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  • Trump's not a neo-con. The Americans are tapped out already and wish the rest of the world would just go to hell and leave them alone.

    But this is a significant admission given how much we hear analysts saying this is the big bogey the americans are afraid of.

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    • Americans prepare early on for the worst possible scenarios. I'm glad he admitted it, bursting the bubble that made the rounds of FP circles in capitals around the world about, how scary a Pakistani nuke falling in the wrong hands might be. Well, FAYI, Pakistani nukes are already in the wrong hands, and no, America is not afraid of this scenario. They sit 1000s of miles away and Pak is ages before any Pak missile can reach the US. The day of a Pak missile reaching Washington D.C. would never probably come. And, I didn't say I don't like Bolton.
      Last edited by Oracle; 14 Sep 18,, 19:22.
      Politicians are elected to serve...far too many don't see it that way - Albany Rifles! || Loyalty to country always. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it - Mark Twain! || I am a far left millennial!

      Comment


      • The Russians are doing their big exercise in Siberia, Trump's put a hold on NATO big exercises. See, how he engaged with Kim.

        Trump senses there is ZERO appetite for any war, no invasions and this is why he keeps things cool with Putin.

        He's out if ever he so much as signs up for any foreign adventures. As it is he wanted nothing to do with Afghanistan.

        This is why the America first line. Forget the world, worry about home.

        So i don't think Bolton has much scope for any mischief with this administration. He knows it even if his detractors still think its 2003
        Last edited by Double Edge; 14 Sep 18,, 19:32.

        Comment


        • Yeah. But rumor has it that President Trump wanted to invade Venezuela, and his closest advisors advised him against it. The thing is Trump is not the most intelligent of the lot, he is lucky to be surrounded by people who are. Then again I remain in doubt about his tweets about Pakistan. He doesn't have itchy fingers, so there must be convergence of issues related to Pak, some of who in his administration believes in punishing. It's difficult to predict in which direction American FP is moving nowadays or whether anything of those already on the cards will bear fruit. This administration will fizzle out like a soda can or something big will happen.
          Politicians are elected to serve...far too many don't see it that way - Albany Rifles! || Loyalty to country always. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it - Mark Twain! || I am a far left millennial!

          Comment


          • Originally posted by Oracle View Post
            Then again I remain in doubt about his tweets about Pakistan. He doesn't have itchy fingers, so there must be convergence of issues related to Pak, some of who in his administration believes in punishing.
            What are these doubts ?

            It's difficult to predict in which direction American FP is moving nowadays or whether anything of those already on the cards will bear fruit. This administration will fizzle out like a soda can or something big will happen.
            Never mind predictions, just follow what he says and whether he walks that talk. I don't see any contradictions so far. This guy really talks striaght

            When it comes to following up he's been reliable unless other organs of govt stop him.

            Comment


            • Originally posted by Double Edge View Post
              What are these doubts ?
              That Pak does nothing against terrorists and is basically a freeloader. Hell hasn't rained the way it should have.
              Politicians are elected to serve...far too many don't see it that way - Albany Rifles! || Loyalty to country always. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it - Mark Twain! || I am a far left millennial!

              Comment


              • Pakistan action against terror funding not satisfactory: FATF body | IE | Sept 17 2018

                Almost three months after Pakistan was placed on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list for failing to curb terror funding, Pakistan’s recent action against terror financing, particularly on the “legal” front, was found to be “unsatisfactory”, according to a review by the Asia Pacific Policy Group (APPG).

                The APPG examines cases of all countries on the grey and black lists and reports to the FATF.

                Official sources said that a review held on September 11-12 in Jakarta observed that “not much has been achieved by Pakistan, especially on the legal side (like freezing of assets, attachment of funds, militant groups infrastructures etc).”

                The APPG also reviewed Pakistan on its compliance with the 26-point action plan, which Islamabad, in February this year, had submitted to the FATF to choke the funding of militants groups, including Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed-led Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and its affiliates.

                The development, officials said, comes as a major setback for newly elected Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was hoping that the inter-governmental body will be lenient in the review given Islamabad’s commitment to the 26-point action plan spanning over a period of 15 months.

                APPG, according to official sources, will report the unsatisfactory performance by Pakistan to the FATF, at its plenary in Paris in October 2018.

                Sources also said that another review for Pakistan will be held in December this year following which a final evaluation report will be prepared. “For Pakistan, the first deadline is January 2019 failing which they may face more heat. By then, Pakistan will have to publish updated lists of persons and entities proscribed under the Anti-Terrorism Act and the UN-designated entities,” the official explained.

                Being on the grey list may hurt Pakistan’s economy as well as its international standing as it faces the risk of being downgraded by multilateral lenders like the IMF, World Bank, ADB etc. And further, reduction in risk-rating by Moodys, S&P and Fitch, which may lead to a fall in the stock market, said the official.

                The process to include Pakistan in the list began in February 2018 when the FATF approved the nomination for monitoring under its International Cooperation Review Group (ICRG) commonly known as Grey List. The resolution against Pakistan was moved by the US which says Islamabad is not doing enough to comply with anti-terrorist financing and anti-money laundering regulations.

                New Delhi has been lobbying hard with the US for the monitoring of Pakistan while highlighting the funding of terrorist activities. India in the past also shared dossiers and evidence regarding the involvement of Pakistan’s officials on deputation at missions in India and elsewhere in peddling fake currency and planning attacks on Indian assets on foreign soil.

                “We had highlighted Islamabad’s complicity in funding foreign terror networks at various international fora,” said a senior government official.

                Pakistan was on the watch-list between 2012 and 2015 as well but only for money laundering. FATF is an inter-governmental body established in 1989 to set standards and promote effective implementation of legal, regulatory and operational measures to combat money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system.

                Comment


                • A reminder: Pakistan’s efforts in the war on terror

                  Paks getting desperate. Nobody knows her, the ISI propaganda department is using her to write articles for abduls inside Pak.

                  Check this.

                  She writes articles and then asks why On The Matter Of Kashmir. How about doing a basic research, first. People in contact with Paks find out soon enough about Karma catching up with them.
                  Last edited by Oracle; 20 Sep 18,, 05:59.
                  Politicians are elected to serve...far too many don't see it that way - Albany Rifles! || Loyalty to country always. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it - Mark Twain! || I am a far left millennial!

                  Comment


                  • In a recent form of twisted tribute to the 9/11 anniversary, Bill Maher, host of Real Time on HBO (air date 9/14/2018) brought up “the legacy [of] the war in Afghanistan… which is still going on…” Maher claimed he’s always been against America becoming “an empire” yet seemed to rationalise America having “14,000 troops next to Pakistan which has nuclear weapons.”
                    I see, so that's what the Americans are really doing in Afghanistan. Preparing to invade for the day when Pakistan falls to the terrorists. Interesting : D

                    the ISI propaganda department is using her to write articles for abduls inside Pak.
                    For what purpose ? Shouldn't she be getting published in western outlets. What good is telling Paks her govt is getting it wrong.

                    The world needs to be reminded that Pakistan has made many sacrifices in a war it did not ask for, nor did it initiate. The movie, Charlie Wilsons’s War, speaks to America’s battle against the Soviets for territorial gain and in the process left Afghanistan, and much of its basic infrastructure decimated. America spent billions of dollars destroying the region but practically nothing to rebuild, forcing millions of Afghan refugees to flee to Pakistan where, according to UNHCR reports, approximately 1.38 million registered and one million unregistered remain sheltered to this day.
                    She's gone back to the war against the Soviets, to skewer the Americans one which Pakistan willingly participated in.


                    She writes articles and then asks why On The Matter Of Kashmir. How about doing a basic research, first. People in contact with Paks find out soon enough about Karma catching up with them.
                    This article was rejected by a Pak news outlet, let's see why

                    I'll start by saying: many attempts to "shed light" on this long-standing dispute between Pakistan and India, wind up obfuscating the matter even further. Most Westerners have no idea what the hell is actually going on in the region, much less why the feud has lasted SO long, and our meager attempts to read lengthy diatribes issued from either side wind up being tossed aside as theatrical – almost Ecclesiastical – rhetoric. Which, for many of us, reminds us of long-winded Sunday sermons, where the preacher issued warnings of hell fire and damnation if we didn't heed God's word... followed up by not-so-subtle reminders to fill up the donation basket on the way out. You can almost hear our eyes rolling into the backs of their sockets, as it relates to anything involving this dispute. And because this is such a lengthy matter, my research will be reflected in several posts that – hopefully– won't cause the reader to slip into the arms of morpheus for a long nap.
                    haha! She trashed their rhetoric ( and ours by extension) in that one para : D

                    This effort is an attempt to share what little tidbits of information I've gleaned from my travels across Pakistan, including remote areas such as FATA, GB, Baluchistan and Kashmir. And – for the record – since I have NOT traveled to Indian side of Kashmir as of yet (or what some Pakistanis call IOK - Indian Occupied Kashmir) I welcome an opportunity to do so, so that I may more accurately shed however dim a light on a region pockmarked with chronic conflict. And to clarify, I am not advocating for Kashmir to join either side; my goal is to convey a layman's objective perspective, and lend a voice to the Kashmiri people. I've traveled India as well – albeit not as extensively – and, frankly, I don't see much difference between the two nations - they are, in my eyes, neighbors in the same community. Same background, colourful histories, similar methodologies in disputes, battles (yes, I've read a few books on Indo-Pak military history, and spoken to more than a few military professionals, retired and active duty).
                    So she is willing to listen to our side but hasn't had the opportunity to do so. What ? she wants to hear our side of the story. I wonder if she will be allowed to go there. We don't generally allow foreigners to visit these areas for their own safety. If you are pro-separatist you're ok, anything else and you're dead.

                    So please take my perspective as a lover of world travel, history, immersive cultural experiences, and perhaps with a bit of humour. I am a trained mediator and, so, my aim is to help reduce conflict and increase communication. To be clear, my aim is NOT to take sides unless/if/when I have an opportunity to hear India's side and visit Indian held Kashmir; and even if that did happen, my goal would be to tell the story of the people – the Kashmiris caught in a decades-long cross-fire.
                    Fine : D

                    One of the few differences between the two nations is that I am more likely to find delicious gobi naan in India versus Pakistan, and my beloved doodh patti in Pakistan rather than India. Ok, maybe it's not as easy as that, but I truthfully see more in common, rather than differences, between the peoples; and – privately – military professionals on both sides have expressed regret at previous wars, and often express remorse waging war against their neighbours.
                    Another faux pas, she is saying Pakistan has more in common with India. She isn't doing the ISI's bidding here, is she.

                    First, as a neophyte to this whole matter, I think it's important to acknowledge that India, in fact, originally approached the United Nations' President of the Security Council to resolve this matter in a letter dated 1 January, 1948. Pakistan's Minister of Foreign Affairs would subsequently write a letter on 15 January, 1948. For some strange reason, I found it surprising that India initiated this matter; I'm not entirely sure why I was surprised, but I was.
                    Yes, funny that for a cause that Pakistan has been espousing for seventy years, it was India thanks to Nehru that first brought this to the attention of the UN.

                    Too bad, General Thimmaya said he'd have the whole place in a couple of weeks. Nehru ran to the UN instead

                    Nothing objectionable here : )
                    Last edited by Double Edge; 20 Sep 18,, 22:19.

                    Comment


                    • I take it that you enjoyed the article.
                      Politicians are elected to serve...far too many don't see it that way - Albany Rifles! || Loyalty to country always. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it - Mark Twain! || I am a far left millennial!

                      Comment


                      • Originally posted by Oracle View Post
                        I take it that you enjoyed the article.
                        The Kashmir one, yes

                        I seriously doubt we'd let her get any where near Kashmir. We don't need an american hostage or worse. As it is, the Americans roll their eyes non-stop when their nationals get caught in trouble spots. Like that family that got kidnapped and recently released thanks to Pak 'cooperation'

                        Thought Afghanistan would make a nice holiday to take the family, seriously ....
                        Last edited by Double Edge; 20 Sep 18,, 22:27.

                        Comment


                        • Pakistan’s effort to end terrorist financing remains uneven: US

                          WASHINGTON: As the new government in Islamabad starts work on addressing the concerns related to money laundering and terror financing, a US State Department report released on Thursday said that Pakistan criminalised terrorist financing through the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), but its implementation remained uneven.

                          Pakistan is a member of the Asia Pacific Group on Money Laundering — a Financial Action Task Force (FATF)-style regional body. In June, the Paris-based FATF placed Pakistan on its grey list of countries that could be marked out for economic sanctions if they failed to prevent terrorists from collecting funds within their domain.

                          The official US report — released with the State Department’s country reports on terrorism — also highlights FATF’s concerns about Pakistan.

                          The FATF continued to note concern that Pakistan’s outstanding gaps in the implementation of the UN Security Council ISIL (Daesh) and Al Qaida sanctions regime have not been resolved, and that UN-listed entities — including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and its affiliates — were not effectively prohibited from raising funds in Pakistan, nor being denied financial services,” the report points out.

                          Last month, Finance Minister Asad Umar told the Senate that FATF had given Pakistan 15 months to comply with these requirements. The minister said FATF had identified 27 deficiencies in the Pakistani financial system, including “currency smuggling, hawala and terror financing of proscribed organisations”.

                          The minister had told the house that the government would be addressing all the objections raised not only to satisfy the international community but also because it was in Pakistan’s own interest to get rid of terror financing and terrorism.

                          The US State Department in its report acknowledged that Pakistan’s laws technically comply with international anti-money laundering/countering the financing of terrorism standards, but added that Pakistani authorities “failed to uniformly implement UN sanctions related to designated entities and individuals such as LeT and its affiliates, which continued to make use of economic resources and raise funds”.

                          The report also refers to a Nov 2017 decision of the Lahore High Court which refused to extend the detention of LeT founder Hafiz Saeed as it judged the government had not provided sufficient evidence against him nor had it charged Hafiz Saeed with a crime.

                          The US report also examines the National Action Plan that the PML-N government gave to FATF in June this year, noting that the plan contains efforts to prevent and counter terrorist financing, including by enhancing interagency coordination.

                          The law designates the use of unlicensed hundi and hawala systems as predicate offences to terrorism and also requires banks to report suspicious transactions to Pakistan’s financial intelligence unit, the State Bank’s Financial Monitoring Unit.

                          The US State Department, however, notes that throughout 2017 “these unlicensed money transfer systems persisted throughout the country and were open to abuse by terrorist financiers operating in the cross-border area”.

                          Reviewing Pakistan’s efforts to fight terrorism, the report notes that Pakistan continued to experience significant terrorist threats in 2017, although the number of attacks and casualties decreased from previous years.

                          The report also identifies several major terrorist groups focused on conducting attacks in Pakistan, including the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, Jamaatul Ahrar, and the sectarian group Lashkar-i-Jhangvi al-Alami.

                          The report also mentions groups located in Pakistan, but focused on conducting attacks outside the country, included the Afghan Taliban, Haqqani network, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM).

                          The reports notes that in 2017, the terrorists used a range of tactics — stationary and vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices, suicide bombings, targeted assassinations, and rocket-propelled grenades — to attack individuals, schools, markets, government institutions and places of worship.

                          The report also notes that the Pakistani government and military continued high-profile efforts to disrupt terrorist attacks and eliminate anti-state militants. “Progress, however, remained slow on the government’s efforts to implement UN sanctions related to designated entities and enforce anti-money laundering/countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) controls.”

                          The State Department also said that the Pakistani government pledged support to political reconciliation between the Afghan government and the Afghan Taliban but “did not restrict the Afghan Taliban and Haqqani network from operating in Pakistan-based safe havens and threatening US and Afghan forces in Afghanistan”.

                          The government, the report added, also failed to “significantly limit” LeT and JeM from openly raising money, recruiting and training in Pakistan — although the Elections Commission of Pakistan refused to allow a LeT-affiliated group to register as a political party.
                          Politicians are elected to serve...far too many don't see it that way - Albany Rifles! || Loyalty to country always. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it - Mark Twain! || I am a far left millennial!

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                          • IMF request for CPEC contract details declined
                            Politicians are elected to serve...far too many don't see it that way - Albany Rifles! || Loyalty to country always. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it - Mark Twain! || I am a far left millennial!

                            Comment


                            • Pakistan urges US to resume aid

                              WASHINGTON: Pakistan has pledged to support negotiations with the Taliban to end Afghanistan’s 17-year war as it asked the United States to restore military aid and stop blaming Islamabad for the extremists’ strengths.

                              Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi visited Washington to explain the Afghanistan strategy of Prime Minister Imran Khan, who has long advocated talks over military action with the Taliban and other insurgents.

                              A month after Washington cut $300 million in military aid, Qureshi said he found Secretary of State Mike Pompeo “ready to listen” to Pakistan and said he was returning to Islamabad “slightly more hopeful” than before. Qureshi said Pakistan would act “in good faith” to jumpstart diplomacy with the Taliban, whose representatives held a breakthrough meeting in July in Qatar with US representatives in a tentative bid to try to end the longest-running US war.

                              “Pakistan is willing and Pakistan will use all its influence to do that. We feel that Afghanistan’s stability and peace are linked to ours,” Qureshi said at the US Institute of Peace a day after meeting Pompeo.

                              But he added: “Contrary to the largely held view here, our influence on the Taliban is diminished.” He said he believed that the Taliban’s shift to negotiations, as well as an unprecedented if temporary ceasefire, was based on the militants’ own calculations.

                              “Even the Taliban recognise that things have changed in Afghanistan. They can at best maintain a stalemate but those days are gone when they will just go in and take over Kabul.”

                              Qureshi said Pakistan “cannot and should not be held responsible for the failures in Afghanistan” as he pointed to disunity in the Kabul government as well as corruption. “I have seen or read a lot of criticism and think it’s unfair not to recognise the contributions Pakistan has made to the successes that you’ve had in Afghanistan – and you’ve had successes despite the challenges,” he said.

                              Calling for renewed cooperation with the United States, Qureshi said: “Cutting off training, not giving precision equipment that could have been used against terrorism — I don’t know to what extent that will help.” Trump had called for years for a withdrawal from Afghanistan, questioning what more can be achieved from a war that has claimed about 2,400 US lives, but the real estate mogul turned politician decided to stay the course after advice from security officials.

                              Pompeo, who met PM Imran in Islamabad last month, told Qureshi that Pakistan has an “important role” to play in Afghanistan negotiations, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said. Pompeo “agreed that there was momentum to advance the Afghan peace process, and that the Afghan Taliban should seize the opportunity for dialogue,” Nauert said.

                              The State Department notably did not say whether Pompeo addressed Pakistan’s position on extremism. Qureshi said that the relations between Pakistan and the United States have witnessed a significant headway under the present government.
                              Politicians are elected to serve...far too many don't see it that way - Albany Rifles! || Loyalty to country always. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it - Mark Twain! || I am a far left millennial!

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                              • Top comment on that page says it all

                                The sources said the government was under no obligation to provide details of the CPEC contracts to a third party

                                The CPEC deals are open and transparent,” said Noor Ahmad, a spokesman for the Ministry of Finance.
                                And Pakistanis wonder why no one believes them

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