Pakistan records 45pc drop in terror attacks

Pakistan has seen substantial decrease in terrorist activities, 45 percent, last year as compared to the corresponding year. According to the report, ‘Global Terrorism Index (GTI) 2016’, Pakistan recorded 45 per cent fewer terror attacks and 38pc fewer deaths reported in the year than in the previous year. This is the second consecutive year in which Pakistan has seen reduction in terrorist activities. Terrorism in the country is now at its lowest level since 2006, says the report released by the US-based Institute for Economics and Peace. Pakistan has the third largest decline in deaths. There were 677 fewer deaths in Pakistan. As a result, Pakistan had the lowest number of deaths from terrorism since 2008, said the report. The reduction in deaths from terrorism is in part explained by Zarb-e-Azb military operation being carried out by Pakistan Army. The operation is focused on removing militant safe havens in North Waziristan.

Better to stay engaged with Pakistan, says US

Working with Pakistan is a better option for fighting terrorism in South Asia than declaring it a state sponsor of terrorism, says US State Department.

The statement follows a move in the US Congress for declaring Pakistan a state sponsor of terrorism because of its alleged links with certain militant groups.

Reports in the US media suggest that the incoming Trump administration is considering proposals to back the congressional move.

The issue was raised at the State Department news briefing on Friday afternoon as well where spokesman John Kirby said that the Obama administration, which would complete its second and final term in January, preferred to stay engaged with Pakistan because it believed this was a better way of fighting terrorism.

“We routinely discuss with our Pakistani counterparts the importance for continued focus and energy on the counterterrorism efforts and the terrorism threat,” he said.

The discussions with Pakistan, Mr Kirby added, focused on the need to combat the groups that were still engaging in terrorist activities. “Our focus on this and the focus that we want to see Pakistan expend on it, that’s not going to change,” he said.

Asked if the Obama administration would support the move in Congress and a signature campaign initiated by American citizens of Indian origin, Mr Kirby said: “I’m not going to get into a discussion about that.”

The State Department official said that while he would not speculate how the Trump administration would deal with the issue, he believed that the US “focus on the importance of regional, collaborative, and effective counterterrorism operations” would not change.

Mr Kirby also emphasised the need for countries in the South Asian region to pool their resources for combating terrorism, saying that the US “interest in seeing all the countries in the region … expend a great deal of energy and effort and leadership” in fighting this menace would not change either.

“I just can’t speculate about the future and I wouldn’t do that,” said the State Department official when asked how President-elect Donald Trump’s pre-election statements would affect his policies as president.

Mr Trump made numerous statements on Pakistan during the campaign but not all were negative and did not necessarily hint at a hostile shift in the US policy towards Islamabad under his administration.

In one statement, Mr Trump also hinted at playing the role of a “mediator or arbitrator” between India and Pakistan. “If it was necessary I would do that. If we could get India and Pakistan getting along, I would be honoured to do that. That would be a tremendous achievement… I think if they wanted me to, I would love to be the mediator or arbitrator,” he said in an interview with the Hindustan Times.

In an earlier statement he said that Pakistan was a vital country for the United States because it had nuclear weapons.

He told Fox News in May he would favour keeping nearly 10,000 US troops in Afghanistan “because it’s adjacent and right next to Pakistan which has nuclear weapons.”

is India, Israel 'biggest terrorist' countries?

Chairman Senate Mian Raza Rabbani on Sunday termed India and Israel as the biggest terrorist countries on earth.

Rabbani said that India and Israel have always tried to destabilize Pakistan.

The Senate chairman went on to say that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the election on the basis of Hindu nationalism.

It should be noted that Pakistan Navy had successfully intercepted an Indian submarine and prevented it from entering Pakistani waters.

Maritime Security Agency arrested ‘Indian nationals’ who were trying to enter Pakistan by cross the western sea border.

Pakistani troops on Saturday brought down an Indian drone which violated country’s airspace

Rabbni also said that politics of interest is at rise.

The veteran Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader added that the principles and loyalty are starting to become meaningless in politics.

Now is the time to think about Kashmir's ill-fated children.

Kashmir is a land whose picturesque beauty is loved around the globe, its wazwan is relished by everyone, everyone wants to come here again and again; where everybody basks in the glory of its different seasons. The same is the case with its people; they, too, enjoy everything associated with their land – except the illegal occupation. Now, this paradise has lost its magical spell. It seems to have fallen victim to an evil eye. Since the start of the occupation, I have lost my paradise and I am in search of its lost glory. From the plant kingdom to that of humans, they have lost their peace and paradise. I was taught by a teacher in the early stage of my life, that in a paradise nobody is supposed to interfere with your affairs; you are free of constraints. But in a paradise like Kashmir, the pattern is reversed. You are forced to follow draconian laws. You are asked to show your identity. You are caged in your homes for months on end. You are tortured, killed after being implicated in false cases. You are subjected to enforced disappearances through no fault of your own. Your mothers, sisters and wives are raped. Your schools are burnt to ashes where your blooming flowers learn the precious lessons of their lives. Unlike the features of paradise, here you won’t find the singing of the flying birds as they, too, are in the grip of fear. From children to the old aged, from girls to women, from plants to animals, everybody has witnessed the pool of the blood. Our blooming buds – children – are depressed now. When I was in the 2nd standard, I used to play hide and seek with my friends. One day, a call from the neighbour frightened us as the army had cordoned off our village in search of a militants. While we still continued to play, an army man unluckily approached the place where I had hidden myself. He ruffled his gun and pointed at my head as if he thought a 7 year-old child would be the chief commander of the guerilla group. I screamed in front of him till somebody told him that these children were playing hide and seek. Only then did he leave. That day was the last day I played hide and seek, because my parents didn’t allow me to play it again.

The same is the case with our present blooming buds as they are caged in their homes for months. They are depressed due to the ongoing turmoil in the lost paradise. They lack interest in studies, always feeling a sense of discomfort. We are worried about the future of our children. I heard some students talking to each other and the conversation goes like this: If the government will reopen the schools again how can we go to school, since our schools are now burnt down. How can we play with our friends as they were pellet victims? How can we eat lunch together when some of our friends are in their graves? How do we face our teachers, as some of our teachers are behind the bars and some are in an eternal paradise? Now is the time to think about Kashmir's ill-fated children. Let them play again, let them play the game of hide and seek which I couldn’t relish. Let children be spared ugly sights of the pool of bloods on the roads, and bullets in the rooms. Let them see the same paradise, again, about which Jahangir had rightly said that if there is paradise, it is here, it is here, it is here. It’s not only our children who are suffering, our younger ones as well as older ones are suffering equally on a multitude of fronts. Economically, we are facing the worst financial crisis since that goddamn accession. But the ongoing turmoil has hit tourism and transport workers the most. This conflict did not only hurt the economy, but it also took thousands of lives and atrocities keep raging around the lost paradise. From time to time, India and its rulers made lofty promises but, instead, they raped our women.  Kunan Poshpara is a glaring example. They kill, maim, and torture Kashmiris through their draconian laws. They make our women half-widows. Now they call this lost paradise their integral part. Gandhi and Nehru categorically declared in their speeches, "Kashmiris will have to be given their rights, according to their wishes." But, unfortunately, India has forgotten the promises of the fathers of their nation. As we know, human life is a precious asset and no price can compensate for its worth. We need to think about how to regain the glory of this lost paradise via talks, not through gun barrels. The gun, whether it is from the India or from the other side, will only devastate this paradise. So let the concerned start talks to reclaim the lost glory of our paradise.

250,000 Pakistani migrants deported over past 3 years

Nearly 250,000 Pakistanis have been deported, mostly from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates over the past three years, the Federal Investigation Agency statistics revealed on Saturday. According to the Labour Migration from Pakistan: 2015 Status Report’ through Deportation Statistics, a total of 242,817 irregular Pakistani migrants have been deported between 2012 and 2015. The largest number of deportations, 73,064 to be precise, took place in 2014, while the year 2010 witnessed the smallest number of deportations (46,032). Majority of the irregular migrants — 131,643) – have been deported from Saudi Arabia followed by the United Arab Emirates (32,458), Iran (28,684, Oman (17,248), Greece (14,145), the United Kingdom (9,778), and Malaysia (8,861). Most of the deportees from Saudi Arabia and the UAE were job-seekers and businessmen, while those sent back from Iran were in transit to Greece. Deportations from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are attributed mainly to security-related issues, the report reveals. These statistics suggest that deportations are on the rise and the trend might be indicative of an increase in the trafficking of persons and smuggling of migrants.

A study by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has found that the majority of irregular migrations involved migrants originating from Punjab, especially from Gujrat, Gujranwala, Mandi Bahauddin, Dera Ghazi Khan, Multan and Sialkot districts. The report says that around 513,231 individuals have been deported from different countries between 2007 and 2015, registering a year-wise upwards trend. From 2005-2006 to 2014-2015, around 932,051 migrant workers had been stranded in destination countries due to a lack of proper documentation and subsequently deported.  The largest number of stranded Pakistanis, 882,887 to be precise, had been deported from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, followed by Doha, Qatar (4,200). Around 14,628 migrant workers had been detained in destination countries during the said period while consulate officials or community welfare attaches had made 4,200 monitoring visits to the employment sites of the migration workers.Most of the visits were made in Dubai, UAE (1,863), followed by Kuwait (652), Manama, Bahrain, (496) and Seoul, South Korea (400), says the report.

Pakistan steals China's 18th Hi-Tech Fair

Pakistani exhibitors stole China's 18th Hi-Tech fair in Shenzen city of China. The CHTF2016 opened at Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center on November 16. It gathered 43 international pavilions from 31 countries and 12 international organizations, among which 23 are located along the “One Belt, One Road”, including first-time attendees Bahrain and South Africa.

The IT Ministry has sent the Pakistan Software Export Board to the CHTF to present the latest research findings of Pakistan's IT industry.The CAD CAM Center displayed the Panda Security series of anti-virus products which include email sandbox server, malware remover, malware auditing, penetration testing and robot software.