Islamabad, May 16 (ANI): Pakistan’s Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Babar Awan has told the National Assembly that all political parties were taken into confidence over the Swat offensive.
“It was also the unanimous voice of media and the civil society to eliminate elements of terrorism,” The Nation quoted Awan, as saying.
Urging political leaders to shun their […]

Islamabad, May 16 (ANI): The military operation is not enough to restore peace in Pakistan’s troubled areas, but a political dimension is needed to attain a permanent solution, Pakistan Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani has said.
“I am well aware that the army operation is not a permanent solution to our problems, and political dimensions need […]

Islamabad, May 16 (IANS) The Pakistani military might succeed in eliminating the Taliban from the country’s troubled northwest but there is no word on future plans to restore tranquility in the area, an editorial in a leading English daily said Saturday.

Two other editorials contended that an all-party conference the government had convened on the military operations would serve little purpose beyond being a forum to let off steam.

Islamabad, May 15 (IANS) Taliban fighters are shaving their beards to mingle with the civilians fleeing the security forces’ operations in Swat in Pakistan’s troubled northwest, the military said Friday, on a day when the country’s army chief briefed parliament on the offensive.

“We request the civil population of Swat to come forward and help the security forces in identifying the Taliban terrorists. We have confirmed reports that these Taliban terrorists, after shaving off their beards and cutting their hair, are fleeing from the area,” an Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR) statement said.

Islamabad, May 15 (IANS) The security forces are ensuring that collateral damage is minimised in their operations against the Taliban in Pakistan’s troubled northwest, army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani informed parliament Friday.

He gave the assurance during an in-camera briefing to a joint session of parliament on the operations in Swat and two other districts of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) that began April 26 and have so far claimed the lives of close to 1,000 Taliban fighters.

Islamabad, May 15 (IANS) France has agreed to provide Pakistan with civilian nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, state-owned PTV reported Friday, quoting Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

According to Qureshi, France has expressed its readiness for cooperating with Pakistan in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

Islamabad, May 15 (ANI): Pakistani troops have killed 55 militants in various parts of Swat valley during the last 24 hours.

Islamabad, May 15 (IANS) Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani Friday called for a political solution to restore peace in the country’s restive northwest after the military concludes its operations to eliminate the Taliban in the area.

“The situation is not normal, militants have threatened the very fabric of our society, by trying to impose their will through coercive measures,” he said in his opening remarks ahead of an in-camera briefing by Pakistani Army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani to a joint session of parliament.