Wednesday 16 May ,

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan  Federal Cabinet is discussing the lifting of the blockade on NATO supply routes, the Chicago summit and the budget in Wednesday's session.

In his address to the cabinet, Pak Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said that ties with the US and NATO were on a crossroads and the time had come to make some important decisions.

"National interest will not be compromised when making a decision regarding ties with the US and NATO."

Gilani further said that there would be no compromise on the country’s principals and the government would not take any emotional decisions.

The cabinet is meeting after the cabinet's defence committee cleared the way for President Asif Ali Zardari to attend next week's NATO summit in Chicago.

That Pak  defence committee meeting also authorised officials to conclude negotiations on new terms and conditions for resuming the transit of fuel and other non-lethal items required by NATO troops in their decade-long fight against the Taliban in Afghanistan, the prime minister's office said.

Islamabad shut its Afghan border crossings to NATO after US air strikes killed 24 Pakistani soldiers on November 26 as relations with the United States, already frayed by the discovery of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan, plunged into their worst ever crisis.

Pakistan's attendance in Chicago, where NATO leaders meet Sunday and Monday, would ease its international isolation and could boost its leverage over the future of Afghanistan, as Western countries pull out their combat forces by 2014.

Islamabad boycotted the last major talks on Afghanistan, held in Bonn in December.

The prime minister's office said overnight that Pakistan would "continue to remain engaged" with the United States on both issues.

Analysts say Pakistan had no choice but acquiesce to immense international pressure to reopen the border with US cash needed to help boost its meagre state coffers with the government seeking re-election within a year.

Washington said both countries had made "considerable progress" on ending the blockade, which has halted fuel and supply trucks from the southern port city of Karachi to two Afghan border crossings.

"We will continue to work on this throughout the week. Obviously, it'll be a wonderful signal if we can get it done by the time of the summit," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012
PESHAWAR (BNA): A close associate of Hakimullah Mehsud, chief of banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and six others have been arrested from Peshawar, DawnNews reported on Monday.
Mehsud’s close associate, “Hakeem,” has been arrested along with six other extremists from Peshawar’s Hayatabad phase VI and have been shifted to an undisclosed location, sources told.
Four detained commanders of the banned outfit, including Hakeem were on the wanted list and their real names have not been disclosed yet, DawnNews learnt.
Hakeem was sub-commander of TTP Peshawar region.
Hakeem, along with his associates, was involved in kidnapping of high profile personalities; Hakeem’s gang was involved in the abduction of Professor Ajmal, Afghan counsel general Khalid Farahi and Iranian commercial attaché Hashim Atharzade.
Meanwhile, in a similar raid in Abbotabad, Police has arrested and registered cases of kidnapping for ransom against three members of the TTP.
 

Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Washington (BNA) President Barakck Obama said that he welcomes Afghanistan’s transition to a new phase of security leadership that will see Afghan forces responsible for most of the country’s security. 
In a statement issued by the White House, Obama called the transition announced earlier Sunday by Afghan president Hamid Karzai “an important step forward” for the US in its efforts to achieve its objectives in Afghanistan. 
In the third phase of a five tranche military transition process to bring NATO closer to getting out of the Afghan war, 122 more districts throughout Afghanistan will come under local command, AFP reported putting Afghan forces in control of security for 75 percent of the population. 
Government officials said the handover’s third phase would start immediately and could take as little as six months, although according to NATO’s International Security Assistance Force, complete transition in an area can take 12-18 months. 
NATO has a total of 130,000 soldiers helping the Karzai government fight an insurgency by hard line Taliban militants, and they are due to withdraw by the end of 2014 when the transition process is complete. 
Obama’s statement came as top Afghan peace negotiator Arsala Rahmani, a close adviser to Karzai, was gunned down in Kabul, and a day after two British NATO troops were killed by men in Afghan police uniforms. 
“The Afghan National Security Forces are strengthening their capacity as we remain on track to meet our goal of having the Afghan government fully responsible for security across the country by the end of 2014, “the statement said.  Earlier this month, Obama vested Afghanistan to sign a strategic agreement with Karzai that charts a 10 year relationship between Washington and Kabul after 2014. 
Obama plans to meet with Karzai and other world leaders next week at the NATO Summit in Chicago.
 

Monday, May 07, 2012
Kabul (BNA) President Barack Obama has said that the war in Afghanistan has changed in US favor.
Addressing his weekly televised speech, the president noted that the bravery of US troops in Afghanistan has changed the destination of war towards US favor and broken the Taliban movement.
President Obama also said during his recent tour to Afghanistan he inked the historic agreement and visited US troops stationed there.
President Barak Obama also stated that the US forces have killed al-Qaiada leader Bin Laden.
He also lauded the inking strategic pact between US and Afghanistan, saying by signing the pact new chapter has been opened in the relations between the two nations and ending the war in Afghanistan.