Chinese Troops and Turkish Military Band to Participate in Pakistan Day Parade: ISPR

ISPR, on Monday, announced that Chinese troops and Turkish military bands will participate in Pakistan Day parade which is to be held on 23rd of this month in Islamabad.

DG ISPR Major General Asif Ghafoor stated that Chinese Army troops will arrive in Islamabad to participate in Pakistan Day celebrations. A Turkish military band will also participate in the parade.

The parade is organized by joint staff headquarters in Rawalpindi, which oversees the three armed forces of Pakistan.Pakistan in 2015, held its first Pakistan Day parade after a hiatus of seven years. The display of pageantry aimed at showing the country has the upper hand in the fight against terrorists as the nation reeled from the worst militant attack in its history as 142 children were killed an army-run school in Peshawar.

The decision to invite friendly countries in national day parade is a significant move by Islamabad in the context of Indian diplomatic overtures to isolate Pakistan in the international community. This is not the only occasion when Pakistan is going to use its military diplomacy to thwart the perception of being isolated globally. Last year, Pakistan held international PACES multilateral military games in Lahore in which troops from 16 nations participated

Nucleus of Indian Foreign Policy: Isolating Pakistan & Beyond!

By Shahzad Masood Roomi

Indian Prime Minister’s visit to the US was yet another vivid display of Indian foreign policy which is being driven by the Hindutva-inspired ultra-nationalism and hegemonic mindset where Pakistan is being considered an ultimate challenge in Indian ambitions of becoming a regional power hence needs to be dealt with.

While addressing to joint session of the US congress on 8^th of June, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made it crystal that the idea of isolating Pakistan, under the pretext of harboring terrorism, is the nucleus of Indian foreign policy but that is not the only objective India is eying as far as “fixing” Pakistan is concerned. India wants world against and at war with Pakistan. The text of Modi’s speech leaves very little to imagine other than that, this has become ‘the strategic’ goal of India. 

RAW's Baluchistan Project

By Shahzad Masood Rooomi

Pakistani intelligence operatives, on Thursday, arrested Kal Boshan Yadav a serving Indian Navy commander level officer from Baluchistan near Pak-Afghan border. He was given a fake identity of Hussain Mubarik Patel in Pakistan by Indian foreign intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).

Pakistan's Military Diplomacy in Action

Pakistan's military diplomacy came in action more vividly when COAS Pakistan Army Gen Raheel Sharif presented Pakistani case on terrorism and regional security in London.

According to ISPR, COAS General Raheel Sharif, IISS and House of Commons has an interaction regarding terrorism, security issues and other regional matters.  Speaking at the occasion, COAS  stated that the success of Op Zarb e Azb had discernible effect, to continue pursuing sleeper cells across country.

While speaking to the participants, he emphasized that "Our environment and context needs to be understood". He reiterated the resolve of eliminating terrorism. "Want to finish terrorists and their nurseries." Gen Raheel also express his desire that international community would help Pakistan. "I expect International community to play its part for regional peace too."

"While we are fighting various terrorist groups, no new entities can be allowed to emerge. Terrorism a global issue, warrants global response", COAS said hinting towards the transnational nature of modern terrorism which has wrecked havoc in Pakistan as well.

International terrorism runs a very well-connected financial networks to sustain their activities. On this international funding Gen. Raheel maintained that it is something where every country will have to play a role for long term success. "Funding of all terrorist organizations has to be checked by all for long term success. We are against use of proxies and won't allow it on our soil.", He said clearly hinting a departure from Pakistan's policy of 1990's for Afghanistan.

He also talked about CPEC project and said it will be a game changer  and would bring prosperity for the entire area. He also ensured the participants that Pakistan Army will do everything to make it success.

Finally! An Official Response from Pakistan on Mullah Omar

News Desk

Finally! Pakistani government recovered from deep slumber when Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, while addressing the National Assembly on Friday, denied the reports and claims of Afghan government that Taliban leader and founder Mullah Omar died inside Pakistan. "He didn't died here and is not buried in Pakistan", said Defense Minister. 

He rejected the claims that the Afghan Taliban leader was in Quetta or in Karachi. He also made it clear that Pakistan has no interest in being part of ongoing leadership crisis within Afghan Taliban.Pakistan just wants peace in the region and is playing its role as a facilitator in negotiations between the Afghan Taliban and the Afghan government, he added. 

He also clarified that Mullah Omar was never treated in any hospital in Karachi. Asif said that statements made by Mullah Omar's family prove that he died in Afghanistan and was buried there as well.

He was of the view that an atmosphere of peace can only be established in the region after ensuring peace in Afghanistan.

Last month, It was announced by Afghan intelligence and government that Mullah Omar, the reclusive leader of the Afghan Taliban movement, died more than two years ago in Karachi. Pakistani rebuttal of official Afghan narrative came after 9 days when it was first confirmed by Kabul that Mullah Omar died in 2013 in a Pakistani hospital in Karachi.

“The government ... based on credible information, confirms that Mullah Mohammad Omar, leader of the Taliban died in April 2013 in Pakistan,” the Afghan presidential palace had said in a statement.

Later, the Afghan Taliban confirmed the death of their leader Mullah Omar but did not say when or where he died. The statement though rejected claims of his demise on Pakistani soil. The statement said “his [Mullah Omar's] health condition deteriorated in the last two weeks” and “not for a single day did he go to Pakistan”.

Omar's death marks a significant blow to the Taliban, which is riven by internal divisions and threatened by the rise of the self-styled Islamic State group, the Middle East terrorist outfit that is trying to establish footprint in Afghanistan. So far, it is limited only in Nangarhar province. The most immediate impact of Mullah Omar's death was postponement of second round of peace talks between Taliban and Kabul regime of Ashraf Ghani.   

The delay in Pakistani response provided certain hostile actors in the region with an opportunity to malign Pakistan for hiding Mullah Omar during the last 14 years of Global War on Terror (GWoT) just like Osama Bin Laden. Indian media was particularly vocal in this regard and so was former NDS chief Amarullah Saleh. Ruling PMLN government remained bogged down by domestic political issues while Pakistan had to bear the brunt of a well orchestrated media campaign of disinformation targeted at highlighting Pakistan as terror harboring state. This was not the first time when Pakistani government's ineptness was exposed by such development. In 2011, when Osama Bin Laden was killed by US SEAL team in Abbottabad, the absence of any official narrative provided explosive to hostile media and diplomatic entities to portray Pakistan as global terror hub. Evidently, no lesson was learnt from that humiliation!