Pakistan now has Nuclear capable Cruise Missiles as it turns to the Axis for support

[BRVoice]

http://tribune.com.pk/story/166320/z...with-medvedev/


Zardari reaches Moscow on official visit
By AFP
Published: May 11, 2011

MOSCOW: Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari arrived on Wednesday for talks with Russian leaders in Moscow, his first foreign visit since the killing of Osama bin Laden by US forces.

On Thursday Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will host Zardari for talks at the Kremlin where officials from the two countries are also expected to sign agreements on cooperation in agriculture, aviation and energy, a spokesman for the Pakistan Embassy in Moscow told AFP.

“Economics will be the focus of the visit,” said the spokesman, Raja Abdul Qayyum.

Zardari arrived on Wednesday afternoon but has no official events scheduled until Thursday.

Russia and Pakistan called for the development of regional economic projects and the revival of cooperation that dated back to the Soviet era at a rare summit last year.

Medvedev hosted Zardari at his Black Sea residence in Sochi as part of the four-way summit which also included Afghanistan and Tajikistan last August when the four states agreed to pursue joint economic projects to help bring stability to the volatile region.

Citing a source close to the management of state conglomerate Russian Technologies, Vedomosti business daily said on Thursday that the highlight of the Zardari visit would be a preliminary agreement to give Pakistan a $540 million loan to rebuild the Soviet-built Pakistan Steel plant.

A delegation from Prominvest, a Russian Technologies subsidiary, has visited the plant and reached preliminary agreements, the source told the newspaper. Russian Technologies could not confirm the report. The three-day visit to Russia is Zardari’s first foreign visit after the Al Qaeda leader, the world’s most wanted man, was killed in the raid by US forces on a compound in Abbottabad in Pakistan.

[BRVoice]

http://www.dawn.com/2011/05/15/china...bin-laden.html


China-Pakistan alliance strengthened post bin Laden
AFP

BEIJING: Tensions between the US and Pakistan over the killing of Osama bin Laden and a speedier US withdrawal from Afghanistan are likely to reinforce China and Pakistan’s already strong ties, analysts say.

When Chinese leaders welcome Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani to Beijing this week, they will likely praise Sino-Pakistani “friendship” over the past 60 years – a stark contrast to recent Western criticism of Islamabad.

Analysts say Gilani’s visit starting Tuesday will help Islamabad deflect mounting pressure from Washington and elsewhere, as Pakistan stands shoulder-to-shoulder with its long-time ally and neighbor.

“China is the only country that has taken a sympathetic stand for Pakistan after the bin Laden operation,” Talat Masood, a political analyst and retired Pakistani general, told AFP.

“This visit is important in the sense that it could counter (US) pressure on Pakistan. It shows Pakistan wants to say we also have some cards to play.” China has shown unswerving support for Pakistan since US special forces killed bin Laden at a compound near the country’s top military academy on May 2, sparking speculation that Islamabad may have known about his whereabouts.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu pointed out a few days after the al Qaeda chief’s killing that Pakistan was nevertheless “at the forefront of the international counter-terrorism effort”.

Beijing’s goodwill has not gone unnoticed.

“At this crucial juncture of history, I cannot say anybody is standing with Pakistan except for China,” Pakistan’s popular opposition leader Nawaz Sharif told reporters.

Many in Pakistan, outraged by the unilateral US raid, are increasingly convinced that their nation’s strategic alliance with the United States since 2001 has been less than positive and has only made the country less stable.

It could therefore be tempting for the nuclear-armed Islamic republic to move away from the United States and get closer to faithful ally Beijing, analysts say.

“If US and Indian pressure continues, Pakistan can say ‘China is behind us. Don’t think we are isolated, we have a potential superpower with us’,” Masood said.

China is the main arms supplier to Pakistan, which sees Beijing as an important counter-balance to India – which has recently tightened its ties with the United States.

Beijing has also agreed to build several nuclear reactors in Pakistan.

Kerry Dumbaugh, an analyst at the Center for Naval Analyses, said Pakistan’s pro-China stance on issues such as Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of its own territory, is also a key factor in Beijing’s support for Islamabad.

“Pakistan serves as an advocate or a conduit for China in the Islamic world,” Dumbaugh said.

According to other experts, China is convinced that Pakistan will increase its influence in Afghanistan by 2015, taking advantage of the planned withdrawal of US troops.

China also needs Islamabad’s cooperation in stemming potential terrorist threats in its mainly Muslim region of Xinjiang, which borders Pakistan.

Ultimately, China wants calm to reign, particularly in the Pakistani province of Baluchistan, through which it plans to transport oil from the Middle East in a pipeline linking Xinjiang to the Arabian Sea.

But experts warn that friendship between China and Pakistan has its limits.

“China is important for Pakistan and will remain so, but when it comes to hi-tech you have to go to the US and the West, also because of their clout in the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund,” political analyst Hasan Askari said.

Andrew Small, an expert on China-Pakistan relations at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, agreed.

The Chinese “get what they want out of the relationship already – having Pakistan to provide balance in the region to try to keep India tied down in South Asia rather than becoming a broader Asian or global power,” Small said.

“They’re not going to want to be in a position where they end up with Pakistan on their plate to deal with.”

[BRVoice]

http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/...ccelerate.html


May 14, 2011
Japan's Disaster May Accelerate Realignment in the East
By Fay Voshell

The coastline of Japan is not the only shift that will have been caused by the earthquake and tsunami of March 11.

As significant as the material damage, which appears to be almost incalculable, and as worthy of attention as the economic damage, also titanic, is a potential shift in the international alliances and strategies in the Far East, particularly among China, Japan and the US and its allies.

The grim truth is that Japan, already beleaguered by a stagnant economy, a pitiless demographic decline, and a fate-filled geographic location, now has been hit with devastation the equivalent of total war, including the continuing threat of nuclear disaster. One look at the satellite photographs reveals devastation that makes Sherman's march on Georgia and the Nazi blitz of London seem restrained.

Japan has been critically wounded, and it will not be long before her ancient enemy China, and possibly China's ally North Korea, along with other opportunistic nations, move in to take advantage of her present weakness, as enemies always do.

For Japan's situation is not like a nation such as France, which is ensconced amid European allies with empathetic governments and favorable economic alliances fostered by the European Union. On the contrary, there has not been any particular inclination by China and North Korea to hammer out mutually agreeable agreements with Japan such as are characteristic of the Western democracies, regardless of their unique national distinctions and rivalries. China and North Korea are not democracies but authoritarian communist governments who see economic strategies in terms of command, not mutually satisfying cooperation.

Japan is flanked on the East by the vast and geographically quixotic Pacific, which can arbitrarily wreak devastation at a moment's notice. To the West, she is bordered by nations with long memories and persistent antipathies. Just as bad, even friendly allies such as the United States and Australia, unless they act swiftly, will be forced to revise their long term Far East and Southeast Asian strategies in light of Japan's new weakness coupled with the increasing strength of China's military coupled with China's already strong economic presence within Japan itself. This is to say nothing of North Korea's steadfast and intractable hatred of her ancient nemesis.

It is sometimes hard for Americans, who are always among the most magnanimous, forgiving and generous of nations, to grasp how ingrained and intractable are hostilities among the Far East nations. It is equally difficult to comprehend how those hostilities continue to play out among ancient rivals. That is because we in America do not have the long, long history of conflict and carnage which has characterized the chief antagonists of Far East. Japan, China and Korea have been entangled in wars and occupations from time immemorial; wars which are not forgotten and in many cases not forgiven because of the immense brutality doled out by Japanese occupying forces.

Japan may generally have escaped the both the odium and the klieg lights which have kept the Nazi atrocities under continual scrutiny, but her behavior as conqueror and occupier of China and Korea was as horrific as the Nazi occupation of Eastern Europe and their Barbarossa campaign against Russia. Japanese cruelties such as the "Rape of Nanking," the brutal occupation of Korea from 1910 to 1945 , and the Japanese atrocious medical and biological warfare experiments in the infamous Unit 731 and elsewhere are still living memories for the Chinese and Koreans. Despite the attempts of Japan to apologize for past transgressions and despite the fact that both China and Korea also have been guilty of atrocities, neither country would be sorry to see vengeance heaped on their former tormentors. Nor would either of the nations hesitate to take advantage of Japan's present and probably lingering weaknesses. There are old scores to be settled with Japan.

The reaction of China and its quixotic and undependable ally North Korea will probably not yet take the form of overt military action because of the presence of the United States military and America's strong alliance with Japan. However, both will move to strengthen their already growing hegemony in the Far East and beyond, seeing the catastrophe as an opportunity to take portions from Japan's economic pie by moving in to replace Japanese influence, already diminished by its two decades long economic malaise. The accompanying result could be a diminution of US influence in the Southeast Asian region.

While the leaders of North Korea will doubtless continue to hold their cards close to their chests, erupting occasionally with a missile launch and threats of ratcheting up the development of an atomic bomb, what might China do next in view of ancient antipathies she now sees as having the possibility of being rectified? What goals will she seek to achieve in view of Japan's and America's weakened positions in the Asian theatre?

The most likely possibility is that China will attempt to achieve some long term goals more rapidly than previously thought possible.

One accelerated goal will almost certainly be to achieve the quiet and "peaceable" reintegration of Taiwan into the Chinese mainland, absorbing it in much the same way Hong Kong was quietly absorbed in 1997. We may look for one of the many conditions of reunification to include the return of the imperial treasures presently in the Taiwan National Museum, where they were safeguarded from the destruction which befell many historical artifacts in the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. One of the memories still very much alive in the minds of China's present day rulers is the fact that when Chiang Kai Shek and his wife retreated to Taiwan, they took with them much of their nation's exquisite and irreplaceable art; art which represented the very soul of China and the essence of its rich artistic heritage. They Mainland China now wants the art back.

The watching world may also expect increasingly strengthened ties between Australia and China with diminishing ties to US and its ally, Japan. That is because regardless of Australia and New Zealand's cultural ties with the Anglo-sphere, they also are isolated and vulnerable islands whose relative proximity to China necessitates realignments not necessarily in favor of its present allies. China's increasing hegemony over the seas surrounding Australia, waters once firmly dominated by Western powers, may be cause for a new pragmatism on the part of bothAustralia and New Zealand.

In fact, Japan's accelerated weaknesses may tempt China to increase its already considerable presence in countries such as Burma, where it seeks easy access to the Indian Ocean; and in Vietnam, which has endured a thousand year-long Chinese cultural hegemony, has sought to retain its influence in the South China Sea, despite the hot breath of the Red Dragon down its long neck. Just recently, Vietnam protested February's Chinese military maneuvers near the disputed Spratly Islands, whose surrounding waters are rich in minerals the Chinese economy demands. The maneuvers will doubtless continue and multiply now that Japan is down and out.

There will also be increased pressure on China's growing rival India. Like Burma, Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand and other southeastern nations, India will feel the consequences of the earthquake and tsunami, as minus Japanese strength and the preoccupation of the US with the Middle East, China will seek to strengthen her control over the South Sea, thus diminishing through military threat India's ancient trade routes, routes which are critical to her continuing economic success. India's and the West's hegemony over the South Seas is threatened as China will seek to derail both India's and the USalliances and dominance of the South Sea.

How must the US and her allies react to the Japan's weakness and China's attempts to take advantage of that weakness?

First, the US must, together with its allies in Europe, despite our and their economic troubles, launch a Marshall Plan to help Japan regroup and get back on her feet. Distractions in the Middle East must not prevent concerted attention being devoted to helping Japan. Next, Japan must increase her own military strength in order to balance increasing Chinese belligerence in that region. Further, the US and her allies must immediately form and strengthen a coalition of Eastern nations who will, even if it is only for immediate pragmatic concerns about their survival, be a firewall against increasing Chinese influence and domination of the region's economies and seas.

Next, America must increase its ties with India, whose empathetic government and growth as an economic power are capable of being a counter balance to China's antidemocratic authoritarianism, drive for dominance of the Southeast, and increasing belligerence on the world stage.

Also among the necessary domestic strategies for counterbalancing Japan's current weakness: beefing up rather than cutting the US military, rapidly decreasing debt obligations to China by dealing with runaway government spending, reassessing the US stance concerning trade imbalances, and rectifying the US/Chinese currency difficulties.

If the US and her allies act now, Japan's current weakness will be shored up and the effects of the devastation brought on by the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown will be significantly mitigated if not entirely rectified, while Japan's ancient enemy China and her odious ally North Korea are at least contained and prevented from accelerating China's goals in Southeast Asia and beyond.

The US must see its role as more than helping out a stricken ally. It's imperative to develop and implement strategies which will contain the inevitable increase in belligerence from China and North Korea.

[BRVoice]

http://www.arabtimesonline.com/NewsD...-/Default.aspx


Gunmen kill Saudi diplomat in Pakistan's karachi

KARACHI, May 16 (Reuters) - Gunmen on motorcycles attacked a car belonging to the Saudi Arabian consulate in the Pakistani city of Karachi on Monday killing a Saudi diplomat, police and the Saudi ambassador said.

The attack came days after unidentified attackers threw two hand grenades at the Saudi consulate in the city, Pakistan's commercial hub. No one as hurt in that attack.

"We condemn this attack. No one who carries out this kind of attack can be a Muslim," the ambassador, Abdul Aziz al-Ghadeer, told Reuters. He did not give details on the rank of the diplomat who was killed.

Al Qaeda is violently opposed to the Saudi government and has vowed revenge for the killing of its leader, Saudi-born Osama bin Laden, by U.S. special forces in Pakistan on May 2.

"Four people riding on two motorcycles opened fire at the car from two sides," said a police official.

"The Saudi national killed was himself driving the car and was probably going to the consulate from his house," he said.

[American Patriot]

According to the news I heard this morning the "diplomat" was the driver and not the actual diplomat

[BRVoice]

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7...069784,00.html


Report: NATO incursion into Pakistan wounds two troops
05.17.11, 09:22

A NATO helicopter incursion into Pakistan's North Waziristan wounded two troops on Tuesday, local intelligence officials said, further ratcheting up tensions between Islamabad and the West.

"It happened early morning," a Pakistani intelligence official in the region, who declined to be identified, told Reuters. "The helicopter hit a Pakistani check post on the border in the Datta Khel area."

(Reuters)

[BRVoice]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/...74G0PS20110517


Pakistan military protests after NATO incursion wounds soldiers
By Emma Graham-Harrison and Haji Mujtaba
MIRANSHAH, Pakistan/KABUL | Tue May 17, 2011 8:58am EDT

(Reuters) - NATO helicopters from Afghanistan intruded into northwest Pakistan Tuesday, wounding two soldiers, officials said, prompting a protest from the military already seething over the secret U.S. operation to kill Osama bin Laden.

The Pakistani Army said it had lodged a "strong protest" and sought a flag meeting with NATO commanders over the incursion in Pakistan's North Waziristan near the Afghan border which has been repeatedly targeted by U.S. drone aircraft as a hub of al Qaeda linked militants.

A Western military official in Kabul, however, said two NATO helicopters supporting a base in eastern Afghanistan had returned fire after being attacked from Pakistan, but declined to say whether they had crossed into Pakistani airspace.

A senior Pakistani security official said NATO has lodged its own complaint with Pakistan, accusing its forces of "unprovoked firing." Western military officials in Kabul had no immediate comment about the possible complaint.

The incident is certain to weigh on relations between the U.S. and Pakistan have been pushed almost to the breaking point after the May 2 raid on Abbottabad that killed bin Laden, with Pakistan's parliament condemning the operation as a violation of the nation's sovereignty.

It also came hours after Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani landed in Beijing for a visit that underlines Islamabad's close and productive ties with another major power.

A Western military official, who asked to remain anonymous, said NATO helicopters had fired at targets inside Pakistan, but only after they were attacked from across the border.

Pakistan's frontier has been described as a global hub for militants, and Tuesday, police said they had killed five suspected al Qaeda militants who had tried to carry out a suicide bombing at a paramilitary checkpoint in the southwestern city of Quetta.

The would-be bombers included three women and were believed to be foreigners, police said.

Quetta is believed to be a base for the Afghan Taliban leadership and if the attack had been carried out, it would have been the second targeting Pakistan's military since bin Laden was killed and the Pakistan Taliban vowed to avenge his death.

BREACH OF AIRSPACE?

A local government official said two NATO helicopters crossed into North Waziristan and remained for about 10 minutes in the area, known to be a hub for al Qaeda-linked fighters including the Haqqani network that is leading the insurgency in eastern Afghanistan.

The helicopters retreated after Pakistani border forces opened fire in the Datta Khel area about 40 km (24 miles) west of the main town of Miranshah, a security official said.

"A shell struck a mountain nearby and two of our soldiers were wounded by the rubble," the official said.

The Western military official said the helicopters came under fire first.

"Our initial reports indicate that two ISAF helicopters were in the area in support of FOB (forward operating base) Tillman, as the FOB had been receiving intermittent direct and indirect fire from across the Pakistani border," he said.

"Upon arrival the helicopter received fire from across the border but did not immediately return fire. Upon receiving fire from across the border a second time, the helicopter returned fire," he added.

The official said the NATO-led coalition had received reports two Pakistani troops had been wounded. He declined further comment, including on whether the helicopters had entered Pakistan airspace.

Pakistan has in the past reacted angrily to incursions by NATO aircraft, even though its air space is routinely breached by unmanned drone aircraft.

A previous incursion on September 30, 2010, killed two Pakistani troops and wounded four more when NATO helicopters crossed the border while pursing insurgents. Pakistan retaliated by shutting down the supply route for NATO troops in Afghanistan.

TENSE US TIES

In Pakistan this week, Senator John Kerry who is close to U.S. President Barack Obama, tried to smooth relations in the wake of the bin Laden raid, but also warned that Washington would not tolerate any of Pakistan's alleged double-dealings with militant groups.

Bin Laden's discovery in the comfortable garrison town of Abbottabad, only 50 km (30 miles) from the capital, has deeply embarrassed the military and spy agency, reviving suspicion that Pakistan knew where he was and has been playing a double game.

Pakistan has rejected that as absurd, but the United States has stepped up drone attacks against suspected militants since bin Laden's killing despite Islamabad's objections.

Several Pakistani helicopters took off from Waziristan's main town of Miranshah toward the site of Tuesday's reported incursion, a Pakistani officials said.

"After the May 2 incident, there is a high alert on the border," a security official said. "Forces have been ordered to respond quickly if there is any attempt of intrusion."

Separately, a Pakistani helicopter gunship destroyed a wireless communication installation established by militants in mountains near Miranshah town in an strike Tuesday, an intelligence official in the region said.

North Waziristan is the base of the Haqqani network blamed for the insurgency in eastern Afghanistan. U.S.-led drone aircraft have targeted the area over the past year and Washington has repeatedly urged the Pakistan military to launch a ground operation.

Many militants, including foreign fighters loyal to al Qaeda, are based in Datta Khel. It is a stronghold of fighters loyal to Hafiz Gul Bahadur and has been a frequent target of U.S. drone strikes.

Monday, unmanned U.S. drone aircraft fired missiles in Datta Khel killing 12 militants, Pakistani officials said.

An intelligence official said that one of the dead militants, an Arab, was the son of an al Qaeda operative identified as Abu Kashif. There was no way to verify the death toll. Militants often dispute official accounts of drone attacks.

(Writing by Chris Allbritton; Additional reporting by Zeeshan Haider and Kamran Haider in Islamabad and Emma Graham-Harrison in Kabul; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)

[BRVoice]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/...74H14020110518


Over 70 militants attack Pakistani security post, 17 dead
By Izaz Mohmand
PESHAWAR, Pakistan | Wed May 18, 2011 8:02am EDT

(Reuters) - More than 70 militants armed with rockets and mortars attacked a security post on the outskirts of Pakistan's northwestern city of Peshawar on Wednesday, the latest in an upsurge of violence since Osama bin Laden was killed in the country this month.

Two members of the security forces and at least 15 insurgents were killed in a four-hour gunbattle that erupted following two successive attacks on the security post set up to defend Peshawar, the gateway to the troubled northwest region.

"They were well-armed. They had heavy weapons, rockets, mortars everything. The fighting lasted for about four and a half hours," Ejaz Khan, a city police officer, said.

The attack took place near Khyber, part of Pakistan's lawless tribal belt on the Afghan border, which is regarded as a global hub of militants, including al Qaeda and the Pakistani and Afghan Taliban movements.

Two members of the security forces were killed and five wounded, Khan said. At least 15 insurgents were killed.

Security forces repulsed the first attack by the militants which was carried out just before midnight, officials said.

"Then they carried out a big attack early in the morning. We also called in reinforcements to counter the attack and we did it," a Peshawar security official said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but militants linked to al Qaeda and the Taliban have stepped up attacks in Pakistan after the killing of bin Laden in A military town by U.S. special forces on May 2.

The Pakistani Taliban, who are close to al Qaeda, have vowed to avenge bin Laden's death and said their suicide bombers killed 80 people last week at a paramilitary academy in the northwestern town of Charsadda.

In a suspected sectarian attack on Wednesday, two men on a motorbike fired on a vehicle and killed four Shi'ite Muslims and wounded four others on the outskirts of the southwestern city of Quetta.

Pro-Taliban Sunni militants groups, many of whom are linked to al Qaeda, are trying to foment conflict among Pakistan's religious sects in an attempt to destabilize the government just as it faces pressure from the United States and the West to crack down on militant groups, analysts say.

Pakistan has come under renewed pressure to prove it is serious about tackling militancy since bin Laden was discovered after apparently spending at least five years in the South Asian nation about a two hour drive from the headquarters of the country's intelligence service.


(Reporting by Faris Ali and Zeeshan Haider; Writing by Zeeshan Haider; Editing by Michael Georgy and Sanjeev Miglani)

[vector7]

China, Pakistan joined in bonds of brotherhood

17:02, May 18, 2011

Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's visit to China on May 17 is an important event of the "2011 China-Pakistan Friendship Year" and will certainly open a new chapter in China-Pakistan relations under the new international environment and historical conditions. History has proven that as neighboring countries with different ideologies, the relationship between China and Pakistan is rock-solid and timeless, and the most important reason is the solid foundation that holds together China-Pakistan relations.

First, the China-Pakistan relationship is based on mutual respect regarding core interests. China has always firmly supported Pakistan's efforts to defend its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. It has also sincerely and selflessly helped Pakistan to achieve economic and social development.

Due to special causes in various aspects, such as historical and tribal influences, the "three forces" headed by the "East Turkistan Islamic Movement" has existed for a long time in the tribal areas at the Pakistani-Afghan border. However, China has always respected Pakistan's sovereignty when combating the "three forces" jointly with Pakistan and understands Pakistan's enormous sacrifices and significant contributions in the forefront of the international fight against terrorism.

Pakistan has also always supported China's sovereignty and territorial integrity in major issues related to the Taiwan region, Tibet Autonomous Region and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Second, China and Pakistan have been working together to meet various challenges for many years. China provided great political and economic assistance to Pakistan during the Cold War and helped it build an independent economic system. Pakistan served as a bridge for the establishment of China-U.S. diplomatic relations and helped break the diplomatic isolation China once suffered.

China has provided aid to Pakistan with no strings attached. Furthermore, it has played an active role in helping Pakistan build roads, ports, energy facilities and other major infrastructure projects in hopes that the country can stand on its own feet someday. Shortly after the Wenchuan earthquake, Pakistan sent all its tents in reserve to China. The friendship between the two countries began during adversity and has demonstrated incomparable sincerity.

Third, the China-Pakistan friendship has been deeply ingrained in the peoples of both sides through frequent exchanges at all levels over the past 60 years. The Chinese people, be they top officials or ordinary citizens, can feel the friendliness of the local people when they visit Pakistan and vice versa. The Pakistani people believe that a good neighbor is a blessing, and the Chinese people also believe that a neighbor that is near is better than a brother far off. The two countries are good neighbors and good friends. Their friendship has become a firm belief and an example of the peaceful coexistence of the Chinese and Islamic civilizations.

Currently, China and Pakistan regard each other as a diplomatic cornerstone and a major supporter. The 60-year development of China-Pakistan relations shows that such brotherly and neighborly all-around relations are characterized by long-term stability, highly strategic importance and sustainability. China-Pakistan relations can advance in three major aspects in the future. The first is enormous economic and trade cooperation potential.

China has become Pakistan's third largest trade partner, which does not match the scale of the two countries' combined population of 1.5 billion. China will further expand its direct investments in Pakistan, participate in Pakistan's major infrastructure and engineering projects and strive to make land transport links between the two countries more smooth in order to enable the people in the two countries to share the outcomes of economic development.

The second is the bright prospects of regional cooperation between China and Pakistan. Pakistan is a major country in South Asia and has significant influence in the Islamic world. China will cooperate with Pakistan to promote regional cooperation and jointly preserve regional stability and security in the post-anti-terrorism era.

The third is the broad space for international cooperation between Pakistan and China. China and Pakistan have common interests and a broad consensus in major international issues such as U.N. reforms, climate change as well as food and energy security. The two countries will cooperate to cope with the challenges of economic globalization and advance the world's harmonious and sustainable development.

As all-around partners and good brothers sharing weal and woe, China and Pakistan have jointly undergone a tough and glorious journey. Looking into the future, China and Pakistan will stand together regardless of any change in regional and international situations and work together to shape a bright future for the China-Pakistan friendship.

[vector7]

China 'asks USA to respect Pak sovereignty'

19 May 2011
Press Trust of India

ISLAMABAD, 19 MAY: In the wake of the US raid in Abbottabad that killed Osama bin Laden, China has “warned in unequivocal terms that any attack on Pakistan would be construed as an attack on China”, a media report claimed today.

The warning was formally conveyed by the Chinese foreign minister at last week's China-US strategic dialogue and economic talks in Washington, The News daily quoted diplomatic sources as saying. China also advised the USA to “respect Pakistan's sovereignty and solidarity”, the report said.

Chinese Premier Mr Wen Jiabao informed his Pakistani counterpart Mr Yousuf Raza Gilani about the matters taken up with the US during their formal talks at the Great Hall of the People yesterday. The report said China “warned in unequivocal terms that any attack on Pakistan would be construed as an attack on China”. The two premiers held a 45-minute one-on-one meeting before beginning talks with their delegations.

The Chinese leadership was “extremely forthcoming in assuring its unprecedented support to Pakistan for its national cause and security” and discussed all subjects of mutual interest with Mr Gilani, the report said. Mr Gilani described Pakistan-China relations and friendship as “unique”. Talking to Pakistani journalists accompanying him, he said that China had acknowledged his country's contribution and sacrifices in the war against terrorism and supported its cause at the international level. “China supported Pakistan's cause on its own accord,” Mr Gilani said with reference to the Sino-US strategic dialogue where the Chinese told the US that Pakistan should be helped and its national honour respected. Mr Gilani said China had asked the US to improve its relations with Pakistan, keeping in view the present scenario.

Pakistan reiterated its position on the one-China policy and said it fully supported China on the issues of Taiwan and Tibet, he said. He said both sides will continue their consultations on UN reforms. It was also agreed that both countries will formulate a long-term joint energy mechanism for electricity generation in Pakistan through various means, including nuclear energy.

Mr Wen announced that the Chinese leadership will send a special envoy to Islamabad to express solidarity with Pakistan at this “crucial period in its history”. The envoy, a senior minister, will take part in celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

The USA has stepped up pressure on Pakistan to crack down on terrorist sanctuaries and to probe whether military and intelligence officials were aware that bin Laden had been hiding in the garrison city of Abbottabad, which is home to thousands of soldiers.

Pakistan has turned to China, its “all weather friend”, for support in the face of reports that US lawmakers are pressing for cuts in aid. China has agreed to provide Pakistan 50 new JF-17 Thunder multi-role jets under a co-production agreement, The News reported. It is likely that these planes will be supplied by June next year.

The two countries are also discussing the supply of Chinese J-20 stealth jets and Xiaolong/FC-1 multi-purpose light fighter aircraft to Pakistan. They are discussing the mode of payment and the number of planes to be provided to Pakistan, the report said. China will also launch a satellite for Pakistan on 14 August.

The satellite will supply “multifarious data” to Pakistan, the report said. Mr Gilani said both sides had agreed to increase defence cooperation and China had assured Pakistan of help in enhancing the capacity of its armed forces.

He said Pakistan's trade with China had registered a significant increase in the last two years and efforts were being made to raise it to US$ 15 billion a year.

Mr Gilani said Pakistan has the capability and capacity to defend its frontiers and the armed forces are fully vigilant, and no incident like the US raid against bin Laden will happen in future. He said Pakistan will continue its efforts to stop US drone attacks, which have proved to be counter-productive.

To a question, Mr Gilani said Pakistan's political and military leadership will decide about a military operation in North Waziristan agency. No pressure will be accepted in this regard and Pakistan alone will decide on this issue, he said. Mr Gilani said Pakistan desired good relations with all its neighbours, including India, Afghanistan and Iran.

[Ryan Ruck]

That's some pretty strong language. In fact, that language really isn't that different from what President Kennedy said during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

[American Patriot]

We're headed to a firestorm.... the Middle East, as predicted will be the ignition point for a nuclear world war led by China against the USA. Russia will simply jump in as necessary.

Folks, this is not good coming out of China. They are feeling their oats and even the FPS thing we saw is an indication that the world is trying to make US the bad guys.

[vector7]

Step Aside US: Pakistan's New "Best Friend" China, To Provide Karachi With 50 New JF-17 Fighter Jets On Expedited Basis

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/19/2011 14:07 -0400



There was a time when a young Mujahideen commander named Osama bin Laden was a core ally of the US in the fight against Soviet communism and central planning. Well, that particular affair did not end too well for either Osama, nor for the USSR (although one may argue that "communism and central planning" are experiencing a second renaissance courtesy of capitalist central banking). Along the same lines, Pakistan which as recently as 3 weeks ago was considered a core US ally, has very promptly fallen out of favor following the death of that other abovementioned former ally.

Yet Pakistan is not wasting time. Two days after Pakistani PM Yousuf Raza Gilani took a direct stab at deteriorating US-Paki relations by saying that China is now his country's "best friend", China has retorted in kind by announcing it will provide another 50 JF-17 fighter jets to Pakistan on an "expedited" basis.

The WSJ reports that "the agreement to accelerate supply of the jointly developed jets, the first 50 of which are being assembled in Pakistan, came as Pakistan's Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani held talks in Beijing during a visit that he has used to portray China as an alternative source of military and civilian aid. "We're getting the 50 jets, on top of the ones we already have. Something has been agreed in Beijing, so they'll be expedited" he said." In other words: step aside US, here comes China.

As for those billions in USD aid which somehow never ended up being used to buy US Treasurys (Pakistan is nowhere in the listing of US Treasury holders) , it is now clear into whose pocket they are going (at $15 million a pop, those are big pockets). Lastly, this is more than just posturing by China: the country is clearly indicating its latest and greatest sphere of influence. As a reminder, "It was reported in 2008 that Azerbaijan and Zimbabwe had placed orders for the aircraft and nine other countries, including Bangladesh, Myanmar, Egypt, Iran, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Nigeria, Sri Lanka and Algeria were showing interest." More from the WSJ:

China is Pakistan's biggest arms supplier and its third-biggest trading partner.

The JF-17 is a potent symbol of the two countries' friendship, and a key part of Pakistan's plans to upgrade its aging fleet of American-supplied F-16s and French-made Mirages and to try to match the air power of neighboring India—its arch rival.

The U.S. has repeatedly delayed delivery of F-16s to Pakistan, and has insisted that they not be used against India, with which Washington is now cultivating a strategic partnership to counterbalance Beijing's clout in Asia.

China and Pakistan began developing the relatively cheap multipurpose fighter in 1999 and Pakistan, which has said it wants 250 of them altogether, inducted its first squadron of JF-17s last year, and a second earlier this year.

The air-force spokesman said he did not know whether the second batch of 50 jets would be assembled in Pakistan or delivered whole from China.

He also declined to discuss whether they would be the basic so-calledBlock I models, like the first batch, or an upgraded Block II version, which military aviation experts say could include radar-evading stealth technology—potentially giving Pakistan that capability for the first time.

Questions also remain over the new jets' engines. The first batch were all fitted with Russian ones, but Russian officials have expressed reservations about supplying more of those engines as Pakistan and China have been marketing the JF-17 in many of Russia's traditional markets.

Meanwhile back in the US, the politicos are stunned that after being shunned by the US, Pakistan dares to allign itself with America's natural opposite.

Pakistan's efforts to showcase its close ties with China are causing consternation in the U.S.

During a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Tuesday, Republican Senator Jim Risch of Idaho expressed frustration at Mr. Gilani's statement that China was Pakistan's "best friend" despite billions of dollars of U.S. aid over the last decade.

"It just—it just doesn't make sense...Because, frankly, I'm—I'm getting tired of it, and I think Americans are getting tired of it as far as shoveling money in there [to] people who just flat don't like us," he said, according to a transcript.

At a hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee last week, Congressman Michael McCaul (R) of Texas raised particular concern about whether U.S. military aid had been diverted into the JF-17 program.

Yes. It has.

[vector7]

20 May 2011 Last updated at 04:39 ET
Pakistan Taliban bomb US consulate convoy in Peshawar

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Orla Guerin in Islamabad: "The attack is not any kind of surprise"

The Pakistani Taliban have bombed a US consulate convoy in Peshawar, killing one Pakistani and wounding 10 others.

It is unclear if the dead person was a bomber or a passer-by. Two Americans in one vehicle were slightly injured.

The US embassy said the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber on a motorbike. Earlier, Pakistani police had said it was a roadside bomb.
It is the first attack on US interests since US forces killed Osama Bin Laden in the town of Abbottabad on 2 May.

The US embassy said two armoured vehicles were driving in convoy when the bomb went off. It said that no high-level officials were travelling in the cars at the time.

"One vehicle was damaged. There is no death among our personnel and there are no serious injuries," a US embassy spokesman said.

The Pakistani Taliban said the bombing was to avenge Bin Laden's death.

"The diplomatic staff of all Nato countries are our targets," Taliban spokesman Ahsanullah Ahsan said. "We will continue such attacks. Pakistan is our first target, and America is our second."

There have been a number of militant attacks in Pakistan since Bin Laden was killed. The deadliest was last Friday when a twin suicide bombing killed more than 80 people, most of them paramilitary recruits, in the country's north-west.

US consulate staff in Peshawar have been targeted in the past. In August 2008, one of the diplomats at the consulate survived an attack on her armoured vehicle.

The US closed its missions around Pakistan immediately after Bin Laden was killed, but reopened them within days.


Pakistan stops NATO supplies after 16 people killed in blast

English.news.cn 2011-05-21 16:33:01

A man looks at the debris of burnt NATO oil tankers after a bomb blast in northwest Pakistan's Torkham on May 21, 2011. (Xinhua Photo/Saeed Ahmad)

ISLAMABAD, May 21 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani authorities Saturday suspended supplies to the foreign troops in neighboring Afghanistan hours after a blast at an NATO oil tanker killed 16 persons, officials said.

An official said that suspected militants attacked and torched NATO oil tankers in two separate incidents late Friday night at Landikotal, a main town in Khyber region and the borer point of Torkham.

When locals gathered around the tanker at Landikotal to acquire the leaked oil, the tanker blew up due to gas pressure, killing 16 persons there.

Pakistan suspended supplies to nearly 160,000 U.S.-led NATO troops after the incident, officials in the region said.

Witnesses said that hundreds of NATO supplies trucks were stranded on the main Pakistan-Afghan highway after the blockade.

Officials said that some 70 percent supplies for the NATO troops are transported through Pakistan.

Militants, fighting Pakistani forces, regularly target NATO supply trucks, also forcing the U.S. to sign alternate supply routes with Russia.

[BRVoice]

http://app.com.pk/en_/index.php?opti...39880&Itemid=1


President phones Ahmadinejad, discusses bilateral ties

ISLAMABAD, May 21 (APP): President Asif Ali Zardari telephoned Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Saturday evening and discussed with him bilateral relations, economic cooperation and situation in the region.The two leaders agreed on stepping up economic cooperation and increasing connectivity, said a press release of the President House issued here.

[BRVoice]

http://app.com.pk/en_/index.php?opti...39917&Itemid=1


Saudi Arabia is an all weather friend: Dr. Firdous

JEDDAH, May 21 (APP)- Minister for Information and Broadcasting Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan said on Saturday that Pak-Saudi relations are beyond mundane consideration and have their roots in history, religion and culture.

She said this while addressing a gathering of Pakistani community in the Embassy of Pakistan, Riyadh. She said that it was a matter of great satisfaction that a large number of Pakistani investors, professionals and labourers working here constituted a source of strength for economies of both the countries.

She said that Pakistanis working in Saudi Arabia are representatives of their country and their remittances are great support to their families and the economy of Pakistan.

She said that Saudi Arabia has always supported Pakistan in difficult times for which we are obliged to the Saudi leadership and its people.

She said that she was grateful to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and Saudi leadership for providing congenial atmosphere and working condition for the Pakistanis in Saudi Arabia.

Dr Firdous said that Pakistan was confronting challenges of extremism and terrorism and has rendered great sacrifices in this regard. She said that world should recognize the sacrifices given by Pakistan in fight against extremism and terrorism.

The Minister said that democracy in Pakistan was gaining strength and the country’s leadership was in strong hands. The Minister said that discontinuity of economic policies and derailing of democracy in the past had slowed down economic progress of the country.

She assured the overseas Pakistanis that the economic and energy problems confronting Pakistan would soon be overcome. The Minister said that a bill regarding right of vote to the overseas Pakistanis will soon be passed in the National Assembly.

She urged the Pakistani community in Saudi Arabia to abide by the laws of the land and work hard for the betterment of the economies of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

Pakistan’s Charge d’ Affaires Ayaz Muhammad Khan in his speech said that the visit by Minister for Information and Broadcasting has further strengthened Pak-Saudi relations.

He said that despite its limited resources, the Embassy was endeavouring to provide all possible services and facilities to the Pakistani community in Saudi Arabia. He assured the community of further improving services for them.

[BRVoice]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/...74L0U320110522


Obama: would raid Pakistan again if militant found
LONDON | Sun May 22, 2011 7:07am EDT

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama would approve a new incursion into Pakistan if the United States found another leading militant there, he said in a BBC interview broadcast on Sunday.

U.S. Navy SEALs killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, mastermind of the September 11 attacks on U.S. cities in 2001, in a raid on his fortified compound in Pakistan on May 2, ending a manhunt for the world's most-wanted militant.

Asked if Obama would do the same again if the United States discovered another "high-value target" in Pakistan or another country, such as a senior al Qaeda member or Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar, he said he would "take the shot."

"We are very respectful of the sovereignty of Pakistan. But we cannot allow someone who is actively planning to kill our people or our allies' people, we can't allow those kind of active plans to come to fruition without us taking some action," Obama told the BBC.

"I had made no secret. I had said this when I was running for the presidency, that if I had a clear shot at bin Laden, that we'd take it."

A spokesman for Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari, Farhatullah Babar, said in response to Obama's remarks: "We need to move away from unilateral actions and should focus on cooperation in countering terrorism." He declined to comment further.

Obama's comments echoed those of U.S. Senator John Kerry, a Democrat close to his administration and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Asked this month if the United States would conduct a similar raid in Pakistan to kill Omar if they knew his whereabouts, he said Washington would consider all its options.

U.S. officials have long maintained Omar fled to Pakistan after the Taliban government was overthrown in late 2001 by U.S.-backed Afghan forces and is still in hiding there. Islamabad has denied reports he is in Pakistan.

Obama arrives in Britain on Tuesday for a three-day state visit -- the first state visit by a U.S. president since 2003.

He will hold talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron and address the parliament to hail the two countries' special relationship and stress the importance of transatlantic ties.


(Reporting by Olesya Dmitracova; additional reporting by Kamran Haider in Islamabad)

[BRVoice]

http://www.nowtheendbegins.com/blog/?p=5012


Pakistan Snubs US, Now Turns to China for Naval Base
The ever-shrinking field of American allies

Pakistan has asked China to build a naval base at its south-western port of Gwadar and expects the Chinese navy to maintain a regular presence there, a plan likely to alarm both India and the US.

“We have asked our Chinese brothers to please build a naval base at Gwadar,” Chaudhary Ahmed Mukhtar, Pakistan’s defence minister, told the Financial Times, confirming that the request was conveyed to China during a visit last week by Yusuf Raza Gilani, Pakistan’s prime minister. Hitherto, China has shied away from moves that might alienate the US and Beijing’s neighbours, such as India, Malaysia and Indonesia. “China’s rise is a beneficial force for peace and we have no hegemonic ambitions,” said a Chinese official familiar with Beijing’s security policy.

“This will definitely be a ‘game changer’ in China’s defence and security relationships,” said Rahul Roy-Chaudhury, a south Asia security expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. “The construction of a naval base in Gwadar would provide its own ships and possibly submarines with ‘permanent’ basing rights, along with the possibility of regular patrols and exercises in the Arabian Sea to protect the growing number of Chinese-flagged oil tankers traversing the region to meet its increasing energy demands from the Gulf region.”

[BRVoice]

http://abcnews.go.com/International/...ry?id=13658028


Militants Storm Pakistani Navy Base
By ADIL JAWAD Associated Press
KARACHI, Pakistan May 22, 2011 (AP)

Islamist militants stormed a naval base in the Pakistani city of Karachi late Sunday, rocking the facility with fiery explosions and battling commandos dispatched to subdue them in one of the most brazen attacks in years, security officials said.

At least two navy officers were injured and an airplane was damaged, navy spokesman Salman Ali said, but the total number of casualties was unclear. Many ambulances were being held back because of the fighting inside the base that was still going on more than 2 1/2 hours after the attack began on Pakistani Naval Station Mehran.

The coordinated strike, reportedly involving up to 15 attackers, came just under three weeks after the death of Osama bin Laden in an American raid on in the northwest city of Abbottabad, an event al-Qaida allied extremists here have vowed to avenge.

The unilateral American raid triggered a strong backlash against Washington, which is trying to support Pakistan in its fight against militants, as well as rare domestic criticism against the armed forces for failing to detect or prevent the operation.

Pakistan's army, which has received billions of dollars in U.S. aid since 2001, has launched several operations against militants in their heartland close to the border with Afghanistan over the last three years. The militants have struck back against police and army targets around the country.

Sunday's raid appeared to be most serious against the military since October 2009, when militants attacked the army headquarters close to the capital, Islamabad.

They held dozens hostage in a 22-hour standoff that left 23 people dead, including nine militants.

It began with at least three loud explosions, which were heard by people who live around the naval base, one of the largest military facilities in the country. It was unclear what caused the explosions, but they set off raging fires that could be seen from far in the distance.

An Associated Press reporting team outside the base heard at least six other explosions.

Authorities sent in several dozen navy and police commandos to battle the attackers, who responded with gunfire and grenades, said a senior security official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. At least one airplane — a P-3C Orion, a maritime surveillance aircraft — was destroyed, another official said.

At least one media report said team of American technicians were working on the aircraft at the time of the strike, but U.S. Embassy spokesman Alberto Rodriguez said no Americans were on the base.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack. But the Pakistani Taliban, an al-Qaida allied network which has previously launched attacks in Karachi, has pledged to retaliate for the death bin Laden, and has claimed responsibility for several bloody attacks since then.

Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani condemned the attack, saying such a "cowardly act of terror could not deter the commitment of the government and people of Pakistan to fight terrorism."

Karachi, the country's largest city and its commercial hub, has not been spared the violence sweeping the country, despite being in the south far from the northwest where militancy is at its strongest.

In April, militants bombed three buses taking navy employees to work, killing at least nine people.

The Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups have little direct public support, but the army and the government have struggled to convince the people of the need for armed operations against them. The militants' identification with Islam, strong anti-American rhetoric and support for insurgents in Afghanistan resonates with some in the country.

[BRVoice]

http://nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-n...eteriorated-WP


Pakistan orders some US military trainers to leave: WP
By: Special Correspondent | Submitted 1 day 22 hrs ago

WASHINGTON - Pakistan has ordered up to 20 per cent of the US Special Operations forces trainers to leave the country in the wake of a series of clashes between the two governments, The Washington Post reported Saturday.

Citing an unnamed US military official, the newspaper said in a dispatch that between 25 and 30 trainers were “told to leave” in the weeks before the U.S. commando raid that killed Osama bin Laden this month, in response to an earlier incident involving a CIA employee who shot and killed two Pakistanis in Lahore.

Since bin Laden, who had evaded capture for a decade, was killed on May 2 in a top-secret US unilateral military operation in Abbottabad, relations between the two countries have become even more frayed.

The Obama administration has asked pointed questions about bin Laden’s support system in Pakistan, and the Pakistanis assert that US raiders violated their sovereignty, it said.

Meanwhile, leaked confidential American diplomatic cables say that U.S. special forces were embedded with Pakistani troops on intelligence-gathering missions by the summer of 2009.

The disclosure comes a day after another set of cables claimed that Pakistan Army chief Gen. Ashfaq Kayani not only tacitly agreed to the covert U.S. drone campaign against militants, but asked for "continuous Predator coverage" of the tribal areas by these aircraft. The army denied the contents.

The published dispatches from WikiLeaks also reveal that U.S. special operations forces were deployed with Pakistani troops in joint operations in Pakistan by September of 2009.

"Through these embeds, we are assisting the Pakistanis collect and coordinate existing intelligence assets, the cables quoted then American ambassador to Pakistan Anne Patterson as saying.

Pakistan's powerful military faced rare criticism after the unilateral raid that killed bin Laden.

The infuriated army said the assault, which has severely strained ties between the two countries, was a violation of Pakistan's sovereignty. But Pakistanis politicians and media lashed out at the generals because they did not know about the raid.