The Londoner

By Sikander Hayat United States has declared that at the end of 2014, its army footprint in Afghanistan will be negli gi ble, contained in the designated bases and mostly in training capacity. American army will still have air cover, in case they get attacked by the rebels. At the same time, in theory at least, Afghanistan should have a new president as Hamid Karzai has already nearly completed his two allowed terms. What new alliance would bring about that new president is still to be seen. A ticket with a Pa shtun as president and a Tajik as vice president will have the most chance of winning and will be a stable choice. Anything else will make matters worse especially if Karzai tried to bring forward his own family members or loyalist to the fore. Provided the former scenario takes hold, a stable government is achieved and America leaves as promised, there is a good chance that Afghanistan despite its nascent state and infrastructure will be able to cope with t

T he Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government on Thursday announced it would hold the long due local bodies (LB) polls on party basis in April next year. However, critics in opposition as well as within the ruling People’s Party were sceptical about the seriousness of the government in this regard, recalling a similar two-year old proclamation. “The People’s Party government has decided to hold local bodies elections after 22 years under the previous (LB) system in order to transfer powers at the grassroots level and solidity of democracy and democratic institutions,” said Chaudhry Mohammad Yasin , AJK’s senior minister for local government and rural development (LG&RD). “The local governments coming into existence as a result of LB polls will address concerns of people regarding civic amenities without any delay besides serving as nurseries for democracy,” he said. The last LB polls were held in AJK in 1991 during the Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan led Muslim Conference gov

By Sikander Hayat Azad Kashmir borders the Indian-controlled state of Jammu and Kashmir to the east Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province to the west, Gilgit Baltistan to the north, and Pakistan's Punjab Province to the south. With its capital at Muzaffarabad , Azad Jammu and Kashmir covers an area of 13,297 square kilometres (5,134 sq mi) and has an estimated population of about four million. In October 1947, Azad Kashmir was liberated from India. Azad Kashmir Day is celebrated in Azad Jammu and Kashmir on October 24, which is the day that the Azad Jammu and Kashmir government was created in 1947. Pakistan has celebrated Kashmir Solidarity Day on February 5 of each year since 1990 as a day of protest against India 's de facto sovereignty over its State of Jammu and Kashmir .That day is a national holiday in Pakistan. Azad Jammu and Kashmir is predominantly Muslim. The majority of the population is culturally, linguistically, and ethnically related to the people o

By Sikander Hayat Appointing Mullah Fazallulah as the chief of of TTP was a very calculated move by Taliban to convey the message to Pakistan that they are not going to negotiate. It is time that Pakistan has a clear policy with respect to Taliban, Afghanistan & India. It is now very clear that intelligence agencies like RAW , NDS & CIA are all now working together to undermine Pakistan & keep it unstable in the medium to long term. Indian establishment has been successful in keeping Pakistan busy in Waziristan & other parts of FATA and keep their attention away from Kashmir . Also, India is waging a dirty war in Baluchistan against the Pakistani state & its civilians. Indian intelligence is waging a proxy war in Waziristan & Balochistan by funding the terrorist groups like that of Mullah Fazallulah who is known as the butcher of Swat . On one hand, India talks about resolving the Kashmir issue & on the other, they are backstabbing Pakista

By  JACKIE CALMES  and  JONATHAN WEISMAN DALLAS — President Obama strongly defended his signature health care law on Wednesday in the largest state that has refused to participate, as rattled Senate Democrats called for changing or delaying key parts of the new health coverage. Against a backdrop of closer-than-expected election results in Virginia that some attributed to opposition to the health law, Mr. Obama again expressed regret for the troubles at the federal website that have prevented many people from enrolling for insurance. But he said the Texas government — by refusing to take federal funds and expand Medicaid eligibility — had left more than a million people uninsured. He promised to get problems with the health program fixed. “As challenging as this may seem sometimes, as frustrating as HealthCare.gov may be sometimes, we are going to get this done,” Mr. Obama told about 150 volunteers and paid navigators helping in enrollment who had gathered to meet him

By   EDWARD WONG BEIJING — For almost two years, hackers based in Shanghai went after one foreign defense contractor after another, at least 20 in all. Their target, according to an American cybersecurity company that monitored the attacks, was the technology behind the United States’ clear lead in military drones . “I believe this is the largest campaign we’ve seen that has been focused on drone technology,” said Darien Kindlund, manager of threat intelligenc e at the company,  FireEye , based in California . “It seems to align pretty well with the focus of the Chinese government to build up their own drone technology capabilities.” The hacking operation, conducted by a group called “Comment Crew,” was one of the most recent signs of the ambitions of China’s drone development program. The government and military are striving to put China at  the forefront of drone manufacturing , for their own use and for export, and have made an all-out push to gather domestic and intern

( Associated Press ) - In this Saturday, Sept. 9, 2013 photo, people argue with Indian policemen during curfew hours following riots and clashes between two communities in Muzaffarnagar, in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Hundreds of troops have been deployed to quell deadly riots and clashes between Hindus and Muslims sparked by the killing of three villagers who had objected when a young woman was being harassed in northern India. Nine people were killed, including an Indian broadcast journalist and a police photographer, when the two groups set upon each other with guns and knives in Kawal village, in the state of Uttar Pradesh, police said Sunday. LUCKNOW, India — Hundreds of troops have been deployed to quell deadly riots and clashes between Hindus and Muslims sparked by the killing of three villagers who had objected when a young woman was being harassed in northern India. Police said 19 people were killed, including an Indian broadcast journalist, a police photogra