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Syed Talat Hussain In the short-term, which is the dominant concern, Washington wants a smooth, bloodless, uncomplicated withdrawal of soldiers and sinews of its $2-trillion war from Afghanistan. It is positioning its air and sea-based resources to remove any hurdle that could subvert the process, but would obviously need Pakistan’s full assurance that it will extend a helping hand (both hands in fact) and commit to dealing with complexities that might pop up. Pakistan is saying “yes”. It wants all lines of withdrawal to stay open and secure through Pakistan’s jurisdiction. Pakistan is saying “sure”.  It also wants the Taliban to behave while it winds up its tent. Pakistan is expected to take the lead in achieving this goal. Pakistan is saying, “trying our best.”  It also wants Pakistan to do intelligence sharing far more deeply than it has done so far. Withdrawal means less intel gathering capacity (other than that capacity that is tech-based). Pakistan is expected to be a sp...

Syed Talat Hussain “Disappointing”. This is how the Pakistan Foreign Office has termed the damning resolution adopted by the European Union parliament advocating a review/temporary suspension of Pakistan’s GSP+ status and its associated advantages. The resolution does so primarily on account of the blasphemy laws’ “abuse” but also a raft of other issues related to death penalty, attacks on journalists and members of academia etc are mentioned.  The resolution being what it is, the really disappointing part of this bruising foreign and trade policy blow (we export nearly 7 billion dollars worth of goods to EU) is how the government sat on its hands as the making of the resolution was taking place and its draft was circulating all around EU capitals for weeks. European diplomas confirm that they had communicated this serious matter and its devastating consequences to the Imran government’s various officials apart from their friends in the Foreign Office.  The resolution’s prep...

Syed Talat Hussain   One swallow does not make a summer but one statement always seems enough to make new policy in Pakistan. As the clock on the American deadline to pull out of Afghanistan begins to tick, titillating theories of “Pakistan’s policy rethink” have started to float around. An image is being portrayed as if strategic planners ---the assumption being that the breed exists—are sitting in a room full of charts and maps devouring immense data and processing well-grounded conclusions to form a new universe for the country that would give it strong direction towards a grand purpose in times of immense flux that lie ahead.  We are told that General Qamar Bajwa’s statement seeking peace with neighbours (read India), and the statement’s various mutated variants like PM Imran’s tweet of sympathy for the Covid-suffering Delhi that have come out since, are meant to “readjust” the country’s world view. (That simple, hunh!) Background briefings to uninitiated analysts (act...

Imran Khan addressing a Jalsa in Kotli - Feb 5, 2021 | Photo: Imran Khan Facebook Syed Talat Hussain Prime minister Imran Khan’s foot-in-mouth affliction shows no sign of abating. His latest utterance on Kashmir is an unmistakable sign that every time he steps on to the stage and takes the mike, astounding things can roll off this tongue. Taking leave from the standard policy of the country on the long-festering dispute, he offered Kashmiris and Jummuites the option to become “independent” after they had acceded to Pakistan. The offer, just to make it clear, is an extreme exercise in hollow theory considering where Kashmir stands today. The part that is in India’s control has been absorbed in the Union after the October 2019 actions that also split up the occupied territory into two. The part with Pakistan---AJK---has its own issues that revolve around but are not confined to the status of Gilgit and Baltistan. So, the accession talk and promises of independence are neither here nor th...

Syed Talat Hussain Foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi must be on a long leave from the real world to say that the Biden Administration’s priorities and those of the bumbling government he represents are in alignment. Nothing can be farther from the truth. The two issues that he mentions as examples of shared views---climate change and corruption---are self-serving rhetoric. Bloated and fake figures on tree plantations are NOT caring for the environment. Scandalous political persecution is NOT a fight against corruption. At any rate, the latest Transparency International report that documents Pakistan’s consistent slide on the corruption index under the Imran government drills more holes in an already torn sheet of lies about the so-called anti-corruption agenda.  The reality is that the Biden Administration sits opposite to the Imran government on fundamental issues. The Danial Pearl murder controversy is an outstanding example of these deep divisions. You only need to read the...

Syed Talat Hussain A Voice of America report out of Islamabad quotes the Taliban representative sounding a dire warning to the newly-arrived Biden Administration. “If they remain in Afghanistan after this [the agreed deadline] we will also kill them even if somebody rewards us or does not reward us. We take our reward from God. We fight the invaders without a reward, without any bounty,” the report cites Sher Mohammad Stanikzai, a senior Taliban leader.  The context of the warning is a review of the Doha Agreement that is underway in Washington from where the signals are that the Joe Biden team may revisit the whole deal signed with much hope and hype last year by the Trump Administration.  The Talibaan anticipating a negative review may be attempting to forewarn the US of the consequences of reopening the Agreement. Hence the death threat. The Biden Administration’s review is pegged onto the assessment that the Taliban has used the Agreement to expand their influence in Afgh...

Syed Talat Hussain Back in the college days, a group of jovial rascals, who habitually bunked classes and had nothing to show for their studies, would place themselves at the cafeteria doorstep and invite freshmen to join a free tea party. The cost of that cuppa tea was a complete demolition job of the sanity of the new-comers. They were told that they had made the worst decision of their lives coming to the college. They were then walked through the high-way of high achievements the group members claimed they had under their belts, which were endorsed by the waiter and a few other standing nearby.  They were then let go, bewildered and bemused, with the parting advice of not taking their studies seriously. The more studious the victims looked the bigger the deluge (or should I say tsunami) of gibberish directed at them. Needless to say the waiter and the bystanders were all part of a set-up and were pre-booked cheaply for a meal. The list of the trophies of the practical jokers wa...