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US-Pak talks fail as America angry over attacks in Kabul
US and Taliban ‘resume’ talks
Pak’s ISI claims it tipped off CIA on Osama hideout
Inclusion of Rushdie books spark protests at Pak varsity
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Jindal: Won’t run as Romney’s deputy
Thousands rally for poll reforms in Malaysia
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US-Pak talks fail as America angry over attacks in Kabul
New York, April 28 Marc Grossman, the US special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan left Islamabad yesterday with no agreement after two days of discussions aimed at patching up the damage caused by American airstrikes last November that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers, the New York Times reported. Pakistan had demanded an unconditional apology from the US over the incident, but the talks ended in failure, as the White House, “angered by the recent spectacular Taliban attacks in Afghanistan, refuses to apologise,” it said. The US and Pakistan insist that they are ready to patch up and restore an uneasy alliance that at its best offers support for American efforts in Afghanistan as well as the battle against some extremist groups operating from Pakistan, it said. The administration had been seriously debating whether to say “sorry” to the Pakistanis’ satisfaction. However, things changed on April 15 when multiple, simultaneous attacks struck Kabul and other Afghan cities. “What changed was the 15th of April,” said a senior administration official in the report. American military and intelligence officials concluded the attacks came at the direction of Haqqani network, a group working from North Waziristan in Pakistan’s tribal belt. “That confirmed longstanding American mistrust about Pakistani intentions - a poison that infects nearly every other aspect of the strained relationship. That swung the raging debate on whether Obama or another senior American should go beyond the expression of regret that the administration had already given, and apologise,” the report said. Pakistani officials have said in the absence of an apology, they cannot reopen NATO supply routes into Afghanistan that have been closed since November. In turn, Americans are withholding between $1.18 billion and $3 billion of military aid. The continuing deadlock also does not bode well for Pakistan’s attendance at a NATO meeting in Chicago next month assuming it is even invited. Obama administration officials said the stalemate would not be resolved quickly. “This is the beginning of the re-engagement conversation,” Victoria Nuland, the State Department spokeswoman, said in Washington. “We’re going to have to work through these issues, and it’s going to take some time.” In an US election year, an American apology appears problematic given the Republican pressures on Obama and the hostility of a Congress with little patience for Pakistan. “The politics of election year in both countries are slowing down the resolution of admittedly vexed issues in an environment of persistent mistrust,” said Maleeha Lodhi, a former Pakistani ambassador to Washington. According to new details about the attacks emerging in the past two weeks, some fighters were smuggled into Afghanistan over time and in small numbers, many may were brought in from Pakistan only a couple of days before the attacks, said a senior American military officer in Afghanistan. The reopening of NATO supply lines is important for the United States military to support troops currently in Afghanistan, as well as to help withdraw tons of weapons out troops begin to withdraw in 2014. — PTI
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Islamabad, April 28 The two sides are sticking to “hard conditions” during the initial rounds of the talks, senior unnamed Taliban leaders were quoted as saying by The News daily. The Taliban had opened an office in Qatar on January 3 and named it their “diplomatic office” for talks with the US. A five-member Taliban delegation led by Tayyab Agha, the brother-in-law and spokesman for Afghan Taliban supreme commander Mullah Mohammad Omar, travelled to Qatar three weeks ago and held two rounds of talks with US officials, the Taliban leaders said. Maulvi Shahabuddin Dilawar, a former Taliban envoy to Saudi Arabia, is another member of the delegation. However, the Taliban leaders said they were not expecting any “immediate breakthroughs” in the ongoing talks. The Taliban leaders said the Afghan Foreign Minister failed to meet the Taliban delegation during a recent visit to Qatar. “The Taliban and Americans wanted Pakistan to be included in the talks while the Afghan government opposed Pakistan’s participation. “The Afghan Foreign Minister did not want the Taliban office in Qatar to have legal status to develop contacts with the international community,” one Taliban leader said. The last round of talks with the US had annoyed some Taliban factions and commanders, the leaders said. A meeting of top commanders was held in Afghanistan before the delegation left for Qatar and it approved the holding of negotiations with the US. At the same time, the commanders decided to continue their fight against foreign troops and the Afghan government. "Besides others, Mullah Omar wasn't happy holding talks with the US in Qatar. "This time though he and other Taliban leaders approved the talks with the US by arguing that negotiations were part of the war effort," a senior Taliban leader was quoted as saying. The last round of talks was limited to the exchange of prisoners but the US and Afghan governments began asking the Taliban to announce a ceasefire before any prisoner swap, the leader said.
— PTI
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Pak’s ISI claims it tipped off CIA on Osama hideout
Washington, April 28 “The lead and the information actually came from US,” a senior official of the Inter-Services Intelligence told Washington Post, in what the paper said was a push for recognition ahead of the anniversary of the stealth raid that killed bin Laden. The official claimed that it was ISI which had provided the CIA with a cellphone number that eventually led to an Al-Qaida courier Abu Ahmad al-Kuwaiti, the paper said. “Any hit on Al-Qaida anywhere in the world as happened with our help,” the official said. “They knew who the number belonged to,” the official said, adding that he had worked closely with the CIA and turned over thousands of suspect numbers. “But after that, their cooperation with us ended.” “It is the story of an extreme trust deficit and betrayal,” the official lamented. But the Post said that US officials disputed the ISI version. “The fact is, our knowledge of the number didn’t come from them telling us about it,” the paper quoted US officials as saying. —
PTI
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Inclusion of Rushdie books spark protests at Pak varsity
Islamabad, April 28 Protests have been planned at the University of Peshawar’s campus and elsewhere in the northwestern Pakistani city, which is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, following the inclusion of the books by the Department of English and Applied Linguistics. A proposal was submitted to the dean of the faculty of arts and humanities for approval by the Academic Council of the university, ‘The News’ reported today. The Academic Council, which met recently with the acting Vice Chancellor Qibla Ayaz in the chair, approved the proposal “without even discussing it,” the report said. It further said that the students planned the protests as they considered Rushdie a “notorious blasphemer”. A member of the Academic Council expressed ignorance about the matter. He said that the Academic Council had met after three years and the body had a lot of things to do. “We could do nothing but approve each and everything. This also must have been approved without discussion,” the unnamed official told the daily. Earlier this year, cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan decided not to attend an event in India after learning that Rushdie would be present too. — PTI
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Jindal: Won’t run as Romney’s deputy
Houston, April 28 Jindal has just been elected to a second term as Governor of Louisiana and said he isn’t interested in running as Mitt Romney’s vice presidential candidate. But, he said he would put in all efforts behind the Romney campaign to get him elected. “I’ve got the job that I want,” said Jindal, noting that he is just beginning to tackle retirement reform in his state and has other goals to accomplish. Though opting to stay out of the race, Jindal made a sharp attack on President Barack Obama, charging him with leading America toward a European socialist-type government. He warned that America’s energy sector would see “continued hostility” if President Barack Obama is re-elected. “You already see it in the first term,” Jindal said. Jindal’s comments came during a town meeting on Thursday with representatives from 17 energy companies, raising money for Utah Governor Gary Herbert’s re-election campaign. — PTI
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Thousands rally for poll reforms in Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur, April 28 The police resorted to firing tear gas and spraying water cannon after a group of demonstrators broke through a barrier at the barricaded Independence Square defying a ban to hold the rally at the venue. At least 25,000 demonstrators gathered to take part in the opposition backed rally. Some online news portals said there were at least 80,000 to 100,000 people present. —
PTI
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The department’s faculty board had approved Rushdie’s ‘Midnight’s Children’ and ‘Shame’ as additional courses for MPhil and PhD.
