Radio Pakistan

Govt taking concrete steps to enhance exports volume; Senate informed

http://www.radio.gov.pk/31-01-2019/govt-taking-concrete-steps-to-enhance-exports-volume-senate-informed

The Senate was informed today that government is taking concrete steps to take the economy on the right path by enhancing exports of the country.

This was stated by the Minister of State for Revenue Hammad Azhar while responding to a call attention notice, moved by Sherry Rehman in the House today.

He expressed the confidence that increase in export and decrease in imports will be witnessed in January’s statistics.

He also said current account and trade deficit will be reduced due to prudent policies of the government.

Hammad Azhar said circular debt increased from 400 to 1400 billion rupees in the time of previous government.

He said PTI government has inherited an economy which has highest fiscal deficit in the history of the country.

The Minister of State said domestic and external borrowing was marginally less as compare to the last year.

Senate Standing Committee on Interior presented interim report regarding Sahiwal incident in which four people were killed by Counter Terrorism Department.

The report recommended for the improvement in the Criminal Justice System and proposals to avoid recurrence of any such incident in future.

It also recommended to propose a welfare plan for the children of the victim family.

Behramand Tangi said this reform package has nothing for the poor. He said government has failed to provide relief to the masses of the country. He said incumbent government is responsible for the worst condition of economy.

Sitara Ayaz said government should take responsibility and unfold its strategies instead of criticizing the previous governments. She said government is least bothered to take suggestions from the opposition.

Participating in the discussion Seemi Ezdi said this government inherited import and export gap, sick units, trade deficit, current account deficit and worst condition of the stock market. She said this reform package has provided relief to the poor class. She said monthly stipend of rupees 6300 has also been announced for widows. She said this package has discouraged the money laundering, hundi and hawala. She asked for cooperation from government.

Talha Mahmood said this reform package has facilitated the industry and business. He said dollar depreciation will not help to increase export. He said government has not taken concrete steps to promote tourism.

Radio Pakistan

Naval Chief expresses confidence over operational preparedness of Pakistan Navy

Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi has expressed confidence over operational preparedness of Pakistan Navy to cope with all security challenges.

He was chairing a meeting of Command and Staff Conference of Pakistan Navy, which concluded at Ormara on Thursday.

The Naval Chief also reiterated that Pakistan Navy will continue to play a significant role in sustenance of peace and stability in the Indian Ocean region in the midst of complex, challenging and evolving contemporary security environment.

Matters related to operational preparedness, developmental plans of Pakistan Navy, prevailing security situation and training & welfare of troops were reviewed during the conference.

Detailed briefing on various ongoing and future projects and plans of Pakistan Navy as well as operational activities and security aspects at Gwadar Port particularly with respect to Maritime Components of CPEC Project were also given to Chief of the Naval Staff.

The Naval Chief urged the field commanders to remain at the highest state of preparedness and maintain a constant vigil in their area of responsibility.

Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi directed field commanders to make concerted efforts for successful conduct of Multinational Maritime Exercise AMAN-19 which is testimony of confidence in Pakistan by regional and extra regional countries.

It is to be noted that Command & Staff Conference is the apex decision making body of Pakistan Navy in which all Chiefs of Staff, Principal Staff Officers and Field Commanders undertake strategic review of Pakistan Navy's Policies and Plans. http://www.radio.gov.pk/31-01-2019/naval-chief-expresses-confidence-over-operational-preparedness-of-pakistan-navy

Radio Pakistan

Pakistan conducts another successful launch of ballistic missile "Nasr"

http://www.radio.gov.pk/31-01-2019/pakistan-conducted-successful-launch-of-short-range-surface-to-surface-ballistic-missile-nasr

Pakistan today conducted another successful launch of short range surface to surface ballistic missile "Nasr" as part of Army Strategic Forces Command training exercise which included quad salvo on 24 January and single shots on 28 & 31 January 2019.

The 2nd phase of this exercise was aimed at testing the extreme inflight maneuverability, including the end flight maneuverability; capable of defeating, by assured penetration, any currently available BMD system in our neighborhood or any other system under procurement / development.

The launch was witnessed by General Zubair Mahmood Hayat, Chairman JCS Committee, Director General Strategic Plans Division, Commander Army Strategic Forces Command, Chairman NESCOM, senior officers from the Army Strategic Forces Command, scientists and engineers of strategic organizations.

Chairman JCS Committee appreciated the participating troops, scientists and engineers on achieving yet another milestone of national significance towards Pakistan's strategic deterrence capability. He praised the professional attributes and dedicated efforts of all concerned which made possible the successful launch of Weapon System.

President and Prime Minister of Pakistan alongwith Services Chiefs have congratulated the scientists, engineers and the participating troops on their outstanding achievement.

Radio Pakistan

FM Qureshi urges Omani investors to invest in Pakistan




http://www.radio.gov.pk/31-01-2019/fm-urges-omani-investors-to-invest-in-pakistan




Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has urged Omani investors to invest in Pakistan and take advantage of business friendly environment.

In a joint statement issued after 7th Joint Ministerial Commission session in Muscat today (Thursday), he said Pakistan is fully capable to fulfill Omani market's need in garments, pharmaceutical, engineering, agricultural and defence production.

The Minister welcomed the decision taken by the commission to convene a joint business council meeting this year.  He said the meeting will provide an opportunity to the business community of both the countries to learn from each other's experiences.

Shasta.Pk

National Press Club boycotts Geo, Samaa, Express and Bol News during Fawad Ch's Press Conference

https://www.siasat.pk/forums/threads/national-press-club-boycotts-geo-samaa-express-and-bol-news-during-fawad-chs-press-conference.673022/

The New york Time

On Mueller Report, Trump Says He’ll Let Justice Dept. Decide Whether to Release It

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/31/us/politics/trump-special-counsel-report.html#click=https://t.co/0Adpe5plwN

Al-Arabia English

British lawmakers instruct May to demand EU reopen Brexit deal; EU says ‘No’

https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2019/01/30/UK-MPs-backs-amendment-urging-government-to-rule-out-no-deal-Brexit.html

British lawmakers on Tuesday instructed Prime Minister Theresa May to demand that Brussels replace the Irish border arrangement known as the “backstop”, in a last-ditch attempt to renegotiate an exit treaty that the European Union says it will not change.

The amendment, put forward by influential Conservative lawmaker Graham Brady, passed by 317 votes to 301, and is intended to strengthen May’s hand when she returns to Brussels to try to renegotiate - something the EU again ruled out within minutes of the vote.

With two months left until Britain is due by law to leave the EU, investors and allies have urged the British government to clinch a deal to allow an orderly exit from the club it joined in 1973.

“Tonight, a majority of honorable members have said they would support a deal with changes to the backstop, May said, only two weeks after her divorce deal was crushed in the biggest parliamentary defeat in modern British history.

“It is now clear that there is a route that can secure a substantial and sustainable majority in the house for leaving the EU with a deal,” May said, adding she would seek “legally binding changes”.

The amendment calls for the backstop to be replaced with unspecified “alternative arrangements” to avoid the reintroduction of border checks in Ireland, and says parliament would support May’s Brexit deal if this change were made.

However, Brussels has repeatedly said it does not want to reopen the treaty, which has been signed off by the other 27 EU leaders, and has said the “backstop” is needed as a guarantee to ensure there can be no return to a hard border between Ireland and the British province of Northern Ireland.

Not up for negotiation, says Tusk 

Speaking immediately after the vote in the British parliament, a spokesman for European Council President Donald Tusk said the backstop was part of the withdrawal deal and was not up for negotiation.

Lawmakers rejected two amendments setting out a path for parliament to prevent a no-deal exit if May cannot get a deal passed next month. However, they did later approve a symbolic proposal calling on the government to stop a potentially disorderly no-deal exit.

The so-called Spelman amendment, passed by 318 votes to 310, “rejects the United Kingdom leaving the European Union without a Withdrawal Agreement and a Framework for the Future Relationship”.

It sends a signal that parliament as a whole opposes leaving the EU without a negotiated agreement, which will happen by default on March 29 if no alternative is agreed, but does not compel the government to prevent such a departure or provide a mechanism for doing so.

Sterling, which recently hit a 2-1/2-month high of $1.3218 on hopes that a no-deal Brexit would be avoided, fell about 0.7 percent after lawmakers voted down efforts to prevent a no-deal exit.

Opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said he would meet May to “find a sensible Brexit solution that works for the whole country”, listing changes that Labour wanted to see.

Al-Arabia English

Saudi Arabia suspends 126 local government employees on corruption charges

https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2019/01/30/Saudi-Arabia-suspends-126-local-government-employees-on-corruption-charges.html

Saudi Arabia said on Tuesday it had suspended 126 local government employees at municipalities across the kingdom on corruption charges.

“They are charged with involvement in a number of cases including financial and managerial corruption, abuse of power as well as other legal and criminal violations,” the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs said on Twitter.

Saudi authorities rounded up dozens of people in November 2017 on Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s orders amid a crackdown on corruption, with many confined and interrogated at Riyadh’s Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

Most of them, including global investor Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, were released after being exonerated or reaching financial settlements with the government.

Last year, King Salman ordered the establishment of specialized departments in the public prosecutor’s office in order to accelerate the investigation and prosecution of corruption cases.

The public prosecutor said then that the campaign would work its way through lower-level offences.

Al-Arabia English

US says ISIS to lose last bits of Syria territory ‘in weeks’

https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2019/01/30/US-says-ISIS-to-lose-last-bits-of-Syria-territory-in-weeks-.html

ISIS is expected to lose its final bits of territory in Syria to US-backed forces within a couple of weeks, acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said on Tuesday, even as US intelligence assessed that the militant group would still pose a threat to the United States.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, which have been backed by 2,000 US troops and air support, are preparing for a final showdown with ISIS in eastern Syria after helping drive the fighters from the towns and cities that once formed the group’s self-proclaimed caliphate.

ISIS fighters in eastern Syria are pinned down in a tiny pocket with their wives and children, forcing a US-backed militia to slow its advance to protect civilians, the militia said on Tuesday.

“I’d say 99.5 percent plus of the ISIS-controlled territory has been returned to the Syrians. Within a couple of weeks, it’ll be 100 percent,” Shanahan told reporters at the Pentagon.

Last month, US President Donald Trump declared that ISIS had been defeated and announced the abrupt withdrawal of American troops in Syria, over the objections of top advisers, including Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who quit in protest.

Critics say a US withdrawal could allow ISIS to regroup, and also unleash a threatened offensive by Turkey against Kurdish elements within the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which Ankara believes is an extension of the PKK militant group waging an insurgency on Turkish soil.

The annual Worldwide Threat Assessment from the Directorate of National Intelligence (DNI), released on Tuesday, contradicted assertions by Trump and other top administration officials that ISIS had been defeated in Syria and Iraq, saying the group still commanded thousands of fighters and posed a long-term threat to both countries.

‘Continued terrorism threat’

During a congressional hearing on Tuesday, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said ISIS and other militant groups would remain active for years around the world.

“ISIS will continue to be a threat to the United States,” he said. “This terrorism threat is going to continue for some time.”

The SDF has vowed to escalate its operations against ISIS this month after a bomb attack killed several people, including two US soldiers in northern Syria. SDF officials have warned of an ISIS revival if Washington withdraws.

“ISIS is no longer able to govern in Syria, ISIS no longer has freedom to mass forces, Syria is no longer a safe haven,” Shanahan said.

He said the withdrawal was in its early stages. While the Pentagon has declined to set a timeline for the withdrawal, officials have estimated it could be complete by the end of March.

Earlier this month, the US-led coalition battling ISIS added to confusion surrounding the American withdrawal from Syria by saying it had started the pullout process, but officials later clarified that only equipment - not troops - was being withdrawn.

The State Department said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would be holding a day of meetings next week in Washington with foreign ministers from the coalition fighting ISIS.

“Ministers will discuss the next phase of the campaign in Iraq and Syria, which will focus on protecting against a resurgence of ISIS through stabilization and security assistance,” a statement said. It added that they would also discuss the next steps in degrading ISIS’s global networks outside of Iraq and Syria.

The Economic

America and the Taliban are edging towards a peace deal

https://amp.economist.com/asia/2019/01/29/america-and-the-taliban-are-edging-towards-a-peace-deal#click=https://t.co/BwwNpM9oja

COULD THERE be a ray of hope for Afghanistan? After 17 years of fighting, America and the Taliban may be ready to lay down their arms. The adversaries have agreed in principle on a framework for ending their war in Afghanistan, says Zalmay Khalilzad, America’s point-man on the country.

The agreement was forged in talks in Qatar that were originally scheduled to last two days but ended up extended to six. It envisages America withdrawing troops in return for assurances that Afghanistan will never again become a haven for international terrorists. America also wants a ceasefire and for the Taliban to start negotiating with the Afghan government—something they have consistently refused to do until now.

Osama bin Laden was living in Afghanistan when he plotted the 9/11 attacks on America. It was to overthrow his Taliban protectors and to search for him that America first dispatched troops to the country in 2001. Part of their mission ever since has been to hunt for terrorists. The other part—helping to build a stable democracy—has been justified on the grounds that Afghanistan may otherwise become a base for terrorists again.

Although in 2001 the Taliban invoked Afghan traditions of hospitality in their refusal to hand over bin Laden, for at least the past decade they have promised that Afghan soil will not be used to launch attacks on other countries. They not only repeated those assurances in Qatar, Mr Khalilzad says, but also agreed to provide guarantees and an enforcement mechanism—although no details of those have been revealed.

In exchange America seems to have acceded to the Taliban’s main demand: that it withdraw its troops from the country. For years the militants have said that the starting point for talks must be the end of what they call the American occupation. They do not believe America’s assurance that it does not want a permanent military presence in the country. An American pull-out now appears to be on the table, although, again, the timing and scale remain unclear.

The two other steps discussed in Qatar are a ceasefire and talks between the Taliban and the government of Ashraf Ghani, Afghanistan’s president. The Taliban have thus far refused a truce, except for three days last year during a Muslim holiday. This has been dictated both by uncompromising ideology and by pragmatism: commanders fear it may be difficult to motivate fighters again if they lay down their weapons for a long spell. Likewise, the Taliban have long refused to speak to the Afghan government, decrying it as nothing more than an American puppet.

Mr Khalilzad portrays all four main elements of the deal—the exclusion of international terrorists, an American withdrawal, a ceasefire and talks between the Taliban and the government—as an indivisible package. “Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed,” says Mr Khalilzad, “and ‘everything’ must include an intra-Afghan dialogue and comprehensive ceasefire.”

The Taliban are less clear. They have triumphantly briefed their supporters about the progress towards a withdrawal, but been more coy about the ceasefire and talks. American officials say the Taliban have requested more time to confer among themselves on these. The negotiators have gone home, to do just that. Talks will resume in February.

After years of gloom, any progress is welcome. Afghanistan’s war has claimed more than 24,000 civilian lives since 2009. Mr Ghani admitted at Davos last week that 45,000 members of his security forces had died since 2014. The war and a series of other conflicts that preceded it have blighted a beautiful country, making it one of the poorest in the world. The framework is “historic” says Graeme Smith of the International Crisis Group, a think-tank, “This is closer than we have ever been so far to some kind of settlement process.”

But the framework glosses over many of the thorniest issues and, despite the desire for peace, there are concerns about the motivations of the two sides. Donald Trump, Ame

TRT WORLD

US National Security agencies defy Trump on threats facing America

https://www.trtworld.com/americas/us-national-security-agencies-defy-trump-on-threats-facing-america-23723/amp

Directly contradicting President Donald Trump, U.S. intelligence agencies told Congress on Tuesday that North Korea is unlikely to dismantle its nuclear arsenal, that the Islamic State group remains a threat and that the Iran nuclear deal is working.

In this September 24, 2018, file photo, CIA Director Gina Haspel addresses the audience in Louisville, Kentucky. ( AP Archive )

The chiefs made no mention of a crisis at the U.S.-Mexican border for which Trump has considered declaring a national emergency.

Their analysis stands in sharp contrast to Trump's almost singular focus on security gaps at the border as the biggest threat facing the United States.

Top security officials including FBI Director Christopher Wray, CIA Director Gina Haspel and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats presented an update to the Senate intelligence committee on Tuesday on their annual assessment of global threats.

They warned of an increasingly diverse range of security dangers around the globe, from North Korean nuclear weapons to Chinese cyberespionage to Russian campaigns to undermine Western democracies.

Coats said intelligence information does not support the idea that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will eliminate his nuclear weapons and the capacity for building more — a notion that is the basis of the U.S. negotiating strategy.

"We currently assess that North Korea will seek to retain its WMD (weapons of mass destruction) capabilities and is unlikely to completely give up its nuclear weapons and production capability because its leaders ultimately view nuclear weapons as critical to regime survival," Coats told the committee.

Coats did note that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has expressed support for ridding the Korean Peninsula of nuclear weapons and over the past year has not test-fired a nuclear-capable missile or conducted a nuclear test.

The "Worldwide Threat Assessment" report on which Coats based his testimony said U.S. intelligence continues to "observe activity inconsistent with" full nuclear disarmament by the North. "In addition, North Korea has for years underscored its commitment to nuclear arms, including through an order in 2018 to mass-produce weapons and an earlier law — and constitutional change — affirming the country's nuclear status," it said.

The report said Kim's support at his June 2018 Singapore summit with Trump for "complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula" is a formulation linked to an end to American military deployments and exercises involving nuclear weapons.

Trump asserted after the Singapore summit that North Korea no longer poses a nuclear threat. However, Coats and other intelligence officials made clear they see it differently.

"The capabilities and threat that existed a year ago are still there," said Lt. Gen. Robert Ashley, the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency.

Plans for a follow-up Trump-Kim summit are in the works, but no agenda, venue or date has been announced.

More broadly, the intelligence report on which Coats and the heads of other intelligence agencies based their testimony predicted that security threats to the United States and its allies this year will expand and diversify, driven in part by China and Russia.

It says Moscow and Beijing are more aligned than at any other point since the mid-1950s and their global influence is rising even as U.S. relations with traditional allies are in flux.

"Some U.S. allies and partners are seeking greater independence from Washington in response to their perception of changing U.S. policies on security and trade," the report said, without providing examples or further explanation.

The report also said the Islamic State group "remains a terrorist and insurgent threat" inside Iraq, where the government faces "an increasingly disenchanted public."

The intelligence assessment, which is provided annually to Congress, made no mention of a crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border, which Trump has asserted as the basis for his 

TRT WORLD

US warns against 'harm' to Guaido – Venezuelan crisis




https://www.trtworld.com/americas/us-warns-against-harm-to-guaido-venezuelan-crisis-23571/amp#click=https://t.co/TvRFi3wTkZ



EU is calling for the country to hold fresh elections while the US has already recognised Venezuela's opposition leader, Juan Guaido, as the country's interim president.


Venezuelan opposition leader and self-proclaimed interim president Juan Guaido talks to the media before a session of the Venezuela’s National Assembly in Caracas. ( Reuters )
Tuesday, January 29

Ban on self-declared president  

Venezuela's Supreme Tribunal of Justice barred self-declared president Juan Guaido from leaving the country and froze his bank accounts on Tuesday.

The 35-year-old head of the National Assembly legislature "is prohibited from leaving the country until the end of the (preliminary) investigation" for having "caused harm to peace in the republic," high court president Maikel Moreno said.

The court is stacked with Maduro loyalists.

The move came after the State Department revealed that Guaido -the National Assembly head and the self-proclaimed interim president - has been handed control of Venezuela's US bank accounts.

White House warns against 'harm' to Guaido

US President Donald Trump's national security advisor warned of "serious consequences" if any harm comes to Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido.

"Let me reiterate – there will be serious consequences for those who attempt to subvert democracy and harm Guaido," Trump advisor John Bolton tweeted.

Bolton's warning followed a request by the Maduro government's attorney general for the Supreme Court to bar Guaido from leaving the country and to freeze his assets.

That followed the United States' decision to hand control of Venezuela's US bank accounts to Guaido, barring Maduro from accessing the funds.

Guaido said on Monday that the US maneuver would stop Maduro from emptying the "coffers" if he is removed from office.

Attorney general seeks Guaido probe

Venezuela's attorney general asked the Supreme Court to bar Juan Guaido, the self-proclaimed acting president and opposition leader, from leaving the country and to freeze his assets.

Tarek Saab said he had asked the court to open a preliminary investigation against Guaido, and to freeze the opposition leader's accounts.

Saab didn't specify what crimes Guaido is being investigated for. 

Defiant Maduro warns US: 'Hands off Venezuela'

A defiant President Nicolas Maduro warned US President Donald Trump to keep his ''hands off Venezuela.''

''And we should tell Donald Trump, don't mess with Venezuela: ''Hands off Venezuela, Donald Trump, hands off Venezuela, de immediately !'' Maduro said in broken English.

In a defiant national broadcast, Maduro said he would take legal action to challenge the US sanctions and defend Citgo Petroleum Corp, PDVSA's US refining subsidiary. He also pledged to retaliate, but did not announce any specific measures.

US, Venezuela envoys trade jibes at UN

Senior US and Venezuelan diplomats traded jibes at a UN-sponsored Conference on Disarmament, a day after the Trump administration imposed sanctions on the state-owned oil firm PDVSA in its toughest financial challenge yet to embattled President Nicolas Maduro.

Venezuela's ambassador Jorge Valero said that the Trump administration was preparing a "military invasion" of his country and questioned whether Washington had the moral authority to "impose a diktat" on Caracas.

Plath walked out of the conference during his comments, then returned.

Guido for amnesty to Maduro, army

Venezuela's self-declared interim president Juan Guaido said President Nicolas Maduro and the armed forces could be granted amnesty, in an interview with CNN.

He said the opposition can achieve a peaceful transition away from President Maduro and eventually free elections, Guaido said.

He also said he had spoken to US President Donald Trump a number of times and, when asked about possible military options in Venezuela, said all options were on the table.

Kremlin calls US sanctions illegal interference


The Kremlin said that US sanctions on Venezuela's state oil c

The News

Pak-Afghan border fencing to be completed in 2019: DG ISPR

https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/424372-pak-afghan-border-fencing-to-be-completed-in-2019-dg-ispr

GHULAM KHAN:  Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor Sunday said work on around 900-kilometre fence along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border had been completed, adding that the fence has  stopped  cross-border attacks.

Briefing a team of journalists and anchorpersons at Ghulam Khan, a bordering village in North Waziristan Agency, the military spokesperson  said the work on the erection of about 1200 km chunk was commenced last year, adding that  the fencing  would be completed during the current year.

He said about 1200 kms of the border lay in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa while the rest part of the total 2600 kms was in Balochistan.

In a separate interview with senior journalist and TV anchor Hamid Mir, DG ISPR  said that the fence has made it difficult  for terrorists to cross the border, adding that it will stop   cross-border terrorism and  uncontrolled movement of the people even if  the law and order situation gets worst again in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of US troops.

Geo News will broadcast the detailed interview of  DG ISPR Major General Asif Ghafoor on Monday night  (tonight) at 08:00pm.

Media team visits Miran Shah and Ghulam Khan

Journalists and anchor-persons representing national and international media for the first time Sunday visited Miran Shah and Ghulam Khan Border Terminal along with Director General Inter Services Public Relations Major General AsifGhafoor and interacted with the local populace.

Earlier, Commander 11 Corps Lt Gen Shaheen and his team separately arranged a briefing at the Corps Headquarters Peshawar. During the question and answer session, the Corps Commander said after the end of war in the area the troops were now in the process of consolidation while steps were in hand to resettle about 4,000 families, which had earlier gone to Afghanistan some four decades back.

The journalists directly interacted with the people, including students, traders, and common men, to know their views about the operation and its aftermath.

They expressed satisfaction over the conduct of the operation, which, according to them, had helped bring peace and normalcy in the region.

They said the development activities undertaken by the Pakistan Army helped them join the national mainstream as it would go a long way in bringing economic prosperity in the area.

The people made selfies with the DG ISPR and the media persons besides, expressing jubilation.

Answering a question regarding the impact of reconciliation process in Afghanistan, he said Pakistan had been playing a role into it and if the parties concerned stroke some mutual settlement it would ultimately be in its interest also. Due to that settlement, he said, the terror elements having the backing of inimical forces in Afghanistan, like the TTP [Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan] would have to opt for some reconciliatory path as they would be left with no other choice.

TIME OF ISLAMABAD

12 United Nations peacekeepers killed in terrorist attacks

https://timesofislamabad.com/27-Jan-2019/12-united-nations-peacekeepers-killed-in-terrorist-attacks?version=amp&__twitter_impression=true

ANKARA (AA): At least 12 UN peacekeeping personnel were killed and scores of others injured in two separate attacks over the past week, a statement said.

READ MORE:DG ISPR Major General Asif Ghafoor warns India

“Two peacekeepers from the MINUSMA were killed on Friday following an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attack against a convoy near Douentza, in the Mopti region, central Mali,” said the statement issued by the UN on Saturday evening.

 

The Friday attacked followed a similar one on Jan. 20 when 10 peacekeepers from Chad were killed in a “terrorist” attack against the mission’s camp in Aguelhok, in the Kidal region of Mali, the statement added.

READ MORE:In a historical move, Pakistan elected as Vice Chair of Asia Pacific Ministerial Forum

UN Security Council established “United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali” (MINUSMA) in April 2013 to “support political processes in that country and carry out a number of security-related tasks”.

 

MINUSMA is the deadliest UN peacekeeping, with 177 fatalities since 2013. It is also one of the largest missions, with over 15,000 personnel.

The News

Pakistan has done its job of bringing Taliban to table: DG ISPR

https://www.thenews.com.pk/amp/423989-pakistan-has-done-its-job-of-bringing-taliban-to-table-dg-ispr#click=https://t.co/NXOVJDvCET

The DG ISPR said there was as yet no certainty on whether the insurgents could be persuaded to engage with the Afghan government but added that progress from the meetings would determine all outcomes. He also spoke about abiding fears about how Afghan government forces would withstand the Taliban threat without US military support if US President Donald Trump acted on his desire to bring home half of the 14,000 US troops deployed in Afghanistan.

ISLAMABAD: Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor on Saturday said Pakistan had done its job of bringing the Afghan Taliban to the negotiating table. In an interview with Arab News, the military spokesman asserted that the Afghan Taliban were not excluding Pakistan from the US-led talks being held in Doha.

“The Taliban are not excluding Pakistan from the peace process,” Asif Ghafoor said, adding: “We are a facilitator. We have done our job of bringing them to the negotiating table. What is discussed and how the process moves forward will depend on progress during every meeting.”

When asked if the Taliban had refused to meet Khalilzad in Islamabad, Asif Ghafoor said: “There are so many factions and stakeholders involved in the process. Coordination takes time. One faction or party gets out of coordination, (which) can result in changes in schedule or place.” He said Pakistan had pushed for the dialogue to restart but had “no preference for time or place.”

The DG ISPR said there was as yet no certainty on whether the insurgents could be persuaded to engage with the Afghan government but added that progress from the meetings would determine all outcomes. He also spoke about abiding fears about how Afghan government forces would withstand the Taliban threat without US military support if US President Donald Trump acted on his desire to bring home half of the 14,000 US troops deployed in Afghanistan.

“Afghanistan should not go into turmoil” when US forces leave, the military spokesman said: “The US should leave Afghanistan as friends of the region, with a commitment to assist Afghanistan in becoming self-sustaining and help in socio-economic development.”

Islamabad also fears that increased turmoil in Afghanistan would mean more sanctuaries there for Pakistani Taliban (TTP) militants who have lost control of all territory in Pakistan since a major counter-terrorism operation was launched after a 2014 attack on the Army Public School. Asif Ghafoor said the Afghan government did not currently have the capacity to eliminate all sanctuaries given that it was embroiled in fighting an insurgency, but once the Taliban entered the political mainstream, Kabul would be in a better position to tackle groups like the Pakistani Taliban and the Middle Eastern Daesh.

“If there is peace in Afghanistan and greater control of the area by Afghan forces, it will be difficult for TTP to continue their sanctuaries there," the military spokesman said.

He dismissed fears that the US would lose interest in Pakistan once it exited Afghanistan, or be free to take harsh actions when it no longer needed Islamabad’s help to end the conflict. “Pakistan has always remained relevant and will continue to be relevant,” Asif Ghafoor said. “And when the US leave Afghanistan, it will leave acknowledging Pakistan’s role in ending the conflict. Our relationship shall further strengthen.”

Responding to media reports that Pakistan was building military jets, weapons and other hardware with funds received under the CPEC umbrella, Asif Ghafoor said the corridor was “purely an economic project.”

“We have separate defence cooperation with China but that has nothing to do with CPEC,” he said. “We had F-16 deals with the US. That was our requirement. Later we have jointly made the JF-17 Thunder with China. Like any sovereign country, Pakistan takes decisions suiting its national interest,” he said.

Speaking about a growing protest movement by the Pashtun

GEW NEWS (Pakistan)

Round of US-Taliban talks ends with progress on draft peace deal: Taliban officials

https://www.geo.tv/amp/226371#click=https://t.co/l93FNQMy61

KABUL/PESHAWAR: Taliban negotiators and United States officials meeting in Qatar on Saturday finalised clauses to be included in a draft agreement to end the 17-year-old Afghan war, according to Taliban sources.

Details provided by the sources to Reuters include apparent concessions from both sides, with foreign forces to be withdrawn from the country in 18 months from the future signing of the deal.

US special peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad is heading to Afghan capital Kabul to brief President Ashraf Ghani after the end of the six-day talks, the sources and a diplomat said.

It is unclear whether a joint statement will be issued, or whether the provisions have been fully accepted by the US side. US embassy officials in Kabul were not available to comment.

According to the Taliban sources, the group offered assurances that Afghanistan will not be allowed to be used by al-Qaeda and Daesh militants to attack the United States and its allies — a key early demand of Washington.

The Taliban says that they will finalize a timeline for a ceasefire in Afghanistan but will only open talks with Afghan representatives once the ceasefire is implemented.

Other clauses include a deal over the exchange and release of prisoners from the warring sides, the removal of an international travel ban on several Taliban leaders by the United States and the prospect of an interim Afghan government after the ceasefire is struck, the Taliban sources said.

Pakistan backs Doha talks

Pakistan army spokespersonDirector General of Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor in an interview toVoice of America said before the Doha talks that the country desires to see a successful end of the Afghan peace process.

“This political reconciliation must succeed. ... We wish that the US leaves Afghanistan as a friend of the region, not as a failure,” Major General Ghafoor said.

In another separate interview to Arab News, the DG ISPR said: "We are a facilitator. We have done our job of bringing them to the negotiating table. What is discussed and how the process moves forward will depend on progress during every meeting.”

TRT WORLD

Yellow Vest protests keep pressure on Macron

https://www.trtworld.com/europe/yellow-vest-protests-keep-pressure-on-macron-23635/amp#click=https://t.co/gPNCzji1jg

About 80,000 police have been deployed in France as multiple protests are planned around Paris and other cities to keep up pressure on President Emmanuel Macron.

Police officers are seen in front of protesters wearing yellow vests during a demonstration of the Yellow Vests movement in Marseille, France, January 19, 2019. ( Reuters )

France's Yellow Vest protesters are hitting the streets again, keeping up pressure on President Emmanuel Macron even as internal divisions and frustration over protest violence cloud the movement's future.

Multiple protests are planned Saturday around Paris and other cities, the 11th straight weekend of action prompted by Macron policies seen as favouring the rich.

Macron has sapped some support for the movement through a national debate in towns across France.

This week some Yellow Vest leaders are trying to keep up momentum by holding protests after dark as well as during the day.

A daytime march is planned starting on the Champs-Elysees, site of recent rioting. Other groups plan evening events at Place de la Republique in eastern Paris.

France is deploying about 80,000 police Saturday.

TRT World

Taliban bring top leader into talks with US


https://www.trtworld.com/asia/taliban-bring-top-leader-into-talks-with-us-23600/amp#click=https://t.co/ZJxxWZhkVR





Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid says Abdul Ghani Baradar was brought into the process to "strengthen and properly handle the ongoing negotiations process with the United States."


A member of the Taliban holds a flag in Kabul, Afghanistan June 16, 2018. ( Reuters Archive )
A co-founder of the Taliban who was released from prison in Pakistan in October has been appointed head of the group's political office in Qatar as it holds negotiations with the United States over ending the 17-year-old Afghan war.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said Friday that Abdul Ghani Baradar was brought into the process to "strengthen and properly handle the ongoing negotiations process with the United States." 


Baradar coordinated military operations in southern Afghanistan before his arrest in 2010 in Pakistan.

US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad has held several rounds of talks with the Taliban in recent months. 

The insurgents control nearly half of Afghanistan and carry out frequent attacks on Afghan forces. 


Khalilzad has been in Qatar since Monday.

The New York Times

A Short, Simple Primer on What’s Happening in Venezuela

nytime.com

If you are wondering why Venezuela is back on the front pages, why the Trump administration is making such a big fuss about it, and why observers seem so anxious about the country’s political crisis, then this primer is for you.

Why is Venezuela in the news right now?

There are three immediate reasons, all related to a political crisis that has been building in the country for years. 

First, popular protests against the government have been growing significantly in size. There’s increasing chaos in the streets as state security forces (but not the military, which is important for reasons we’ll discuss in a bit) crack down.

Second, an opposition lawmaker named Juan Guaidó declared the current government illegitimate and announced that he would be willing to lead a caretaker government. On its own, Mr. Guaidó’s statement can’t force any real change. But it has heightened speculation that outside actors like the military could push out the government.

Third, the United States and several other governments in the Western Hemisphere have announced that they consider Mr. Guaidó to be Venezuela’s legitimate leader.

What is Venezuela’s crisis?

The short version: Venezuela’s government has overseen the destruction of its democracy and its economy. Public outrage is coming to a head.

Twenty years ago, Venezuela was Latin America’s richest country and its longest-running democracy.

Today, it is nearly a failed state. Runaway inflation has plunged much of the country into desperate poverty. Food and drug shortages are widespread. Public order is collapsing and crime rising. As many as two million Venezuelans have fled the country, many as refugees.

Public anger is over more than corruption and mismanagement. The government is aggressively consolidating power and undermining democratic institutions, leaving Venezuelans without meaningful avenues for challenging or changing their leadership. So, many are taking to the streets to try to force change.

Why are things coming to a head now?

The most immediate trigger was the inauguration ceremony this month for President Nicolás Maduro. He won reelection in May in a vote that has been criticized as rigged.

Since that vote, opposition figures and foreign governments, including many in Latin America, have called Mr. Maduro’s leadership illegitimate. Protesters came out after Mr. Maduro’s inauguration to send the same message, hoping to pressure him to step down.

But in many ways, this is just the latest incremental step in a crisis that has been getting steadily worse for years.

How did things in Venezuela get so bad?

We wrote a full-length explainer last year recounting Venezuela’s collapse.

The shorter version starts not long after a left-wing populist named Hugo Chávez led a failed military coup in 1992, reflecting popular discontent with the political establishment. Mr. Chávez won the presidency in a 1998 election.

Initially, Mr. Chávez implemented popular changes to fight corruption and poverty. While Mr. Chávez was not wrong to see his country’s political and business establishments as riven with cronyism and graft, he took them on with presidential decrees that consolidated power for himself.

Things took a turn in 2002, when an economic downturn helped prompt antigovernment protests. When Mr. Chávez ordered the military to restore order, it instead imprisoned him and imposed an interim leader. The coup leaders quickly backed down, but Mr. Chávez returned to power apparently paranoid and bent on rooting out what he saw as enemies within.

From then until his death in 2013, Mr. Chávez waged war on Venezuelan institutions and civil society, hollowing out his country’s democracy. He turned to cronyism and handouts to maintain support among his supporters and crucial allies like the military.

Mr. Maduro, his vice president, took over after Mr. Chávez’s death. He was a weaker leader and therefore relied far more on handouts at a time when the government had even less money.

So Mr. Maduro simply pr

Gew News Pakistan

Armed forces ready to defend motherland against any misadventure: COAS

COAS OF Pakistan 

https://www.geo.tv/latest/226275-coas-says-pakistan-army-fully-invested-in-peacestability-of-region?5c4b18209f761

RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa said on Friday that the Pakistan Army was fully invested in the peace and stability of the region, however, the armed forces were ready and resolute in defending the motherland against any misadventure.

According to an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) press release, General Bajwa visited an exercise of a brigade in Line of Control (LoC) environment near Jhelum.

The aim of the exercise was simulating battlefield conditions to train troops in a realistic environment. Fire of various weapon systems including tanks, anti-tank weapons, multiple calibre artillery guns and PAF fighter jets was part of the exercise.

The army chief appreciated the operational training standard and high morale of troops. COAS exhorted troops to focus on training and professional pursuits as the strenuous training and highest standard of preparedness is the hallmark to deter any belligerence.

Commander Rawalpindi Corps was also present during the exercise. 

SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST

Venezuela crisis watched by China immigrants who fled chaos with anxiety – and hope

https://m.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/2183513/venezuela-crisis-watched-china-immigrants-who-fled-chaos

With Venezuela’s future up in the air, and the prospect of regime change imminent, a group of Chinese immigrants who fled the South American country’s chaos are watching with great anxiety as well as hope.

The rule of President Nicolas Maduro, successor of socialist firebrand Hugo Chavez, looks increasingly fragile after the US and major regional players Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Peru and Argentina all gave their backing to opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim leader on Wednesday.

China, the country’s largest foreign creditor, continues to back the Maduro regime, but the mood among Chinese immigrants, whose dreams for happiness and prosperity in Venezuela were smashed by hyperinflation and social unrest under his rule, are mixed.

At its peak, Venezuela’s Chinese population numbered about 400,000 when Maduro became president in 2013, after the death of Chavez, but that number has shrunk rapidly in the past few years, according to those who have returned to China.

Liang Lintao lived in Venezuela for 24 years and became a naturalised Venezuelan citizen. He returned to his hometown Enping, a county in Guangdong province, southern China, in early 2017 after the social and economic situation in Venezuela went from bad to worse.

“When I returned to China in 2017, I thought I was taking a short-term break before I could go back to Venezuela … I didn’t expect it would take so long,” Liang said.

“Clearly, we hope the rebel movement can bring change to Venezuela. The economic situation and living conditions have been getting worse and worse over the past few years.

“Tens of thousands of Chinese like me had to flee and suffered huge [economic] losses,” he said.

Although half a world away, Liang is watching the developments in Venezuela closely, maintaining close contact with his business partners who are still in the country. He is not in a hurry to return but that plan is never far from his mind.

“Venezuela’s in turmoil. We don’t dare to go back until a new government is able to operate normally,” Liang said.

Venezuela opposition leader Juan Guaido declares himself president and is recognised by Donald Trump, as pressure mounts on Nicolas Maduro

Mey Hou, a mother of three from Enping, fled Venezuela with her children in December 2015, bringing down the curtain on 15 years of hope for a better life overseas.

Hou said her family sold its grocery shop in Caracas via an agent last year. Her valuation of the store was US$150,000, but the final selling price was only US$10,000.

She had to accept the price because she would have probably lost her shop for nothing if she didn’t. “It’s just another form of robbery,” Hou said.

The sharp degeneration of Venezuela’s economy is also putting China’s state creditworthiness at risk. The China Development Bank (CDB), a state lender, has poured at least US$37 billion into the country of 30 million people over the past decade, with most of it repayable in oil, Venezuela’s major natural resource.

Surviving in a country where three people die violently every hour

Feng Xueting, who runs an air ticket agency in Enping, said most Chinese who returned from Venezuela had no choice but to wait for the situation there to settle down.

“It’s just way too chaotic there, it’s almost impossible to make money,” Feng said.

“Now there’s potential for a big change … I guess any change would be better than no change,” she said.

"It's too early to say there's new hope. It really depends what side the Venezuelan military stand for." said Mingli Zhong, who lived and worked in Venezuela for a decade before returning home to Enping in 2017.

"For its Chinese community, we just pray for a government to let the people have a stable life, and restore stability for the exchange rate.

“If [that happened], I believe many Chinese immigrants would go back to Venezuela and have a new try because the economic situation is also getting worse on the mainland," he said.

Urdu Point English

Turkey's membership will make EU a global power'

https://www.urdupoint.com/en/amp/world/turkeys-membership-will-make-eu-a-global-po-537629.html#click=https://t.co/KN2433hKK6

 Urdu Point

'Turkey's membership will make EU a global power'

Turkey's European Union membership will make the EU a global power, according to the top Turkish diplomat in charge of EU affairs

Fakhir Rizvi / World / News / Wed 23rd January 2019 | 08:36 PM

'Turkey's membership will make EU a global power'

ISTANBUL, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News, app - 23rd Jan, 2019 ) :Turkey's European Union membership will make the EU a global power, according to the top Turkish diplomat in charge of EU affairs.

"Turkey's membership will seriously affect and shape the EU. Likewise, Turkey will provide the EU with many things that the other member countries can't," Faruk Kaymakci, deputy foreign minister and director of the country's EU affairs, told Anadolu Agency.

"Turkey is the country which will make the utmost contribution to the EU for it to become a global power in the areas of energy, foreign policy, security, and defence." Since a dozen countries joined the EU in 2004-2007, issues such as migration, security, and Brexit have made the EU slow down the enlargement process, especially since 2014, he said.

"However, Turkey's membership will make the EU a global power," he added.

Turkey applied for EU membership in 1987 and accession talks began in 2005. However, negotiations stalled in 2007 due to the objections of the Greek Cypriot administration on the divided island of Cyprus, as well as opposition from Germany and France.

Kaymakci said Turkey is a part of the European continent economically, politically, and culturally, adding: "It is unthinkable that Turkey is not included in the EU."He added that if and when Turkey and the EU work together, there would be no problems.

TRT WORLD NOW

Erdogan to discuss Syria with Putin in Moscow talks

https://www.trtworld.com/turkey/erdogan-to-discuss-syria-with-putin-in-moscow-talks-23523/amp

Syria's civil war and bilateral ties are high on agenda in one-day talks between Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Russian capital.

Erdogan and Putin had seven one-on-one meetings in 2018 and 18 phone calls to discuss bilateral relations and regional developments, especially Syria. ( AP Archive )

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will have their first face-to-face meeting of 2019 on Wednesday in Moscow where both leaders are set to discuss Syria and other issues. 

During Erdogan's one-day visit to the Russian capital, the two leaders will exchange views on regional and international issues, particularly Syria, as well as bilateral relations between both countries.

Prior to his visit, an article penned by Erdogan titled "Turkey-Russia cooperation, critical for resolving the crisis in Syria" was published in Russian daily Kommersant last week.

"We will not seek advice on how to deal with a terrorist group from anyone whose activities have been directed against our citizens for more than 30 years or ask for permission to fight terrorism."

"We reserve the right, when the appropriate conditions arise, to pursue terrorists who threaten our country from Syrian territory," Erdogan said in the article.

No issues with Kurds

Erdogan stressed that Turkey has no problem with Syrian Kurds nor any other groups living inside the borders of the neighbouring country.

Stating that the US pullout from Syria was "a step in right direction," Erdogan said: "The Syrian crisis can be resolved only by those countries that benefit from the healing of Syria's wounds and be harmed by their festering."

In late December, US President Donald Trump announced that the US-led coalition succeeded in militarily defeating the Daesh terrorist group, his "only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency", in Syria.

Emphasising that it is time for American forces to return home, Trump later signalled a "slow and highly coordinated pullout" of US troops from Syria.

When Trump proposed the idea of a terror-free safe zone in northern Syria last week, US officials demanded Turkey guarantee that it will not conduct an operation against the YPG/PKK terrorist group.

Turkey backed the idea of a safe zone in Syria, while it opposed the US request for protection of the terrorists.

PKK is recognised as a terror organisation by the US, EU and Turkey. YPG/PYD is its Syrian wing.

Contacts with Putin in 2018

Erdogan and Putin had seven one-on-one meetings in 2018 and 18 phone calls to discuss bilateral relations and regional developments, especially Syria.

The leaders first met in the Turkish capital Ankara, where they chaired the Turkey-Russia High-Level Cooperation Council meeting on April 3, a day before a trilateral summit on Syria between the leaders of Turkey, Russia, and Iran.

During the trilateral summit on April 4, Erdogan, Putin, and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani stressed their joint resolve to oppose separatism as well as the use of terrorism as an excuse for changing Syria.

Erdogan, Putin, and Rouhani are again expected to meet in the upcoming months to discuss the situation in Syria.

S-400 missile deal 

Turkey's decision to make a $2.5-million purchase of two S-400 air defence systems with four batteries from Russia culminated in an agreement signed by both sides on December 29, 2017.

This led to strong opposition from the US which stipulated that Turkey scrap the deal as a precondition to its own sale of Patriot defense systems to Ankara.

Turkey has vehemently rejected Washington's calls, with Erdogan saying on April 3 that the purchase was a decision for Turkey to make.

The S-400 is Russia's most advanced long-range anti-aircraft missile system and can carry three types of missiles capable of destroying targets including ballistic and cruise missiles.

The system can track and engage up to 300 targets at a time and has an altitude ceili

TRT WORLD NOW

Israel forces arrest 16 Palestinians in raids across occupied West Bank

https://www.trtworld.com/middle-east/israel-forces-arrest-16-palestinians-in-raids-across-occupied-west-bank-23542/amp#click=https://t.co/4qRZxNhjnG

According to Palestinian figures, some 6,000 Palestinians continue to languish in Israeli detention facilities, including 51 women and 250 minors.

People walk in a damaged house where a Palestinian was killed by Israeli forces, near Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank December 13, 2018. ( Reuters )

 Israeli forces rounded up 16 Palestinians in overnight raids across the occupied West Bank, according to the Israeli military on Wednesday.

It said the individuals were arrested for “suspected involvement in popular terrorist activities”, the army said in a statement, without elaborating on the nature of these activities.

According to the statement, the arrested Palestinians were taken to custody for further questioning.

The Israeli army frequently carries out wide-ranging arrest campaigns across the occupied West Bank on the pretext of searching for “wanted” Palestinians.

According to Palestinian figures, some 6,000 Palestinians continue to languish in Israeli detention facilities, including 51 women and 250 minors.

TRT WORLD NOW

Turkey lifts ban on flights to KRG-held Sulaymaniyah - Turkish minister

https://www.trtworld.com/turkey/turkey-lifts-ban-on-flights-to-krg-held-sulaymaniyah-turkish-minister-23544/amp#click=https://t.co/i7EyqX8xqw

Turkish transport minister announced lifting a 16-month-old ban on flights in and out of the Kurdish Regional Government-held Sulaymaniyah in northern Iraq, a ban imposed following their non-binding independence referendum.

Turkey’s Transport Minister Mehmet Cahit Turhan said Turkish Airlines to resume seven flights to Suleymaniyah every week. ( AFP Archive )

Turkey’s Transport Minister Mehmet Cahit Turhan said Ankara would lift a ban on flights to Sulaymaniyah, in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) held region in northern Iraq.

“Turkish Airlines to resume seven flights to Sulaymaniyah every week,” said Turhan, adding the ban would be lifted on Friday.

The relations between Turkey and the KRG strained after the regional government held a non-binding and widely seen as an illegal independence vote to break up from Iraq, despite warnings from Baghdad.

The cost of kicking off the vote in September of 2017 has become devastating for KRG’s economy and politics, as Baghdad took actions against the move. 

Turkey and Iran, the KRG's two neighbours, supported the Baghdad government against the KRG, suspending all flights going in and out. Iran went a step further and had closed its border with the region, a move which was not supported by Turkey, since it could cause harm to civilians. 

GANDHARA (((Amnesty International Order))))

AI Calls On Pakistan To Disclose Location Of Pashtun Rights Campaigner

https://gandhara.rferl.org/amp/ai-calls-on-pakistan-to-disclose-location-of-pashtun-rights-campaigner/29722268.html#click=https://t.co/rPfPlu3RSl

A Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) protest in Karachi on January 20.

Global rights watchdog Amnesty International has called on the Pakistani authorities to disclose the whereabouts of a Pakistani human rights campaigner documenting grave rights abuses in northwestern Pakistan’s Pashtun belt, where the military fought a long war against Islamist militants.

“We are concerned about reports of the disappearance of PTM activist Alamzaid Mehsud,” Amnesty International Deputy South Asia Director Omar Waraich said on January 21. “His whereabouts must be disclosed immediately. Either produce him in court or release him without delay.”

Waraich said Mehsud was picked up at Pakistan’s southern seaport city of Karachi early on January 21.

“Other PTM activists with him were allegedly beaten up,” Waraich said while referring to the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement, a civil rights movement demanding security and rights for Pakistan’s more than 30 million ethnic Pashtuns, who make up the largest ethnic minority in the country of 200 million people.

“Freedom of peaceful assembly must be protected. Activists must never be attacked,” he said.

Mehsud was a prominent PTM activist. He often shared videos and posts on his Twitter and Facebook accounts that documented human rights abuses such as enforced disappearances, illegal killings, and landmines.

#ReleaseAlamZaib emerged as a top Twitter trend in Pakistan on January 21.

Karachi police have not commented on Mehsud’s disappearance, but a widely circulated video on social media showed him talking to uniformed and plainclothed police officers, some of them drawing handguns, before his detention.

Police and other government officials in Karachi could not be immediately reached for comment.

A January 20 police report in Karachi, however, nominated Mehsud and 15 other PTM activists to be investigated under terrorism laws after holding a major protest in Karachi the same day.

The PTM, active for almost a year now, has held dozens of major protests across Pakistan to demand that Pakistani security forces probe alleged extrajudicial killings, present thousands of victims of enforced disappearances before courts, and end harassment and aggressive searches at check posts and in the restive Pashtun homeland along Pakistan’s western border with Afghanistan.

Mehsud particularly focused on the victims of landmines. Clearing the unexploded ordinances from North and South Waziristan tribal districts and other regions of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province is a major PTM demand.

The movement has also called for a truth and reconciliation commission to probe Islamabad’s role in the country’s more than decade-long domestic war on terrorism.

More than 50,000 Pashtun civilians were killed and more than 6 million were displaced in militant attacks and military operations that first began in 2003.

TRT WORLD

One year since Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch in Syria

https://www.trtworld.com/middle-east/one-year-since-turkey-launched-operation-olive-branch-in-syria-23458/amp

Today marks the one year anniversary of Turkey's Operation Olive Branch aimed to clear terrorists affiliated with the PKK from the Afrin region.

In this March 24, 2018 photo, Turkish soldiers atop a tank pose for pictures with Syrian children holding a Turkish flag in the northwestern city of Afrin, Syria. ( AP )

It's been a year since Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch to drive the YPG and Daesh terror groups from Afrin in northern Syria.

On January 20, 2018, Turkey, in cooperation with the Free Syrian Army (FSA), launched Operation Olive Branch with the stated aim of eliminating the PYD/PKK and Daesh terrorist presence in Syria’s northern Afrin district.

The PYD/PKK has enjoyed a significant presence in Afrin, which lies close to the Turkish border since mid-2012, when Syrian regime forces withdrew from the area without a fight.

The operation lasted 58 days and eventually cleared the YPG from the city. 

Ankara says the PKK terror group's Syrian branches, the YPG and PYD were using tunnels and local collaborators to infiltrate Turkey.

Fight against Daesh

Turkey first recognised Daesh as a terrorist organisation more than five years ago and promised to continue its fight against Daesh even after the US withdraws from Syria. 

Daesh has also posed a security threat within Turkey's borders. 

At least 290 people were killed and more than 1,300 other people were injured in at least eight different Daesh attacks, according to reports.

Ankara says its main goal is to stop the flow of Daesh fighters from travelling between Turkey and Syria. 

As a part of those operations Turkey has arrested more than 4,000 people accused of being Daesh members. 

Around 61,000 foreign nationals are banned from entering Turkey because of suspected links to Daesh. About 1,000 others accused of links to the group are awaiting deportation.

TRT World's Mohsin Mughal has more about the planned operation.

Life in Afrin 

Lieutenant Commander Nadide Sebnem Aktop said the Turkish army neutralised at least 3,000 Daesh terrorists in its Operation Euphrates Shield and aided in the return of some 300,000 Syrians to Syria.

Turkey has conducted two successful cross-border operations into Syria since 2016, Euphrates Shield and Olive Branch, both meant to eradicate the presence of PYD/PKK and Daesh terrorists near Turkey’s borders.

TRT World's Yasin Eken has more from Afrin.

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Turkey-US relations

Turkey has long objected to the US giving support and weapons to the YPG/PYD, arguing that using one terrorist group to fight another makes no sense.

There has been friction between Ankara and Washington over the upcoming Turkish counter-terrorist operation against the YPG/PYD amid the withdrawal of US forces from Syria.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people. 

TRT World spoke to Ragip Soylu, Turkey's Correspondent for the Middle East Eye.

TRT WORLD

Turkey-US cooperation to continue over Syria – Erdogan

https://www.trtworld.com/turkey/turkey-us-cooperation-to-continue-over-syria-erdogan-22814/amp

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has signalled that a cross-border operation against the YPG/PKK terrorist group will be carried out soon in northern Syria.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses members of parliament from his governing AK Party during a meeting at the Turkish Parliament in Ankara, Turkey, on December 25, 2018. ( Reuters )

The US has done its part by deciding to withdraw its troops from Syria and Turkey is continuing to cooperate with President Donald Trump in the war-torn country, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters, Erdogan said Turkey is focusing more on the announced US troop withdrawal from Syria than the French president’s statement that French soldiers will stay in the region.

A meeting between President Erdogan and his US counterpart Donald Trump is also expected in the coming days.

TRT World's Ediz Tiyansan brings more from Washington, DC.

President Erdogan also said that arrangements are being made for a possible meeting between him and Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the Syrian issue.

Erdogan has signalled that a cross-border operation against the YPG/PKK terrorist organisation in Syria will happen soon, possibly including areas where US troops are currently present. 

Since 2016, Ankara has carried out two similar military operations in northern Syria.

Trump last week made the surprise announcement that the US would withdraw its troops from Syria. 

His decision followed a phone call with Erdogan in which the two leaders agreed on the need for more effective coordination over the civil war-torn country.

TRT WORLD

Turkey ready to take over security in Syria's Manbij – Erdogan to Trump

https://www.trtworld.com/turkey/turkey-ready-to-take-over-security-in-syria-s-manbij-erdogan-to-trump-23466/amp#click=https://t.co/26LCtHqt3p

Turkey is ready to take over the security in Syria's Manbij without delay, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during a phone conversation with his US counterpart late on Sunday.

A statement from the Turkish presidency said Erdogan and US President Donald Trump agreed to take joint measures to clear Daesh's remnants in Syria and prevent the group's resurgence.

The Turkish President emphasised that Turkey will not allow the PKK and its Syrian affiliate the PYD/YPG to destabilise northeastern Syria.

TRT World's Andrew Hopkins brings more from Turkey's capital Ankara.

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President Erdogan also said that an attack that left four US personnel dead last week in Manbij was an act of provocation aimed at affecting Trump's decision last month to withdraw US troops from Syria.

Erdogan expressed his condolences to Trump over American staff who lost their lives in last week's terrorist attack in Manbij.

At least four Americans were killed, and three others injured in an apparent suicide attack in Manbij, Syria, the Pentagon said last week.

US Central Command said two service members died, as well as a Pentagon civilian and a contractor, while conducting a "local engagement." A defense official speaking on condition of anonymity said the contractor was working as an interpreter.

All of the wounded Americans were service members, according to the command.

An unknown number of local civilians were also killed and injured.

Erdogan and Trump also discussed the bilateral relations, as well as the latest developments in Syria.

Turkey ready to take over security in Syria's Manbij – Erdogan to Trump

TRT WORLD

Imran Khan says Pakistan will no longer fight someone else's war

https://www.trtworld.com/asia/imran-khan-says-pakistan-will-no-longer-fight-someone-else-s-war-22291/amp

Pakistan's prime minister has said his country is not someone's 'hired gun', following US demands for Islamabad to do more in the battle against militancy.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan gestures as he speaks during the groundbreaking ceremony of the Kartarpur border corridor, which will officially open next year, in Pakistan. ( Reuters )

Pakistan will no longer act as a hired gun in someone else's war, Prime Minister Imran Khan said Friday, striking a note of defiance against US demands for Islamabad to do more in the battle against militancy.

Khan -- who also reiterated his backing for a recent push by the US for talks with the Taliban in Afghanistan -- said in a televised address that he wants Pakistan to move forward with "honour".

"We will no longer fight someone else's war, nor will we bow down in front of anyone", the former cricketer said.

"There will be consequences" 

In an interview to Afghanistan-based TOLOnews, the US ambassador to Afghanistan John R. Bass said that if Pakistan will not support the US "there will be consequences" for US-Pakistan relations.

“We believe they are not playing a fully constructive role as they should be in contributing to a political settlement in Afghanistan and in addressing the very real challenges that violence generated by the Taliban poses for the society,” he said. 

The White House believes that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency and other military bodies have long helped fund and arm the Taliban both for ideological reasons and to counter rising Indian influence in Afghanistan.

Khan, who has long been vocal about Pakistan's role in the war on terror, said his country wants "peace with all".

"Thanks (God) that today, the same people who were asking to do more are now asking us to help them in Afghanistan, to establish peace and to negotiate," he said.

It believes that a Pakistani crackdown on the militants could be pivotal in deciding the outcome of the war.

More than 17 years after the US invasion, Washington has stepped up its bid for talks with the resurgent Taliban with a flurry of recent diplomatic efforts.

This week the Pakistani foreign ministry said Khan had been sent a letter by US President Donald Trump seeking Islamabad's support in securing a peace deal.

In the letter, Trump said a settlement is "his most important regional priority", the Pakistani foreign ministry stated.

"In this regard, he has sought Pakistan's support and facilitation", it continued.

Trump's letter was followed by a visit from US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, who has said he hopes a deal can be in place before the Afghan presidential elections, set for April next year.

TRT WORLD

Imran Khan says Pakistan will no longer fight someone else's war

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Top US senator urges meeting between Trump and Pakistan's Khan

https://www.trtworld.com/asia/top-us-senator-urges-meeting-between-trump-and-pakistan-s-khan-23464/amp#click=https://t.co/eS3qAsHBVq

The Republican senator — an influential ally of President Trump — made the comments in Islamabad after meeting with the Pakistani prime minister, saying Imran Khan was a "new partner" who could potentially help with a peace deal in Afghanistan.

US Senator Lindsey Graham holds a media conference at the US embassy in Islamabad on January 20, 2019. ( AFP )

Leading US Senator Lindsey Graham vowed on Sunday to urge President Donald Trump to meet Imran Khan to boost Washington's Afghanistan peace efforts, calling the Pakistani prime minister an "agent of change".

"I'm going to urge him (Trump) to meet with the prime minister as soon as practical," Graham told reporters, saying he believed Khan and Trump would "hit if off" because they have "similar personalities".

"Prime Minister Khan is the agent of change that I've been looking for," he added.

Ties between Washington and Islamabad have soured recently, with US officials repeatedly accusing Pakistan of turning a blind eye to or even collaborating with the Afghan Taliban, which launch attacks in Afghanistan from alleged havens along the border between the two countries.

Trump has repeatedly lashed out at Pakistan's alleged duplicity, saying late last year that Islamabad does not do "a damn thing" for the US.

Khan has been equally critical of Trump, saying before 2018's election in Pakistan that a potential meeting with the US president would be a "bitter pill" to swallow.

Talks with Taliban

The US lawmaker's trip to Pakistan comes as American officials have held several rounds of talks with Taliban representatives.

Graham said a meeting between the two leaders was vital to carve out a potential deal in Afghanistan.

"They actually need to meet and come up with a agenda that will push a resolution to the war in Afghanistan," the senator added.

Graham — once a potent critic of Trump — has transformed in recent months into an ardent defender and influential ally of the president.

The senator's arrival also overlapped with an ongoing trip by US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, who has been shuttling around the region for months to build support for the peace initiative.

Khalilzad was in Kabul last week and then flew to Pakistan were he also met with the prime minister Friday as news reports in Pakistan suggested Islamabad was open to hosting the next round of talks with the insurgents.

The Taliban, however, have threatened to suspend the fledgling peace efforts, accusing Washington of changing the agenda of the talks and "unilaterally" adding new subjects.

Graham's trip also comes after US officials announced in December that Trump intends to withdraw as many as half of the 14,000 US troops deployed in Afghanistan.

The meetings are the latest in a flurry of diplomatic efforts aimed at bringing the Taliban to the table for negotiations with the Afghan government on ending the conflict which began with the US invasion in 2001.