Kiyya Qadir Baloch Islamabad: Hunger strike of Dera Bugti affectees is continuing for the last four days outside Al-Shifa international hospital for getting the dead body of their one fellow, who died on July 3 in the same hospital but the administration refused to hand over the dead body to Dera Bugti affectees which may lead them to hold guns again as the government seems … [Read more...]
Balochistan government to face enormous challenges
Kiyya Qadir Baloch Islamabad- As Dr. Abdul Malik Baloch, A medical doctor by profession, belonging to a middle-class and educated family of Kech completed seven days of his government has to face enormous challenges from militants and power holder from Rawalpindi. People viewed the recent Quetta bombing and attack on Quaid-I-Azam residency in Ziarat as a part of a … [Read more...]
International Arms Trade Treaty and the West
Jameel-ur-Rehman Baloch The West celebrates the milestone signing of the International Arms Trade Treaty, the one which keeps the major powers baffled, US is restrained from singing in order to wait and vigilantly watch the developments that how the world reacts to the treaty whilst China and Russia seem to stay in a denial mode indefinitely. Yet, the signatories, almost 1/3 … [Read more...]
TAT Rail – A Photo Essay
Ashgabat, 7 June 2013 (nCa) --- Just some photos of the launching ceremony of TAT Rail at Atamurat on 5 June 2013: … [Read more...]
Urdu article by General Aslam Beg
PML N mulls over option for nominating Balochistan’s CM
Kiyya Qadir Baloch Islamabad --- Having been completely victorious party in center, the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML N) has emerged as the majority party in the war torn province of Balochistan too where according to official results it had got 9 seats out of 51 whereas the party has ballooned to 15 MPAs after six independent members joined its rank. Pukhtunkhwa Milli … [Read more...]
Time for a diplomatic fight back
Jameel-ur-Rehman Baloch Nawaz Sharif’s exchange of dialogue with his Chinese counterpart who is on his latest visit to Pakistan over extending a helping hand in proliferating Civil Nuclear Technology is a judicious move in the right direction; something which if executed will rehabilitate the persisting energy crunch of Pakistan. Yes, an unqualified Chinese assistance is … [Read more...]
Journalists’ tragedy in Pakistani Balochistan
Kiyya Qadir Baloch Balochistan, territorially the largest province of Pakistan, has become a hotbed of insurgency, sectarian linked killings, acts of kidnapping for ransom, tribal feuds and numerous other issues, which require vigilant reporting and communication to the world. The journalists in Balochistan have been performing their duties with utmost honesty and sometimes … [Read more...]
The Landmark Elections 2013
General Mirza Aslam Beg The verdict of 11th May 2013, by the Pakistani voters, has demolished several myths, establishing new realities which promise a brighter future for Pakistan, emerging from the depths of sorrow and sacrifices of decades and the sufferings at the hands of a corrupt and incompetent government, which almost shook the very foundation of the country. The myth … [Read more...]
Musharraff was sent to Pakistan under a plan – Urdu article by General Aslam Beg
General Aslam Beg is one of the most authoritative analysts in Pakistan. He can be reached at friendsfoundation@live.co.uk … [Read more...]
Obama’s Global Zero Campaign
"Now is the time for a strong international response, and North Korea must know that the path to security and respect will never come through threats and illegal weapons." -- Barack Obama, current US president Jameel-ur-Rehman Baloch I wonder if Obama holds the legitimate authority to issue certificates of legality over keeping nukes. Patronizing the states with Allied bonds … [Read more...]
Branding Musharraf’s Submission To Drones As A Misunderstanding, Instead of A Double-Cross
Peter Chamberlin With a welcome return of their last military dictator, the politicians of Pakistan are playing the roles assigned them, helping the CIA reform its corrupt image and the Pakistani people to forget all of their own Establishment’s previous lies. The “Islamist” politicians, along with all of the co-opted religious and secular wannabes, are all singing the … [Read more...]
Collective political will of participants bolsters TAPI
This report was recently published in our paid-subscription publication. It is now being made available for the wider audience. Ed. Collective political will of participants bolsters TAPI Ashgabat, 22 March 2013 (nCa) --- The presidents of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan, in separate statements on 20 March, expressed strong support for TAPI, the pipeline project that … [Read more...]
Коллективная политическая воля участников ТАПИ укрепляет проект
This report was recently published in our paid-subscription publication. It is now being made available for the wider audience. Ed. Коллективная политическая воля участников ТАПИ укрепляет проект Ашгабат, 22 марта 2013 года (nCa) --- Президенты Туркменистана, Афганистана и Пакистана, в отдельных заявлениях 20 марта выразили решительную поддержку проекту газопровода ТАПИ, … [Read more...]
The Name of the Game!!
General Mirza Aslam Beg, Former Chief of Army Staff, Pakistan Dr. Tahirul Qadri’s Long March started from Lahore on 13th January 2013, challenging the “most corrupt government and the equally corrupt opposition” but ultimately it fell into the lap of those very people, he had been calling ‘Yazidis’, after signing the peace accord on 17th January. This declaration was … [Read more...]
From FMCT to FMRT
Jameel-ur-Rehman Baloch The post world war II scenario has envisaged collective security and regionalism, both demonstrate the complete fallacy of the cliché that the world could possibly be free of all kinds of weapons in general, nuclear weapons in particular. Debates within the country and abroad have resumed concerning that will Pakistan succumb to the foreign pressure … [Read more...]
“Devising A Robust Defence Policy” – SSCD
General Mirza Aslam Beg, Former Chief of Army Staff, Pakistan The Senate Standing Committee on Defence (SSCD) is presently engaged in “devising a robust defense policy, aimed at making policy guidelines for the parliamentarians”, with three objectives in mind. One, to review current issues pertaining to defense; Two, to determine mandatory changes to the defense policy, Three, … [Read more...]
Time to Correct our Political Aberrations
General Mirza Aslam Beg, Former Chief of Army Staff, Pakistan March 1979, General Ziaul Haque directed his Corps Commanders to ascertain the likely reaction of the officers and the troops, if Bhutto was hanged, as per Supreme Court’s verdict. I was commanding 14 Division at Okara and was called for the meeting at Multan. Giving my views on the subject, I said: “Hanging of … [Read more...]
Candid conversation with Pakistani minister of state for foreign affairs
Tariq Saeedi Ashgabat 13 May 2012 (nCa) --- His embossed visiting card says Nawabzada Malik Amad Khan but when we sat down for a conversation Saturday in Ashgabat, it was only Amad who spoke – candid, warm and very well informed. Amad, as minister of state for foreign affairs, is one of the youngest ministers in the Pakistani cabinet. His views on some regional issues are … [Read more...]
Pakistan fully committed to both Turkmenistan and Iran gas pipelines
Ashgabat, 13 May 2012 (nCa) --- Pakistan is fully committed to both Turkmenistan and Iran gas pipeline projects, said Nawabzada Malik Amad Khan, the minister of state for foreign affairs of Pakistan in an exclusive conversation Saturday with nCa in Ashgabat. This dispels the impression that Pakistan could be pursuing an either-or approach on its major gas import … [Read more...]
Truth shall Prevail
Dr. S.M. Rahman It was interesting to read General Aslam Beg’s article titled “Say No To It”. In very simple words he has described the conduct of the Army Generals, who imposed military rule; those who directly intervened, but did not take-over, and those, who resisted the temptation to intervene and allowed democracy to follow its due course. In this context, he has … [Read more...]
Say ‘No’ to It
General Mirza Aslam Beg, Former Chief of Army Staff, Pakistan It is indeed very difficult to say ‘No’ to temptation, because the truth is what the famous American Comedian, Bob Hope addressing a young lady, admitted: “I can stand anything but temptation.” This is the kind of phenomenon we have experienced and suffered, during the last fifty years of our checkered history of … [Read more...]
Mustaqbil Pakistan: Detoxifying politics, promoting micro patriotism, rewriting social contract
[Editor’s note: Mustaqbil Pakistan (MP) is a new political party with fast expanding grassroots presence in the country. The party, composed mostly of successful professionals in a broad array of disciplines, aims to detoxify the political scene of Pakistan by inducing transition from personalities to issues. It is also following a relatively fresh approach by promoting … [Read more...]
Pakistan absolutely crucial regional player: Afghanistan
Ashgabat, 20 April 2012 (nCa) --- “Pakistan is absolutely crucial player at the regional level,” said Jawed Ludin, the deputy foreign minister of Afghanistan. In a conversation Wednesday with nCa, Ludin spoke optimistically about the bilateral and multilateral interaction between Afghanistan and Pakistan. He expressed hope that ‘challenges of confidence’ would be a thing of … [Read more...]
Challenges and Response
General Mirza Aslam Beg, Former Chief of Army Staff, Pakistan It is a day of reckoning for us, to recollect the failings of the past, and to carve-out a new destiny for the nation. No doubt Pakistan has faced serious challenges to its security, mainly due to foreign aggression in the region and our collusion with them. Having come full circle now, Pakistan is moving on the … [Read more...]
Indian Supreme Court Orders Establishing Indian Water Hegemony
General Mirza Aslam Beg, Former Chief of Army Staff, Pakistan India’s Supreme Court on 27 February 2012, ordered the government to implement the2002 project to link major rivers in India ‘in a time-bound manner’. The over $100 billion project will link around 30 rivers, to ensure flood control and equitable distribution of water by efficient transfer of water from surplus to … [Read more...]
OMV successfully closes acquisition of Petronas Carigali (Pakistan) Ltd
► Purchase of the entire share capital of Petronas Carigali (Pakistan) Ltd, which is Petronas’ Exploration and Production (E&P) operating entity in Pakistan: The transaction was successfully completed as of July 11, 2011 ► Strong growth potential of the acquired portfolio will contribute towards the anticipated production increase in Pakistan to about 25,000 boe/d by … [Read more...]
Estimated cost of post-9/11 wars: 225,000 lives, up to $4 trillion
The cost of wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan are estimated at 225,000 lives and up to $4 trillion in U.S. spending, in a new report by scholars with the Eisenhower Research Project at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International Studies. The group’s “Costs of War” project has released new figures for a range of human and economic costs associated with the … [Read more...]
Murder Most Foul
Tariq Saeedi It was a bloody Sunday in May 2007. I was sitting in a second floor apartment balcony, overlooking the Sharea Faisal where it meets the Karachi airport road. The night had been full of activity, armed gangs snatching buses and trucks to use as roadblock. The government, through its organized and armed thugs, was preparing to show Iftikhar Chaudhry, the illegally … [Read more...]
“Pak-US Relations at a Critical Point” – Hillary Clinton
General Mirza Aslam Beg, Former Chief of Army Staff, Pakistan Threat to our national security increased with the occupation of Afghanistan in 2001, and has reached dangerous proportions now, as the defeated forces are seeking the support of “a compliant regime and a military dictator in Pakistan, to provide the fall back position in Pakistan and a guarantee for safe exit from … [Read more...]