Junaid Khan injured & will not Play Against Australia

     

Rs.21,498 mln released for various dams projects so far

ISLAMABAD, Apr 10 (APP): An amount of Rs.21,498 million has been released for construction of dams and reservoirs during the current fiscal year 2013-14 so far. According to data of Planning Commission, a sum of Rs.17,000 million has been released for Diamer Basha Dam (land acquisition), Rs.840 million for Gomal Zam dam, Rs.28 million for Satpara dam, Rs.100 million for Kurram Tangi dam.

Sri Lanka savour long-sought success

"There were two gentlemen who gave a lot not only to Sri Lankan cricket but to cricket as a whole. May be the Almighty wants them to win a World Cup and leave on a high. That's why He put his hand in this so that they get another match."

When Darren Sammy made this prediction at the end of the first semi-final, one felt how strongly the West Indies captain believed in destiny, particularly after a hailstorm hit the Shere Bangla National Stadium to give Sri Lanka a win through D/L, and depriving the defending champions of an assault in the last few overs.

Sri Lanka's captain Lasith Malinga said the win had nothing to do with luck, but a lot of hard work and planning which brought them the victory. Either way, destiny or not, it was down to winning the big moments, and that's where Sri Lanka stepped up.

Sammy's statement also brought to mind the sheer respect that world cricket has for Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene. Sammy was right in the end. Perhaps it was all meant to be, as Sri Lanka won a major tournament final, after four failed attempts in the last seven years.

Both had announced their retirement prior to the start of the World T20, drawing a bit of flak for taking away too much attention. The team however, said they wanted to win it for their two ayyas, the word for elder brother in Sinhalese. Sangakkara said that they won it for every Sri Lankan.

"It is wonderful that the side wanted to win it for us," Sangakkara said. "But there are 20 million other people to win for. It's not just about me or Mahela.

"It's about an entire squad, everyone who stands with you and behind you. We get noticed because it's our last game, but at the end of the day everyone has played a part."

Sangakkara paid tribute to everyone who supported Sri Lanka cricket, and the cricket team, through thick and thin. There have been tough moments, particularly the four tournament final defeats over the past seven years.

In 2007, they were steamrolled by Australia but the momentum was with Sri Lanka in 2009 when they lost to Pakistan in the World T20 final. In the 2011 World Cup final, they seemed to have India on the mat but were pushed out of that contest by MS Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir. At home, in the last World T20 final, Sri Lanka failed to chase a moderate target against West Indies.

"This is the first time I have been a part of a team that has won a World Cup," Sangakkara said. "It's hard to describe exactly what you feel, but you feel humble. You realise how difficult it is to get here, how much support you need, not just from your team-mates, but from your family, your fans, the support staff.

"You can never do anything alone. You may be the best batsman in the world or the best bowler in the world, but you can't do anything without support. At moments like this you have to look back, reflect and be thankful for that support, because without that you wouldn't be here. It's been an amazing journey. It's time to walk away, and to walk away like this is even better."

Before Sangakkara spoke, Malinga said that he backed his experienced players to come good on the big day, as he understands their ability having observed them for the past decade.

"I've played over ten years in this team, I know every single player, their ability, what they can do," Malinga said. "I enjoyed my captaincy in the last three games, I know exactly what particular players have what ability. I used that experience during my captaincy and I was successful.

"Anyone can say anything. Some say winning is luck, some say winning is talent. I really trust that we didn't have luck. We worked hard, we know our ability, we can do that, everyone is talented, that's why we won the match. I don't believe in luck."

Sangakkara, in a way, echoed Malinga's viewpoint when asked if the game of cricket had finally given back to him and Jayawardene after years of serving the game. He said it was about finally taking an opportunity.

"I don't think the game owes us, or any player, anything. Our job is to try and play it as best as we can, and walk away hopefully having made a positive impact.

"The game gives us the opportunities and it's up to us to try and take them. We had four opportunities before this, and today we took it. You need a bit of ability, luck, planning, execution. Right place, right time, right game."

India Supreme Court urges BCCI chief to quit

NEW DELHI: India's Supreme Court Tuesday urged the powerful head of the country's cricket board to stand down while an investigation is conducted into illegal betting, saying his refusal to quit so far was “nauseating”.

A two-judge panel warned it could order N. Srinivasan, who is regarded as the most powerful man in world cricket, to stand down unless he did so voluntarily as his continued presence in his post was hampering the investigation which involves his son-in-law.

“Unless the BCCI Board of Control for Cricket in India president stands down, there can be no fair investigation. It's nauseating,” Justice A.K Patnaik told the court in New Delhi.

“If you don't step down, then we will pass an order,” he added.

The bench is looking at a damning report that it commissioned last year into wrongdoing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) following a betting and spot-fixing scandal that rocked the popular Twenty20 tournament.

The report, released in February, concluded that Srinivasan's son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan could be guilty of illegal betting on IPL games, in a major blow to Srinivasan who is set to take over as head of the International Cricket Council in July.

Meiyappan was the team principal of Chennai Super Kings, an IPL franchise owned by Srinivasan's India Cements company and captained by national skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

The report, by a panel headed by retired judge Mukul Mudgal, suggested that Meiyappan may have passed on team information to outsiders for illegal betting, but did not specify what information or to whom.

“There are no definite findings by the Mudgal committee but the allegations are of a very serious nature,” Patnaik told the court.

The judge asked the BCCI's lawyers to go away and read the report and return on Thursday when the case will continue.

Rawalpindi-Islamabad Metro Bus

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif were prominent at the inauguration of the Rawalpindi-Islamabad Metro Bus system on Sunday. Speaking on the occasion, the prime minister said the government was working day and night for peace in the country. Talks with the Taliban would start in a day or two, the prime minister underlined (latest reports say this could be within 24 hours). Peace, Nawaz Sharif argued, was critically needed for the economy to grow and prosper. Terrorism was the result of the wrong policies of the past, especially those of military dictators. The cost to the country has been enormous. Countries that were once lagging behind Pakistan have surpassed us because we are bogged down in the affliction of terrorism. The prime minister bemoaned the lack of any considerable development project for the last 10-15 years. The economy, he asserted, is lately showing improvement and exports are rising. He revealed that he had instructed Finance Minister Ishaq Dar to keep the value of the dollar below Rs 100 so as to benefit exports. Terrorism, corruption, unemployment, indiscipline and poverty have become the order of the day, Nawaz Sharif pointed out. The government intends to eliminate load shedding by adding 22,000 MW to the national grid by the end of its term in 2018. The new Islamabad airport will be completed by next year, the Islamabad-Muzaffarabad rail link and the Lahore-Karachi motorway would be initiated soon, the prime minister promised. The over Rs 40 billion Rawalpindi-Islamabad Metro Bus project would be completed in the record time of 10 months, Nawaz Sharif vowed. Similar projects would soon be initiated in south Punjab.

Going by the speed of the earlier Lahore metro bus project, there is every expectation that the Rawalpindi-Islamabad project too would be completed with dispatch. However, cutting a bus route through built up areas and possibly green belts has always proved controversial. The Rawalpindi leg of the metro bus route will run on an elevated road to avoid as far as possible destruction of built up urban assets. In Islamabad it will run on the ground. However, the environmental concerns surrounding the project, especially in the Islamabad sector, refuse to go away. Legal challenges on the basis of such concerns have not been given relief by the courts because of national considerations, according to Shahbaz Sharif. Nevertheless the Capital Development Authority of Islamabad has been querying the start of the Rawalpindi leg of the route without clearing up its 12 reservations about the Environmental Impact Assessment Report by the National Engineering Services of Pakistan (Nespak). The green belts and cover along the Islamabad section of the bus route could be affected. Approval of the Environmental Impact Assessment Report by the Pakistan Environment Protection Agency is obligatory under the provisions of the Environment Protection Act 1997. Residents of Islamabad have voiced their concerns about the environmental impact, including on green belts and noise and pollution as a result of the plying buses. While dispatch is necessary for such projects to be competed efficiently and within budgeted costs, the country has to learn not to ignore environmental concerns if our cities are to avoid being converted into grey concrete jungles.

The Sharif brothers have traditionally been very keen on infrastructure projects, particularly motorways, roads, public transport, etc. These are of course important for economic development. But they tend to favour commerce and industry most, which may not be surprising considering that the Sharifs come from a business background. However, diversion of enormous funds to such projects means resources to fulfil the needs of the people, particularly the poor, are hard to come by. While such projects help improve the quality of the business environment in the country, the need to also improve the people’s quality of life through education, health and other social services and facilities cannot be underestimated. After all, what purpose does development serve except to enrich the already wealthy unless the quality of life of the people is also improved?

Bilawal Bhatti bowls the fourth-most expensive over in T20 internationals.

Bilawal Bhatti went for 30 runs in the eighth over of the innings, the fourth-most expensive over in Twenty20 internationals. Stuart Broad (36 v India, 2007), Izatullah Dawlatzai (32 v England, 2012) and Wayne Parnell (32 v England, 2012) are the only bowlers to concede more runs in an over.

Umar Akmal's knock against Australia

Umar Akmal's 94 is the second-highest score by a Pakistan batsman in Twenty20 internationals. Ahmed Shehzad had made an unbeaten 98 against Zimbabwe in August last year

In his last ten T20I innings, Umar has scored 337 runs at an average of 42.12 and a strike rate of 138.68, the best among Pakistan batsmen during this period.

Great Work By PTCL

Gwadar Bay, Pakistan.

Gwadar Bay, Pakistan.

Gwadar Bay is located in the Gulf of Oman on the maritime border of Pakistan and Iran. It is an inlet of the Arabian Sea indenting the sandy Makran coast at the Iran–Pakistan border.

Gwadar's location and history have given it a unique blend of cultures. The Arabic influence upon Gwadar is strong as a consequence of the Omani era and its close proximity to the Arabian peninsula

Asia Cup 2014 Final , Pakistan VS Sri Lanka

Watch the final of Asia Cup 2014 between Pakistan and Sri Lanka Live from Bangladesh 

http://callmepakistani.blogspot.com/p/cricket.html

Sri Lanka and Pakistan will go head-to-head in the final of the 2014 Asia Cup on Saturday in Dhaka, and deservedly so, as they have clearly been the best teams in the competition. 

Sri Lanka have won all their games in the round-robin group matches, while Pakistan were involved in a couple of tense finishes against India and the hosts Bangladesh.

Pakistan will be hoping to defend the title they won in 2012 but it will be tough as Sri Lanka have looked very consistent so far in the tournament.

The final is a repeat of the tournament's opening game, which saw Sri Lanka win by just 12 runs. 

Participants of the Punjab Youth Festival broke nine world records

Participants of the Punjab Youth Festival broke nine world records at the Sports Board Punjab Gymnasium Hall on Wednesday.

Capt Arbab of Pakistan Army, the star of the day, broke two world records. He performed 62 push-ups with one arm in one minute carrying a 40 lb pack. Previously, the record was held by a British man, who performed 31 push-ups over the same time with a similar weight.

He also performed the most push-ups (166) with the back of his hands in a minute breaking a Qatari citizen’s record of 132 push-ups.

Another record was broken by a team of seven participants who balanced their weight for 46 seconds in a multi layered bed of one inch nails. Formerly, a team of five Indian men had performed a similar feat.Mujataba Hasan stunned the audience by breaking 107 walnuts with nunchaku (chainsticks) in one minute. A Chinese sportsman had previously held the title with 49 walnuts broken in a minute.

Separately, Muhammad Rashid cracked 155 walnuts with his head in a minute taking away the title from an American citizen.

Rashid was followed by Farhan Ayub, who performed 38 kip-ups in one minute (break dance), taking away the record from an Englishman, who had made it with 22 kip-ups.

Nadeem Abbas performed 70 push-ups with the back of his hands carrying a 40 lb pack in one hour, setting a new record. Previously, an American had set up this record with 51 push-ups in an hour.

Ali Haider created a new record by performing 52 push-ups carrying a 60 lb pack in one minute. The previous best was 38 push-ups.

The series of Wednesday’s record breaking came to an end with Zafar Iqbal’s new record of performing 100 push-ups in one minute carrying a 40 lb pack. The record title was formerly held by Lebanon with 73 push-ups.

Minister for Sports Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan was the chief guest at the event.

Earlier, talking to reporters at the opening ceremony of the Guinness World Records, he said that the Punjab Youth Festival had provided a platform to the youth. This time, he said, the organisers aimed at attempting around 100 world records.

Later, addressing the closing ceremony, he said no one could defeat the fervor and dedication of the Pakistani nation until it had enthusiastic youngsters like Capt Arbab.

“The entire world is observing our youth as they create world records.”

Sports Board Punjab Director General Usman Anwar and Guinness World Record representatives were also present on the occasion.

On Thursday (today), the participants will attempt records for the most pull-ups in six hours, the most push-ups in six hours and the most push-ups with 40 lb pack in one hour. Attempts at the most push-ups in 12 hours and most pull-ups in 12 hours will also take place today.

Pakistanis break world record of most number of people waving flags

LAHORE: In a week that has seen a number of records being broken, the another Guinness World Record was broken on Saturday of the most number of people waving flags.

The record was established at the opening of the Punjab Youth Festival at the jam-packed National Hockey Stadium on Saturday as a total of 56,263 enthusiasts participated in the event. The record had previously been held by Argentina where 49,850 participants waved their national flag.

Pakistani youth have established 29 world records during the ongoing Punjab Youth Festival. More than 60,000 students of different educational institutions took part in these record breaking activities.

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif graced the occasion as chief guest, while diplomats of around 14 countries, several members of National and Provincial Assemblies, Provincial Minister for Sports Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan, Sports Secretary Muhammad Khan Khichi, Sports Board Punjab (SBP) Director General Usman Anwar and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion.

“This is a big success for Pakistanis and I congratulate everyone for this great achievement,” Provincial Minister for Sports Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan said.

Mashhood also presented this year’s first Guinness World Record certificate to Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif. This certificate was awarded to Pakistani youth for breaking the record of the largest human flag. Pakistan snatched this record from Bangladesh who achieved this feat with the participation of 27,117 individuals.

“The credit goes to the management for arranging this mega event with great discipline, and the participants defying heavy rain,” said Sports Board Punjab (SBP) Director General Usman Anwar.

Indian contingent

A 81-member Indian contingent, comprising 66 athletes and 15 officials, led by Bophinder Singh arrived here Saturday for the Pakistan-India Punjab Games being held under the auspices of the Punjab Youth Festival (PYF) 2014.

Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) Madiha Rana along with officials of Sports Board Punjab (SBP) received the guests at Wahga Border.

Speaking at the occasion, Bophinder Singh thanked the people of Punjab for their warm welcome and confessed that Punjab people were really great hosts.

“We will try out best to win maximum events of Punjab Games and if we do not win, we will win the hearts of the Pakistani people,” he said.

He stressed on holding more events like this between the two neighbouring countries. “Sports create peace, harmony and good relations among countries. We are hopeful that the successful holding of Pakistan-India Punjab Games will bring the people of both the countries closer and help in strengthening our relations.”

The two-day Punjab Games, which are one of the major events of the Punjab Youth Festival (PYF) 2014, will begin March 3.

An exhibition has been organised by the Ministry of Science and Technology. Several public and private educational institutions are participating in this exhibition. Thousands of students from 47 universities will participate in this event.

Talking to media, Mashhood said that the Punjab government will continue to highlight the talents of the youth in various fields through the Punjab Youth Festival (PYF).

Rangers misconstrue disputing couple as robbers; shoot down male spouse

KARACHI: A verbal dispute in public between married couples turned fatal when Rangers personnel allegedly misconstrued it as robbery bid and opened fire on them, thus killing a male spouse, ARY News reported on Friday.

The man was identified as Zeeshan Uddin.

The incident occurred near Nagan Chowrangi (roundabout) where a couple was wildly exchanging hot words, when Rangers personnel opened fire on them, considering it as a dacoity attempt. The firing claimed live of a male spouse, sparking protest in the neighbourhood.                                       

The wife of a man was also injured in the wake of firing.  Local residents run amok after the incident and shouted slogans against the law enforcers. Nagan Chowrangi road was also blocked for traffic due to the firing. Rangers’ personnel resorted to aerial firing to disperse the protesters.                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Arrest warrant issued for Umar Akmal

LAHORE: A local sessions court on Thursday issued the arrest warrant for Pakistan cricketer Umar Akmal for violating traffic rules and scuffling with a traffic warden, DawnNews reported.

Also today, the court ordered that following his arrest, Akmal be produced before it on March 11.The court had summoned Akmal over the dispute with the traffic warden.Currently, Akmal is in Bangladesh as part of the team playing in the Asia Cup tournament.

Earlier on Feb 1, Umar was arrested after police said he did not stop at a traffic signal in Lahore’s Firdous market area and later brawled with a traffic warden. He was detained the same day and released a day later on a bail order issued by a local court against a surety bond of Rs100,000.

Umar has denied the charges, claiming he had been assaulted by the traffic warden first.

Drones Strikes: European Parliament Condemns Murder of Civilians

The European Parliament condemned the US covert drone strikes that have killed thousands of civilians in countries such as Pakistan and Yemen, legal charity Reprieve reported.

534 out of 583 MEPs voted in favour of a resolution which demands that EU Member States "do not perpetrate unlawful targeted killings or facilitate such killings by other states", and calling on them to "oppose and ban practices of extra judicial targeted killings."

According to the resolution:

"drone strikes by a State on the territory of another State without the consent of the latter constitute a violation of international law and of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of that country"

"thousands of civilians have reportedly been killed or seriously injured by drone strikes [but] these figures are difficult to estimate, owing to lack of transparency and obstacles to effective investigation"

"drone strike policies have been documented as causing considerable harm to the daily lives of ordinary civilians in the countries concerned, including deep anxiety and psychological trauma, disruption of economic and social activities and reduced access to education among affected communities."

Following the vote, countries such as the UK and Germany will be put under pressure to reveal their involvement in the US drone programme.

Green MEP and chair of the Parliament's sub-committee on human rights Barbara Lochbihler said: "The European Parliament has today raised serious concerns with the use of military drones and the deaths of thousands of civilians resulting from drone strikes.

"MEPs have delivered a strong rebuke to the practice of targeted aerial killings outside a declared war zone, as well as the use of armed drones in war situations outside of the international legal framework.

"The EU needs to address the legal, ethical and security challenges posed by the increasing use of drones, including the urgent need to secure complete transparency and accountability.

"The resolution also stresses that EU member states should strictly refrain from participating in or facilitating extrajudicial targeted killings, for instance by sharing relevant information with countries such as the US."

Reprieve also lodged a complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC) concerning the involvement of NATO member states in facilitating strikes in Pakistan.

The complaint highlighted the case of Kareem Khan, whose civilian brother and son were killed in a 2009 strike in the Waziristan area of Pakistan.

Khan, who was incarcerated and tortured just days before he was due to testify before MPs and officials, has met with with Parliamentarians from the UK, Germany and the Netherlands to discuss the impact of drone strikes in the area.

British Conservative member of European Parliament Sajjad Karim thinks more people should follow the example of the anti-drone activist and "provide a public face".

Karim welcomed people to "come and tell your story" as this will push a political debate on drones.

Reprieve wrote a letter to Foreign Secretary William Hague after British ambassador to United States suggested the Pentagon buy British-made Brimstone missile for use in its Reaper drones.

In the letter, Reprieve's executive director Clare Algar urged the government to consider the potential legal and diplomatic consequences of supplying UK-built missiles for use in such strikes.

The UK government has not yet commented on the issue.

Indian soldier kills fellow troops in Kashmir

Parrot Helps Cops Solve Murder Mystery

A talking parrot has helped Indian police crack an intriguing murder mystery and led the cops to arrest the killer.

In the western Indian city of Agra in Uttar Pradesh state, a 45-year-old woman and her pet dog were found murdered at her residence on 20 February.

The victim, Neelam Sharma, was the wife of Vijay Sharma, the editor of a Hindi daily.

The city police had been baffled by the murder mystery till Neelam's husband got a clue from the parrot, which showed a change in behaviour whenever a relative, Vijay's nephew Ashutosh, visited the house after the incident.

"During discussions too, whenever Ashutosh's name was mentioned, the parrot would start screeching. This raised my suspicion and I informed the police," Sharma told the Times of India.

Police interrogated Ashutosh and he confessed to the crime, according to the city's senior superintendent of police Shalabh Mathur.

"We checked his call details and took him in custody," Mathur was quoted as saying by the paper.

"He accepted his crime and informed us that he was accompanied by an accomplice. They had entered the house with the intention of taking away cash and other valuables," he added.

Ashutosh stabbed his aunt as he was afraid she would recognise him. He then stabbed the pet dog since it started barking.

However, the nephew failed to notice the parrot who was silently watching the crime, the police said.

Mumbai Woman Beheaded in Gory Tantrik Ritual

A 50-year-old Indian woman has been killed in a human sacrifice ritual by six people, including a tantrik, in Nalasopara, a suburb of India's commercial capital, Mumbai.

All six men have been arrested a day after the western Indian state assembly of Maharashtra passed an anti-superstition bill.

The woman, who was killed as a sacrifice, was identified as Kalavati Gupta when her son recognised her headless body in photographs.

According to The Times of India (TOI), Kalavati regularly visited Sarvajeet Kahar, who works as a technician in Air India's transport department and practised black magic at home. She was seeing Kahar for a cure for her 30-year-old paralysed son.

Kalavati's neighbour Ramdhani Yadav (33) and his brother Gulab (28), were also visiting the tantrik and were advised by him to perform a human sacrifice for health, wealth and prosperity.

The police said that the tantrik first asked for an animal sacrifice but later stressed on a human one.

"He (Kahar), however, emphasised that human sacrifice was supreme. That is when the Yadav brothers thought of sacrificing Kalavati," Thane's rural additional superintendent of police Sangramsinh Nishandar told TOI.

Gulab and Yadav, who is an auto-rickshaw owner, also included an auto driver, Shyamsunder Gupta (42), in their plan for killing Kalavati.

They lured her to a prayer session and took her to a secluded area in Nalasopara in the night. There, the trio were accompanied by the tantrik, his son Pankaj (22) and cousin Satyanarayan Gaud (48).

According to the police, auto driver Gupta first slashed Kalavati with a knife when she bent down for worship; the others followed to help him behead her.

Kahar has admitted to his crime and revealed that he has carried out another human sacrifice in the past. He also said that his father too practised black magic.

All the accused have been taken in custody for murder, destroying evidence and also booked under the sections of the anti-superstition bill.

Rashid Latif named Pakistan chief selector

Rashid Latif, the former Pakistan captain and wicketkeeper, has been named chief selector of the national team. He will replace Azhar Khan, who was named head of the selection panel for an interim period when the PCB was taken over by an eight-man management committee after Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif dissolved the board of governors on February 10. Latif will take over the role from April 1.

This is the third time in less than a month that the chief selector has been changed. Earlier, the PCB, under Zaka Ashraf, had appointed Aamer Sohail as head of the selection panel, which was immediately denounced by the new management committee under Najam Sethi and coordinate member Azhar was put in charge to select the ODI and T20 squads for the tournaments in Bangladesh.

Latif was in contention for different roles, including the head of anti-corruption department. He, though, has been given an additional responsibility to assist the board in imparting training and conducting lectures on anti-corruption matters.

"I am excited on getting associated with PCB," Latif said. "I will endeavour to build a strong team keeping in view the World Cup 2015. I will also assist PCB in whatever way I can in anti-corruption matters."

The other selectors in the selection panel are Azhar, Saleem Jaffar and Farukh Zaman. Pakistan's next assignment will be a home series against Australia in the UAE in October.

Latif played 37 Tests and 166 ODIs in a career that spanned 11 years. He last played in 2003 and since than has been engaged with the game, running a cricket academy in Karachi. He is currently working as a government graded officer - as sports head of Port Qasim Authority (also a first-class team). According to the PCB, he will join them on deputation from his parent department.

The Coming Conflict in North Waziristan : An Overview

The Obama administration will greatly reduce the number of drone strikes the United States carries out in Pakistan since Islamabad has begun peace talks with Taliban rebels, The Washington Post reported Feb. 5. The move came at Pakistan’s request as a way to help facilitate the talks between Islamabad and the Taliban rebel alliance. Despite these negotiations, both Islamabad and the Taliban know that military confrontation is unavoidable because they have very little room for compromise. The jihadists and the government are using the time bought by talks to prepare for renewed fighting, a conflict in which the jihadists have the advantage of NATO’s looming departure from neighboring Afghanistan.

Analysis

Islamabad has negotiated with the rebels at least five times since war in Pakistan’s tribal areas began a decade ago. Peace agreements designed to end militancy were signed every year from 2004 to 2009, but all failed, with violations occurring within days of their signing. The last deal, with Taliban forces in the greater Swat region, actually emboldened the jihadists to try to expand the boundaries of their so-called emirate, forcing the government to launch its biggest military offensive to date against the jihadists.

Avoiding North Waziristan

After retaking Swat from the Taliban in early 2009, the government expanded the scope of the counterjihadist campaign to South Waziristan that fall. Over the next few years Islamabad further expanded its offensive to the remaining parts of the tribal belt, with the exception of North Waziristan, which has become headquarters for numerous Pakistani and international jihadist forces.

Several factors explain Islamabad’s previous hesitance to enter North Waziristan. For one, its forces have been stretched thin between the greater Swat region and the remaining six districts of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Moreover, North Waziristan is the home of Hafiz Gul Bahadur, a key tribal warlord who has remained neutral in the fight between Islamabad and the Taliban rebels, and it is a key base of operations for the Islamabad-aligned Haqqani subgroup of the Afghan Taliban movement. Finally, Pakistan was able to rely on the United States to take the fight to the jihadists. Washington engaged in a heavy campaign of drone strikes that eventually eliminated many key foreign and local jihadists.

But despite these losses, the Taliban rebels regained their ability to stage attacks across the country, hitting high-profile military and other security targets. The military in turn began demanding the use of unprecedented force against the jihadists in recent weeks to finally move toward launching an offensive in North Waziristan. The Pakistani air force recently began pounding militant positions in North Waziristan, and thousands have fled the area in anticipation of a large-scale military operation.

Meanwhile, in Islamabad the civil and military leadership held a key meeting Jan. 23 chaired by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. In addition to the army chief and the head of the country’s powerful Inter-Services Intelligence directorate, three other key generals were present, signaling an impending all-out military assault in North Waziristan. A majority of lawmakers from the ruling Pakistan Muslim League had given their support for the use of force, only for Sharif to make a surprise announcement that a peaceful solution would be given one last chance and to appoint a four-member committee authorized to negotiate with the Taliban rebels. Though unexpected, Sharif’s decision meshes with the majority view among the public that the insurgency ought to be dealt with through talks.

Pre-Offensive Talks

This view is especially pronounced among the prime minister’s own conservative center-right constituency and from his main rival, Imran Khan, whose right-wing nationalist Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf party governs Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. Sharif’s move to appoint a four-person team of negotiators to meet with the jihadists is his way of demonstrating that he is seriously trying to resolve matters peacefully.

The committee is chaired by Sharif’s adviser on national affairs, Irfan Siddiqui; a key former official from Inter-Services Intelligence, Maj. Amir Shah; former Pakistani Ambassador to Afghanistan Rustam Shah Mohmand; and prominent journalist Rahimullah Yousafzai. The chair of the committee obviously represents the interests of the Sharif government, and Yousafzai has been selected for being one of the most senior experts on the cross-border Taliban and wider jihadist phenomenon. Mohmand is a key member of Khan’s party and has sympathies for the Taliban. Amir Shah is perhaps the most interesting member of the team, since during the late 1980s and early 1990s he served as station chief, when he had a reputation for being an extremely professional operative. Even so, he ultimately was dismissed from the military after differences with several army commanders and intelligence bosses.

Amir Shah likely was not chosen for his past experience as a one-time prominent ISI player, but rather for his family connections, which include close links with the Taliban. He is the son of a prominent religious figure, Maulana Muhammad Tahir, who established the Salafi Panjpir madrassa and whose students include prominent Afghan and Pakistani jihadist leaders. These leaders include the current chief of the Taliban rebel alliance, Mullah Fazlullah, who used to head the Swat Taliban movement before the 2009 army action. Amir Shah’s brother succeeded their father, currently leads the madrassa and maintains close ties to the Taliban and other ultraconservative religious forces.

Even so, the committee is unlikely to make much headway with the Taliban. The members of the Taliban committee strongly suggest that the Taliban are not seriously seeking compromise but rather are manipulating the talks to advance their position — as is the government. States negotiate with armed non-state actors to moderate the latter and bring them into the mainstream. In the case of Pakistan and its Taliban rebels, the non-state actors are not interested in moderation; they are interested in radically altering the nature of the republic.

Instead of appointing a committee of their own that will negotiate with the government’s team, the Tehrik-i-Taliban announced a team composed of Khan; Maulana Sami ul-Haq, the head of a prominent Deobandi madrassa and leader of a small Islamist party; Mohammed Ibrahim Khan, a prominent Islamist academic from the country’s most organized Islamist party, Jamaat-i-Islami; Mufti Kifayatullah, a key figure in Pakistan’s largest Islamist party, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam; Fazlur Rehman; and Maulana Abdul Aziz, the former imam of the Red Mosque who was arrested during the army action to storm it in 2007.

Khan and Kifayatullah declined the offer, but the remaining three accepted. That both committees contain many members sympathetic to the Taliban gives the jihadists ample room to manipulate the talks by exploiting the existing differences within the political mainstream. Already, the Taliban have an advantage in that they have been able to skillfully exploit public sentiment on issues like Islam, Pakistani nationalism and Muslim geopolitics. Separately, the Taliban have appointed a 10-member committee of their top commanders that will oversee the talks on behalf of the movement’s leadership. Thus, a complex web of committees has emerged that will prevent any serious talks from taking place.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Islamists believe they could gain from the talks, as do their right-wing allies. With the exception of the 2002 elections, which were engineered by the then-Musharraf regime to keep the mainstream parties out, the Islamists have never done well at the ballot box. Their involvement along with other religious groups in the current talks could elevate their standing while increasing state dependence on them. The Taliban see this as a positive development, as it would enhance their pool of potential supporters and create a social environment conducive to their political demands.

For their part, Islamist parties and religious groups see threats and opportunities in the Taliban’s rise. The threat arises from the fact that in matter of just a few years, the jihadists have overtaken them in terms of influence despite their much longer history. The government’s decision to negotiate with the Taliban could further marginalize them. By inserting themselves in the middle of these talks, these Islamist and religious forces seek to not just prevent their marginalization but also hope to make up for their electoral shortcomings.

The opportunity lies in the chance that the Taliban could enter the political mainstream (despite maintaining a militant presence) and subsequently join forces with the Islamists and other religious elements to undermine Pakistan’s non-Islamist political forces, which still dominate Pakistani politics.

Hopes aside, the Islamist middlemen are unlikely to benefit regardless of the outcome of the Taliban insurgency. Should the state prevail over the Taliban, there would be no change in the status of these groups. And should the Taliban insurgency succeed, they will always be subordinate to the jihadists.

Afghanistan and North Waziristan

Islamabad fears the drawdown of Western forces from neighboring Afghanistan as much as the Pakistani Taliban look forward to it for the same reason, namely because this will give the Pakistani jihadists the strategic depth with which to advance their insurgency in Pakistan. The jihadists therefore want to drag talks out until Afghanistan becomes chaotic enough again for them to exploit the vacuum. The vacuum in Afghanistan will be hastened by the political transition in Kabul, where President Hamid Karzai will leave office after elections in April.

The government is well aware of the Pakistani Taliban’s intentions. It, too, is pessimistic about the prospects of a negotiated settlement. But it hopes to use the talks to exploit divisions within the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, perhaps rendering it a more manageable entity. The chances of this happening, however, are far less than the reverse, in which the Taliban can seek to exploit the fault lines within the state and society. Islamabad also wants to establish that the government did its best to avoid war, but was left with no choice because the jihadists were not willing to compromise and join the national mainstream.

The Pakistani leadership knows that between the domestic insurgency and the one that will intensify next door once NATO forces draw down, they are looking at a long and brutal war. Part of the preparation for the coming battle is to make sure that the sizable chunk of the public that has been ambivalent and even opposed to the use of force realize that the government had no other option, particularly since the Taliban are gearing up their war machine to inflict as much damage in the core areas of the country as possible.