressed that the US must see a change in Pakistan's behaviour in the areas of greatest concern to America

The US needs to encourage India and Pakistan to address their tensions in order to reduce the risk of a nuclear war, a top Pentagon official told lawmakers today while seeking to restrain Pakistan's nuclear programme. Assistant Secretary of Defence for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs Randall Schriver stressed that the US must see a change in Pakistan's behaviour in the areas of greatest concern to America. "America's interests are clear: we must stop the resurgence of safe havens that enable terrorists to threaten America, we must encourage restraint in Pakistan's nuclear weapons programme and prevent nuclear weapons and materials from falling into the hands of terrorists," Schriver said. "We must also encourage India and Pakistan to address tensions, in order to reduce the risk of nuclear war," he said during a Congressional hearing on Afghanistan held by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Schriver said during Defence Secretary Jim Mattis's first trip to Pakistan in December, he engaged directly with Pakistan's Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa on the objectives of the South Asia Strategy. Mattis underscored that the US appreciated Pakistan's significant sacrifices in the war against terrorism and that Pakistan can play a vital role in working with America and others to facilitate a peace process in Afghanistan. "Since the announcement of the South Asia Strategy in August, Pakistan has taken some positive steps. The steps to date, however, do not reflect the type of decisive action that is necessary to restore regional stability," he said. He said the Defence Department will continue to press Pakistan to make positive changes in its approach and will provide clear and consistent feedback in response to Islamabad's action or inaction. The department of defence wants to ensure that Pakistan has a "bridge back" to enhanced cooperation if it takes decisive action on US requests, the official said. Schriver said the new South Asia strategy focused primarily on the challenges in Afghanistan and Pakistan but recognises that addressing these challenges effectively requires a broader regional approach. It seeks to discourage hedging behaviour by regional states, puts pressure on the Taliban to join a peace process, and emphasises the importance of regional cooperation to reduce the threat of terrorism and nuclear conflict, he said. "We are in Afghanistan to make America safer, to protect our citizens, and to ensure that Afghanistan and Pakistan do not serve as safe havens from which terrorists can support and launch attacks against our homeland, American citizens, and our allies. Now, more than ever, the US' vision and leadership must remain clear and steady," Schriver said. He said the strategy sought to deliver greater stability in the region by focusing on the region as a whole and shifting from a time-based approach to one based on conditions on the ground in Afghanistan. "It is important that we send a strong message to all actors that the United States remains committed to the continued development of the Afghan security forces, and that we are focused on promoting a political settlement that protects the interests of the US, Afghanistan, and our international partners," the top Pentagon official said.

US must encourage India, Pakistan to address tensions: Official

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