Intelligence shift shows change in Afghan war aims

WASHINGTON - 26th June 2011

Military intelligence officers were scrambling a year ago to collect and analyze the social, economic and tribal ins and outs of each valley and hamlet in Afghanistan. This information wasn’t the kind of secret or covert material many military intelligence specialists were used to. But it was seen as crucial to helping commanders tell the good guys from the bad, learn what Afghans really needed from their government and undermine the Taliban-led insurgency by winning hearts and minds over time. Since last fall, top intelligence leaders in Afghanistan shifted their focus back to targeting the enemy in the more traditional way, by mapping their networks and analyzing what made the Taliban tick. They didn’t stop collecting the other information. But their goal now was helping tell commanders what they needed to know to kill insurgents and drive the enemy to the negotiating table. President Barack Obama said Wednesday that the United States will start bringing home U.S. troops next month. His announcement is part of a gradual scaling back of American operations and ambitions in Afghanistan that’s expected to emphasize raids over governance, making tracking Afghan culture and bolstering the government less important, three current officials in Afghanistan said.
PMG

Pakistan Polo Team Qualifies For the World Cup

Kuala Lumpur - 24th June 2011

Pakistan National Polo Team consisting of the Country’s finest players are presently participating in 2011 Polo World Cup in Malaysia.

The team’s spirit, training and dedicated efforts secured Pakistan the top position in the points table. So far the performance of the Pakistan Team has remained unbeaten which is evident from the following results.

Pakistan topped the table with 28 goals for and 17 against, while India was second with a 17.5 for and 10 against. Pakistan Polo Team has thus qualified to play the main final against India on 25th June 2011. It is also pertinent to mention that Raja Sami Ullah has displayed excellent horsemanship and field play; therefore the tournament committee has nominated him for the prestigious award of the best Player of the Championship.
PMG

Drones strikes in Hangu claim 5 lives

KURRAM - 20th June 2011

Today on Monday atleast five people were killed in drones strike in a tribal district of Kurram, near the border with Afghanistan, security officials said. Drone strikes routinely target Taliban and al Qaeda groups holed up in tribal belt, but the operations are normally concentrated on insurgent strongholds in Waziristan, rather than Kurram.

Monday’s strike targeted a vehicle traveling through the Kharh Dhand area of Kurram, which borders Afghanistan’s eastern province of Paktia. Local officials said it was only the third drone strike reported in Kurram. “The drone fired two missiles. Five people were killed and the vehicle was completely destroyed,” a Pakistani security official said on condition of anonymity.
PMG

Tomas Dub Foreign Affairs Minister met General Shameem :ISPR

Rawalpindi - 20th June 2011

Today on Monday HE Mr Tomas Dub, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Czech Republic called on General Khalid Shameem Wynne (HI), Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC). During the meeting matters pertaining to bilateral relations and cooperation between two countries were discussed at the General Head-quarters of army known as (GHQ).
PMG

DNA report of PNS Mehran terrorists

KARACHI - 18th June 2011

The DNA test result revealed that four terrorists who attacked PNS Mehran base in Karachi were foreigners, officials said on Saturday. The samples from the four terrorists do not match the DNA databank in Pakistan, police officials said.

According to police officials, the DNA samples of the four terrorists were sent to Islamabad for testing. The officials added that these samples did not match the DNA databank in Pakistan.

The report disclosed that two of them belong to same country while nationality of other two has not been confirmed so far. Those terrorists were Anglo-Indians and have blood relations, could be cousins, the report said.

Police said two samples were taken for DNA, one to know their nationality while other for identification of their families. These samples were matched with NADRA database which revealed that these terrorists were not Pakistani.

In order to identify the terrorists, their pictures were taken using the most advance cameras along with their fingerprints. These did not match with the data maintained by NADRA.
PMG

Govt cognizant of country’s soverignty: Mukhtar

ISLAMABAD - 18th June 2011

On Saturday the Defense Minister Ch Ahmed Mukhtar told the National Assembly that the government was fully cognizant of the country’s soverignity and it would make all possible efforts to stop drone attacks.

In his winding up debate in the National Assembly on cut motions of opposition members about increase in defense budget, Mukhtar said, there was an increase of just 2.42 per cent in the defense budget as compared to last year and the opposition should not criticize the upward revision in the prevailing situation.

He said the Ministry of Defense was only an administrative body of all the three armed forces and the planning related to defense of the country was prepared by the forces and not by the ministry.

He said that as compared to a four-liner defense budget in the past this time more details had been published and with the passage of time the budget would also be presented before the Parliament. “We will go in more details and no objections will be raised by the opposition,” he added.

About the construction of GHQ in the Capital, the Defense Minister quoted the Chief of Army Staff as saying that there was no need to construct GHQ in Islamabad because of non-availabilty of funds.

The minister said that presently the national carrier (PIA) was suffering losses of Rs 90 billion out of which Rs 32 billion was due to rupee’s devaluation. He said the issue of 777 aircrafts had been raised with the United States at high level to allow PIA operations to US to earn extra money. He said as the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) was the oldest airline operating in the region and most of its aircrafts were now old as average life of an aircraft in aviation industry was 20 years. He said the government could save 20 per cent more by replacing the old aircrafts with new ones. He said after one or two years 747 boeing aircrafts would be made redundant. He said that the government was utilizing all its resources to make PIA a profitable institution and now there was a visible change in services, engineering and human resource departments of the national flag career. He said that a committee of the treasury and opposition members of parliament would be made soon to resolve the issue of PIA.
PMG

Commission be formed to investigate Saleem Shahzad murder case:ISPR

RAWALPINDI - 17th June 2011

On Friday a spokesperson of ISPR voiced concern on unfounded and baseless insinuation’s being voiced in a section of print and electronic media against ISI in regard to murder of Journalist Saleem Shahzad. Such negative aspersions and accusations were also voiced against ISI in some previous cases but investigations proved those wrong.

The spokesperson strongly supported formation of a Commission to investigate the murder of Saleem Shahzad. The case must be investigated thoroughly and facts made known to the people, the spokesperson concluded.
PMG

Pakistan Navy F22P Frigate launched

KARACHI - 16th June 2011

The Pakistan Navy fourth F22P Frigate was launched on Thursday. An impressive ceremony to this effect was held at the Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works (KSEW). The Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Noman Bashir, was the chief guest at the launching ceremony. The vessel is the fourth F22P Frigate built indigenously at the KSEW with the chinese assistance. The first three such Frigates- PNS Zulfiqar, Shamsher and Saif, were built in China.

Admiral Noman Bashir remarked the launching of the F22P Frigate at the KSEW as a commendable accomplishment and a manifestation of the indigenous policy of the government specially attaining self-reliance in Maritime defence capabilities.

Acknowledging the efforts of Pakistani and Chinese engineers and technicians for the construction of F22P Frigate at the KSEW, he congratulated the China State Shipbuilding Company (CSSC) and the China Shipbuilding and Trading Company (CSTC), Hudong Zhongua and KSEW for launching the ship as per schedule.

Admiral Noman Bashir remarked that the occasion is yet another example of unparallel Pak-China relations which are founded on strong footing.

He said that launching of the warship being an important milestone has not only further strengthened our relations with Chinese friends but has also added colour and eminence to celebrations for 60 years of resounding friendship between Pakistan and China.

The Naval Chief also appreciated the turnaround of the KSEW that enabled it to meet challenges of constructing warships and attributed the success to sound planning of KSEW management and untiring efforts of the workforce. He emphasized on building a strong Navy capable to defend the maritime interests of the country.

Admiral Noman Bashir reiterated that we do not possess any aggressive designs but our sea trade routes, vast exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and international energy lines that pass very close to our coast need to be protected which is not only in the interest of our country but of the entire international community.

The Managing Director of the KSEW, Commodore Nasir Iqbal Akbar, presented the welcome address.

The President of the CSTC, Wu Di, and the Chinese Consul General in Karachi, also spoke on the occasion. The Managing Director of the KSEW presented a model of the F22P Frigate to Admiral Noman Bashir. The Chief of the Naval Staff cut a ribbon to launch the frigate in to the sea. On the occasion, he also announced a bonus for the staff of the KSEW

5th Annual Conference of Subedar Majors

Rawalpindi (GHQ) -16th June 2011

Today on Thursday the Chief of Army Staff, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani (HI) interacted with the Army / Formation Subedar Majors during the 5th Annual Conference of Subedar Majors held at General Headquarters (GHQ).

Subedar-Major is the senior rank of Junior Commissioned Officer in the Pakistani Armies. Although commissioned, they would be considered as senior enlisted personnel and fulfil a role similar to that of the most senior NCOs in other armies. A Battalion's single Subedar-Major assists the commander in much the same way as a Regimental Sergeant-Major would (to the extent that this rank, known as Regimental Havildar Major, is now almost obsolete in the Pakistani Army).
Under British rule a Subedar-Major wore the Crown of a full Major, a tradition which has continued with slight variation after independence. Pakistan use a Wreathed Star with green and red. These stripes separate Subedar-Majors from full commissioned Majors.
PMG

Pakistan tells CIA chief no US boots on the ground

Islamabad - 11th June 2011

Today on Saturday Mr Leon Panetta, Director Central Intelligence Agency, United States called on Chief of Army Staff, General Ashfaq parvez Kayani . Both sides discussed the framework for future intelligence sharing
CIA Director Leon Panetta told Pakistan’s army and intelligence chiefs that he was concerned about a reduction of US troops allowed in the country, but was bluntly told no American boots would be allowed on the ground, Pakistani military officials.
Panetta, nominated to take over as defence secretary next month, arrived in Pakistan on Friday in an unannounced visit, his first trip since a secret US raid that killed Osama bin Laden and severely damaged ties between the allies.
Pakistan’s army said on Thursday it had drastically cut down on the number of US troops allowed in the country and set clear limits on intelligence sharing with the United States. “He (Panetta) expressed concerns over the reduction of trainers and operatives. We told him very clearly ‘no boots on our soil is acceptable’,” said the Pakistani military official.
Panetta held talks with army chief General Ashfaq Kayani and Lieutenant General Ahmad Shuja Pasha, head of military intelligence. The Pakistani military released a statement saying: “Both sides discussed the framework for future intelligence sharing.”
A US embassy spokesman said he had no information on the talks. The United States kept Islamabad in the dark about the May 2 raid by Navy SEALs until after it was over, humiliating Pakistan’s armed forces and putting US military and intelligence ties under serious strain. “We told him that we are clear. We don’t want their people. Intelligence sharing is fine and we are ready for that,” said another military official. Washington was angered by the fact that bin Laden had apparently been living for years in a Pakistani town about a two-hour drive from the intelligence headquarters.
Pakistan has been under mounting pressure to prove it is a more reliable partner in the America’s campaigns against militants launched after the September 11 attacks on the United States. The United States believes the nearly decade-old war effort in neighboring Afghanistan cannot succeed unless Pakistan tackles insurgent safe havens near the border.
On Friday, Afghan President Hamid Karzai, also a US ally, arrived in Islamabad and asked Pakistan to help end the Taliban insurgency.
Pakistan, which supported the Taliban government that ruled Afghanistan from 1996 until its ouster in 2001 by US-backed forces, will be crucial to any attempts to stabilize its western neighbor.
PMG

Four Americans stopped by the Police

Peshawar - 5th June 2011

On Sunday 12:07 am four Americans are being stopped by Pakistani Police. The officials are check the passports of the Americans. These Americans belong from U.S embassy Peshawar. They have any diplomatic passport official said. They were travelling in a Silver Toyota SUV which number was IDF-7582 but there is a second Red number plate inside the car which determine that this vehicle belong to an embassy. The SUV was free to proceed by the Police, the SUV wasn't checked from inside and the Americans and Police talked on hand waving.
Today morning a terrorist named Ilyas Kashmiri who was involved in the GHQ and Marhan attack was killed in a drone attack, may be these people provided U.S which the information.
PMG

Military Awards Ceremony

Rawalpindi (GHQ) - 3rd June 2011

Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani conferred military awards to the Army personnel in an investiture ceremony held at General Headquarters today. A large number of senior military officials and relatives of awardees attended the ceremony.
26 officers were awarded HILAL-E-IMTIAZ (MILITARY), 102 officers were awarded SITARA-E-IMTIAZ (MILITARY), 1 officer was awarded TAMGHA-E-IMTIAZ (CIVIL), 1 officer and 13 soldiers were awarded United Nations (UN) Medal. Medals of Shuhada were received by their family members.
PMG