Pakistan’s military charges former spy chief over ‘political activities’
Lieutenant-General Faiz Hamid, under arrest since August, is the first spy chief accused of helping a political party.
The Pakistani military formally indicted former ISI chief, retd Lt. Gen Faiz Hamid, charging him of “engaging in political activities”, in essence accusing him of working with ex-PM Imran Khan to sow chaos. But some ex military officials have questioned the motive.
www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/12...
11.12.2024 06:47 — 👍 3 🔁 2 💬 1 📌 1
Pakistan ramps up military operations amid surge in violent attacks
The military says it killed eight ‘terrorists’ over the weekend. But analysts say Pakistan’s response is inadequate.
My input alongside @ihsantipu.bsky.social and Amir Rana in this @aljazeera.com report by @abidhussayn.bsky.social addressing the rising militant attacks in Pakistan and the challenges in countering them.
www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/12...
02.12.2024 18:53 — 👍 5 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
and one of the most influential figures in al-Qaeda’s leadership in Pakistan, also moved to Syria in 2015. This move came after his relocation from Waziristan to Afghanistan due to challenges faced by al-Qaeda. 4/4
02.12.2024 18:49 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
It is worth noting that a few years ago, some alleged correspondences of al-Qaeda in the Subcontinent surfaced, which revealed that one of the brothers of Ustad Ahmad Farooq, the founding deputy leader of al-Qaeda in the Subcontinent 3/4
02.12.2024 18:49 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
It appears that several Pakistani members of al-Qaeda, who relocated to Syria after the 2015 exodus from Waziristan, have joined Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and its allied groups, remaining active there. 2/4
02.12.2024 18:49 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
As Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and its allies advance against Bashar al-Assad’s forces in Syria, Pakistani militants within their ranks are releasing fresh video updates in Urdu and Pashto from the front lines of the war. Qaeda’s leadership in Pakistan, also moved to Syria in 2015. 1/4
02.12.2024 18:49 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
سوگوارانِ جمہوریت
27نومبر کی شام آٹھ بجے کے قریب ایک وکیل دوست کا میسج...
اگر اسلام آباد میں پارلیمنٹ ہائوس کے سامنے غیر مسلح مظاہرین پر گولیاں برسائی جا سکتی ہیں تو بلوچستان اور خیبرپختونخوا میں کیا کیا مظالم ہوتے ہونگے؟
jang.com.pk/news/1416595
02.12.2024 09:43 — 👍 2 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
Lastly, ISKP’s response is predictable, likely involving rhetoric aimed at undermining HTS’s victory. This would mirror the propaganda themes ISKP used to discredit the Afghan Taliban’s August 2021 victory in Afghanistan. 6/n
30.11.2024 10:40 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
AQIS might issue a generalized statement similar to Hafiz Gul Bahadur’s, avoiding direct references to HTS or Julani, or they might choose silence. However, judging by AQIS’s recent media campaigns, it appears unlikely they would ignore such a significant development. 5/n
30.11.2024 10:40 — 👍 0 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 0
The potential response from AQIS warrants closer attention due to the complex relationship between Julani and Al-Qaeda, marked by tensions. 4/n
30.11.2024 10:40 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
The Afghan Taliban, given their current political challenges as Afghanistan’s de facto government, may avoid formal commentary, though their members and supporters have been celebrating this as a magnificent victory. 3/n
30.11.2024 10:40 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 3 📌 0
Other groups, such as the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), might issue similar statements in the future.
However, the likelihood of a response from the Afghan Taliban or Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) remains uncertain. 2/n
30.11.2024 10:40 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
Analyzing AQIS and Afghan Taliban’s potential responses to the Aleppo victory
Pakistan’s Hafiz Gul Bahadur group issued a formal congratulatory message from its leader to Syrian militants, celebrating their victory in Aleppo. 1/n
30.11.2024 10:38 — 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 0
Just had the opportunity to speak with DW News about the latest in Syria
29.11.2024 20:45 — 👍 16 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 0
Journalist Matiullah Jan has been arrested for investigating the alleged killings of protesters from the former ruling party by security forces in Islamabad, alongside a baseless and absurd drug use case filed against him.
29.11.2024 06:22 — 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 1
Senior Journalist Matiullah Jan was kidnapped by unidentified men from outside Islamabad’s PIMS hospital at around 11pm Wednesday night, according to his friends. Spoke with his friend Waheed Murad who says no one heard from Matiullah Jan since then. Very alarming
27.11.2024 23:48 — 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 0
This marks the fourth TTP attack in Dera Ghazi Khan since January 2024, indicating a well-established TTP network in the district. 2/2
27.11.2024 08:24 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
The police confirmed an attack claimed by Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on a police checkpost in the southern Punjab’s Dera Ghazi Khan district, stating that 25 to 30 militants carried out the assault, which was successfully repelled. 1/2
27.11.2024 08:24 — 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 0
In its Urdu magazine, ISKP portrayed this conflict as a sectarian struggle, framing it as a continuation of the war against the Shia community seen in Syria and Iraq. 2/2
27.11.2024 07:35 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
ISKP has made its first attempt to exploit Shia-Sunni conflicts in Kurram to recruit members and expand its influence in the region. It appeals to the Sunni population of Kurram to join ISKP in fighting against the Shia community. 1/2
27.11.2024 07:35 — 👍 4 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 1
Sergei Shoigu, Russia’s Security Council Secretary, led the highest-level Russian delegation to Afghanistan since the Taliban return to power in August 2021. Russian state-run media reported that Shoigu met with senior Taliban leaders to strengthen bilateral relations.
26.11.2024 08:24 — 👍 7 🔁 4 💬 0 📌 0
:(
25.11.2024 16:15 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
The Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group has accused Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) of killing its members and has warned of retaliatory action if such incidents continue. The group alleges that TTP has targeted its members from the Betani tribe in three separate incidents.
25.11.2024 13:25 — 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 1
Plain-clothed officials and cops in Punjab disrupted and forced an early end to a meeting of #journalists discussing safety challenges and media #freedoms in Seraiki belt. They expelled Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Pakistan rep Iqbal Khattak and his team of Freedom Network from Dera Ghazi Khan
25.11.2024 11:11 — 👍 3 🔁 2 💬 1 📌 0
Due to opposition from the Afghan Taliban and religious leadership, Pakistani militants had halted the practice of beheadings for several years, which has now resumed. 3/3
25.11.2024 07:41 — 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
Earlier last week, the HGB released footage of beheadings of security personnel in Bannu, while the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) released similar footage from Khyber. 2/3
25.11.2024 07:41 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
The Hafiz Gul Bahadur group (HGB) has released footage of the beheading of two alleged surrendered militants in North Waziristan, accusing them of espionage. 1/3
25.11.2024 07:41 — 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 0
A senior commander of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) dismissed the NACTA's claim of a Taliban militant attack on the @PTIofficial as “baseless,” saying the group had a “clear and declared” policy of not targeting political parties, including PTI. (1/2)
24.11.2024 03:53 — 👍 7 🔁 2 💬 2 📌 0
As anticipated, ISKP’s involvement in the Baghlan Sufi shrine attack is confirmed. ISC media claims responsibility, citing sectarian opposition to Sufism and the alleged presence of local Taliban members as targets.
23.11.2024 16:48 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
South Asia Institute Director @TheWilsonCenter.
Writer of @ForeignPolicy's weekly South Asia Brief.
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Writing - filming: Amber Room, Deception, Meadow, Siege, the Exile, Spy Stories, and Emmy winning Forever Prisoner on HBO-Max, and published by Grove
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Columnist, doctor
Gainesville / Peshawar
Journalist for 4 decades, ex-federal minister, information, broadcasting & parliamentary affairs, ex-DG Radio Pakistan, previously affiliated with VOA, The News, Capital TV, Nayadaur Media.
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Working as a talk show host MereSawalWithAbsarAlam with SAMAA TV and;
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Journalist @humnewspakistan | Columnist @BBCUrdu | Author of Book “Kahani Baray Gher Ki” | Winner of 2014 Peter Mackler Award of Courage & Ethical Journalism | Ahfazur Rahman Award
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Exposing human rights abuses around the world.
Storyteller. Journalist. Currently based in Berlin.
I am a journalist who has covered Afghanistan and Pakistan for more than 35 years, while also dipping into Central Asia, Iraq, Yemen, Iran and Lebanon during the 2006 war. I authored I is for Infidel. For more pls see www.kathy-gannon.com
Host of the podcast Pakistonomy. Focused on South Asia’s political economy and tech. Part-time chef.
Senior Advisor, South& Central Asia, VOA. Headed ARY, DUNYA, GEO (E), PTV World, Worked for BBC, AFP& CS Monitor. ‘TWEETS&RTs are personal opinion’
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Journalist by profession. Currently with PEN Norway. Have reported for The Guardian, Al Jazeera, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, The Diplomat, Daily Times. Often writing for the Jamestown Foundation and Dawn. Words for BBC World Service et al.
Al Qaeda, Islamic State, Middle East, Africa. A lot on Yemen, US counterterrorism strategy, & Salafi-jihadi groups.
katherinezimmerman.substack.com
Research analyst & security consultant focused on jihadism & security in Afghanistan, Pakistan and South & Central Asia.
Interested in influence, terrorism, and conflict. Work for the UK’s FCDO. From Bristol.
“My name is Sheryar Mahsud, I am journalist from the war-affected region of Waziristan, and my priority is to talk about oppression.”