PAF role crucial to make country’s defence invincible: COAS

SARGODHA: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif has said Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has a crucial role to make the country's defence invincible.

He was addressing the ceremony regarding induction of Fourth Squadron of F-16 planes into PAF fleet at Mushaf Airbase in Sargodha Wednesday.

The army chief said the induction of these aircrafts would further increase the professional capabilities of the PAF.

He said role of Mushaf Airbase is immensely important in the country's defense.

Lauding the cooperation of Royal Jordanian Air Force and the Kingdom of Jordan, the Army Chief said this initiative would strengthen the existing historic bonds between the two countries.

Earlier, Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshall Tahir Rafique Butt in his address said addition of new squadron in the fleet will increase PAF's capacity in combating both internal as well as external challenges.

He thanked the prime minister for giving go ahead to complete this project despite financial constraints.

ISI’s role crucial in national security: Gen Raheel

 

ISLAMABAD: In an effort to boost the morale of the beleaguered ISI in the wake of an allegation that some of its men were involved in the murderous attack on senior Geo News anchor Hamid Mir in Karachi, army chief Gen. Raheel Sharif on Tuesday said the premier intelligence agency was a ‘strategic institution’ that had been working to protect the interests of the motherland.
Gen. Raheel visited the ISI Headquarters where its Director General Lt. Gen. Zaheerul Islam gave him a detailed briefing on the internal and external security situation.The army chief commended the work done by the ISI to counter both the internal and external threats to the country.

Gen Raheel was also briefed on the intelligence input being provided to the law enforcement agencies against the miscreants.The army chief said the officers and men of armed forces had rendered marvellous services for protecting national security and never hesitated to sacrifice their lives to defend the motherland.

He also discussed matters of professional interest with senior officials of the agency.Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif visited Hamid Mir at the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) in Karachi and ordered a high-level judicial probe into the incident.

The Chief Justice of Pakistan, Tassaduq Hussain Jillani, on Monday constituted a three-member judicial commission, comprising Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali, Justice Ijaz Afzal Khan and Justice Iqbal Hameedur Rehman, to investigate the incident.

The chief justice approved the names of three judges for the judicial commission after a formal request from the government.Journalist Amir Mir, the brother of Hamid Mir, had blamed some members of the ISI for the attack. The Inter Services Public Relations — the military mouthpiece — however was quick to regret what it called the “baseless and misleading” finger-pointing at the ISI.

During a debate in the Senate on Monday, several opposition lawmakers demanded a detailed investigation into the incident and advised against criticising the national security institutions before reaching facts. They also urged the ISI to avail itself of this opportunity to clear its name by facilitating the judicial commission in probing the incident.

A PPP stalwart and Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Aitzaz Ahsan said though he had been critical of the ISI’s interference in the country’s political affairs, he believed no one should jump to accusations against an institution.

Aitzaz also threw light on the ISI’s role in training Mujahideen for Jihad against the then USSR in Afghanistan, Operation Midnight Jackal and its involvement in the electoral process vis-à-vis the Asghar Khan case.

“The ISI should take the allegations as a challenge and extend its assistance in the investigations,” Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s Senator Nasreen Jalil said.The upper house of parliament also adopted a unanimous resolution expressing deep concern over the series of attacks on journalists and urging the government to take steps to protect them.

At the beginning of the session, reporters covering the Senate proceedings walked out from the Press Gallery to protest the attack. However, they returned after both the treasury and opposition leaders promised to constitute a committee to look into a possible legislation for the safety and protection of journalists and their rights.

Early progress on devolution crucial to Sri Lanka: Indian envoy

The Hindu High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka Y.K. Sinha. File photo: V. Sudershan

“India considers early progress on devolution and a political settlement as being crucial to Sri Lanka to tackle mounting international pressure,” High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka Y.K. Sinha, said, a week after India abstained from voting on the U.S.-backed resolution in Geneva.

Early resumption of dialogue between the government and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) – which runs the Northern Provincial Council – is the key, and the Sri Lankan government should create conditions conducive to resumption of dialogue, he said, addressing the Foreign Correspondents’ Association here on Friday.

“Sri Lanka needs to address issues in a meaningful manner to prove to the international community that it “has taken very concrete, very visible steps” to deal with the concerns.

On India’s position on the progress in implementation of the 13th Amendment – made to the Sri Lankan Constitution following the Indo-Lanka Accord of 1987 – that devolves certain powers to the provincial councils, he said India was engaged with Sri Lanka at the highest level on the question of devolution. Observing that India had been consistent in calling for an early political solution, Mr. Sinha said even Sri Lanka’s own Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) spoke of the need for Sri Lanka to take the lead in manifesting its political will and sincerity of purpose. “This will help with dealing [with] international pressure building up against Sri Lanka,” Mr. Sinha said.

India, in a spirit of partnership and cooperation, would continue to engage with Sri Lanka towards implementation of the 13th Amendment and build upon it, as was promised to India by the island nation.

On whether the abstention at the Human Rights Council gave more leverage to India to push for meaningful devolution and resolve the ongoing fisheries issue, Mr. Sinha said: “I don’t think it’ll be fair to say that we want to exercise pressure or leverage on either side, but what we would like to do is so try and restart that political process.”

“Polls, a good sign”

Describing the September elections to Sri Lanka’s Northern Provincial Council an ‘encouraging sign,’ he said India would like both sides (Sri Lankan government and the TNA) to work together and find a solution which is in the best interest of all communities in Sri Lanka, including the Tamils.

On the fisheries conflict, Mr. Sinha — observing that he was grateful to President Mahinda Rajapaksa for releasing all Indian fishermen soon after the Geneva proceedings — said he hoped the talks between fishermen’s association from both sides were held in the near future.

Asked of India saw scope for any progress of the long-pending Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which the Sri Lankan government has virtually shelved, he said the two countries had a robust trade engagement and pointed to a ten-fold increase in bilateral trade, as a result of the “successful implementation” of the Free Trade Agreement between the neighbours.

“We need to move to next level … I know there are certain reservations in Sri Lanka on CEPA,” he said, adding that it was more important to move to the next level, rather than be bogged down by nomenclature.

Both sides, he said, were discussing intensively a special economic partnership between the two countries, the contours of which were being defined currently. “It is important we concentrate on the larger picture. Sri Lanka is a partner and we will be happy to move at whatever pace Sri Lanka would like to move,” he said.

T.N. impact on Delhi

Responding to a question on Tamil Nadu’s influence on New Delhi in regard to its diplomacy with Sri Lanka, Mr. Sinha said India’s foreign policy certainly reflected the aspirations of all its people — which includes all its provinces. While Delhi definitely took into consideration concerns and positions of all its people, decisions were taken in national interest, he added.

Govt to announce crucial decisions, still prefers talks: Nisar

Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan. — File photo

PESHAWAR: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Thursday said the government has made crucial decisions in relation to the country's security which it would be announcing soon, DawnNews reported.
Addressing a press conference at the Governor House in Peshawar, the minister said despite the events of the past several days, the government still preferred the route of peace talks with the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Talks between government and Taliban representatives that began earlier this month were suspended after the killing of 23 paramilitary soldiers by the militants.
The military responded with a series of air strikes that have left more than 100 insurgents dead, but Khan said the government was still open to talks – with the right people.
“We will talk to those groups who are not against Pakistan,” he said adding, “We are in contact with groups that have never attacked Pakistan's interests, we have dialogue for them.”
He gave no details of which groups he meant.
His comments could revive fears that Pakistan is maintaining a policy of distinguishing between “good” militants who can be used to further strategic goals abroad, and “bad” militants who attack domestic targets.
Pakistan has come in for strong criticism from the United States and Afghanistan in recent years for sheltering and patronising militants such as the Haqqani network, who attack Nato and Afghan forces across the border.
On Wednesday, Chaudhry Nisar unveiled Pakistan's first-ever counter-terrorism policy, seven years since the TTP rose up and began its bloody campaign against the state.
The minister said every act of violence would in future be met with an attack on the militants' bases, which lie mainly in the North Waziristan tribal district on the Afghan border.
Commenting on the status of the dialogue between the government and Taliban representatives, Khan said Wednesday that while talks have been put on hold they could “resume anytime soon and both negotiations and targeted strikes will go hand in hand.”
He said the government was sincerely working towards establishing peace in the country, adding that it would remove all the stumbling blocks that lay on the road ahead.
The minister said acts of violence could not be tolerated on the country’s soil and that the government would appropriately respond to any such attacks.
Nisar said security forces were being provided with the latest equipment purchased from abroad, adding that new vehicles would also be provided to the forces, including the police.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Engineer Shaukatullah, Chief Minister Pervez Khattak and Inspector General KP Police Nasir Durrani were also present during the press briefing.