The grievances of Pashtuns, the progress of KPK, support base of PTM, role of PTI and PPP, and proposed next steps are discussed in this article and offer additional insight to this issue.
Assessing the role of mainstream media in shaping national narratives and the lack of accountability in regional information operations.
Let’s recall our memories of a speech of a senior Pak Army official that he delivered as the chief guest at a military educational institution in Rawalpindi on India’s Republic Day in 2014, asserting that India poses no greater threat to Pakistan but extremism/terrorism does.
Granted, we expect them to be active in Afghanistan, where they are fighting for legitimacy against the Taliban, the Afghan National Army and the US-led military force. In Pakistan, however, where they have no foothold, no matter what the media would like to report, they are attempting to strike fear into Pakistani hearts.
So, we have an account of a foreign ‘contractor,’ unfortunately we have silence on our side. Who this silence serves, I don’t know, but it appears that the military is getting part of the blame.
While there have been constant attempts by New Delhi and Kabul to undermine these successes by continuing to wage terrorism in Pakistan from Afghan soil while employing their assets in media for systematic disinformation, anyone who wants to witness these successes with their own eyes can visit Pakistan and do so.
For decades, Pakistanis have been told that Afghanistan is a “brotherly Islamic country” with cultural and people-to-people ties with Pakistan. For decades, Pakistan has also consistently faced long and short waves of terrorism and crimes, a good proportion of which have been traced to Afghanistan.
We have a phrase at CommandEleven – be a victim or a volunteer. A victim is someone who fights to the end. A volunteer submits.
Which one were you?
It will be on rare occasions that you’ll find me addressing the CommandEleven audience about something related to CommandEleven. We didn’t build this platform, bring the best analysts together and begin counter the negative image being wrongly portrayed about Pakistan to sit back and accept someone’s blind judgement of our work and organization.
Some people are of the opinion that India and Pakistan could have better relations, and that it is Pakistan who causes acrimony, with the Establishment specifically to blame. They qualify their argument by accusing the Establishment of creating an artificial situation so as to justify a huge defense budget, pay and allowances and perks.
Following the 9/11 incident in 2001, US and its allied forces invaded Afghanistan in a bid to eliminate Al-Qaida and Taliban, their safe-heavens and free the country from their “oppression.” Apart from providing billons of aids for reconstruction and development of Afghanistan, the United States have spent $70 billion thus far to build 350,000 strong Afghan National Army and Police to fight against terrorism and provide better security to the people.
Last Wednesday’s massive terrorist attack in Kabul’s diplomatic sector happened, Afghanistan went into a panicked state. The panic was more from having their completely failed security apparatus exposed in such a gruesome fashion than responding to the attack itself.
Saudi Arabia used US President Donald J. Trump’s visit to the kingdom to drive its anti-Shia and anti-Iran agenda. Mr. Trump and Muslim leaders turned a blind eye to Saudi Arabia’s role barely two weeks before Mr. Trump’s arrival in blocking his administration’s proposal to impose United Nations sanctions on the Saudi branch of the Islamic State (IS).
The DAWNLeaks report is finally here and a notification has been issued from the PM House. Four people and an institution have been blamed for DAWNLeaks that include Rao Tehsin Ali, Principal Information Officer in the Ministry of Information, and Tariq Fatemi, the Special Assistant to the PM.
Why does a media tycoon, his empire under criticism for playing second fiddle to a political stunt generated by the sitting government, need a tweet from the US Consulate in Karachi to prove his innocence?
American efforts in Afghanistan are back to square one these days as a second troop surge seems to be on the cards, recently General Nicholson apprised the Senate that thousands of troops are required in Afghanistan as the U.S. mission is in a ‘stalemate’, he also went on to admit that the Taliban had gained at least 15% more ground in 2016 even though 13,000 international troops remained in the country.
Lt. General Tariq Khan (retired), our most senior and respected advisor and board members was interviewed on Aaj Tv’s Sairbeen programme on 5 May, 2017. His opinions were misrepresented on the show. This is the clarification to the editing that was done to his comments.
