After taking over the border crossing with #Pakistan, Taliban replace #Afghanistan’s flag with Islamic Emirate's. Pakistani diplomats struggle to distance the country from the militant group, but the nation has to cope with a bitter reality. Taliban way of life is also...
.. unacceptable to most Pakistanis. There is strong criticism of Taliban in Pakistan but it gets buried by a twisted national discourse hijacked by anti-West/anti-US/extremist elements jubilant over perceived US/international defeat. Hardly any serious discussion on how US exit..
..is detrimental to Pakistani strategic interests, precipitates a regional proxy war, and enhances Iran & India's influence in Afghanistan, with which Islamabad struggled in 1990s. Jubilation over perceived US defeat also wastes energies that could have been used in explaining..
..how Afghan Govt's partial intransigence & ineptitude (in achieving national reconciliation) disappointed the US and helped Taliban (the militants are responsible, too, but Kabul didn't do enough to avert this end).

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More from @_AhmedQuraishi

18 Jul
#Pakistan foreign minister visits Chinese citizens injured in bus blast, with #China Amb, at military hospital. This #thread includes observations on China's keenness to get involved militarily in combating terrorism, its policy shortcomings, & FM+Amb statement. /1
After the blast, #China is emitting signals that it is exerting pressure for more antiterror action in #Pakistan, including possibly joint missions with Pakistani forces. /2
One example is how quickly #China recast the bus incident as a terrorist attack after #Pakistan initially downplayed the incident. And quickly floated Chinese security assistance "if #Islamabad has any need to combat terrorism." /3
Read 7 tweets
25 Jun
Yesterday 25 June 2021 was the 25th anniversary of #Alkhobar bombing in #SaudiArabia that killed 19 #US servicemen, injured 500+ from several nationalities, incl #Saudis #Pakistanis #Egyptians. Marked a shift for #Iran #IRGC's ops inside #KSA; close to ARAMCO & a major mil base.
Crater is where a sewage tanker truck detonated nearly 14,000 Kg of explosives. Bomb was a mixture of petrol & explosive powder placed in the tank of the truck. The material was smuggled in exported fruit trucks from #Lebanon and hidden underground in #Qatif, near #Alkhboar.
That day, I was with a group of journalists in #Kuwait waiting for a #US heli to take us to a #Saudi base for a briefing related to the situation with #Iraq. We waited for half a day. After #Alkhobar, US military disconnected for the next 72 hours. [Pic: briefing; Kuwaiti desert]
Read 6 tweets
31 May
In his telephone interactions with the public, PM #ImranKhan of #Pakistan rejected normalization of ties with #India until India restores the position in #Kashmir to pre 5 Aug 2019.

Good claptrap but Kashmiri people deserve more serious discussion than this. /1
As the self-declared 'Ambassador of #Kashmir', PM #ImranKhan has done little in two years to galvanize international diplomacy and public opinion on this conflict, and failed to exploit multiple leverages on #India that changing intl media and political landscape presented. /2
Judging by the sudden Pakistani diplomacy on #Gaza (in which #Pakistan in effect has no role), the Govt's #Kashmir diplomacy is virtually dead. International media gets credit for highlighting K situation. Pak state+private media is tedious/repetitious. Pak narrative invisible./3
Read 4 tweets
30 May
Since 2019, every day in #Pakistan sees new red lines crossed in military-bashing. The latest involves ridicule of top spy chief amid rising impression of state-media open clash. No one expected this to happen in PM #ImranKhan Govt, which started as friendliest to media+military.
This military-bashing, and dragging the top spy chief through the mud, is probably damaging for #Pakistan's military (both criticism & trolls-led defense). #PTIGovernment is distancing itself from this mess (Hint: see last grab here).
This military-bashing and dragging of spy chief's name through the mud in the most personal way possible is a serious matter, underlined by this rare official public comment by #ISI on the controversy, and the pushback through trolls & allies.

Read 5 tweets
28 May
The breakdown in #Syria's presidential election:

Bashar 51%
Al Assad 49%

President #BasharAlAssad is in power for 21 years now. It will be 26 years if he completes the new term.
I still remember when he took oath in Parliament in #Damascus after his father's death in 2000. I was watching the ceremony on TV w/ a close Syrian friend, ex-army, served in Syrian military in #Lebanon. I was flabbergasted after his first live speech:
The new Syrian president spoke in perfect, incisive, articulate Arabic, without pauses. No teleprompter. Impeccable expression. He was the youngest Arab leader then (along Abdullah II of Jordan), a breath of fresh air (before Tamim, MBS, MBZ, Hariri, & Haitham).
Read 9 tweets
3 May
ہمارے میڈیا کی مشرق وسطی میں کوئی بیورو آفیسز ہیں نہیں، اور نہ پہلے کی طرح tentacles ہیں۔ گزشتہ آٹھ سالوں میں خطے کے حکام اور دانشور، ایران ترکی خازاخستان آذربائیجان عمان امارات سعودیہ عراق اردن مصر مراکش، سب میں اعتدال پسندی اور دنیا کے ساتھ اور خصوصا مغرب کے ساتھ مل کر چلنے /1
چلنے پر زور دیا جا رہا ہے اور اسی پر کام ہو رہا ہے۔ ہمارے ہاں الٹا حساب ہے۔ بتایا جاتا ہے کہ نیا اسلامی بلاک بنانے جا رہے ہیں اور چین ایران روس کے ساتھ مل کر امریکہ کو شکست دینے جا رہے ہیں۔ حالانکہ آدھی ایرانی کابینہ امریکی یونیورسٹیوں کی پڑھی لکھی ہے اور آج کل تو وہ ملا بھی /2
ہم سے زیادہ اعتدال پسند نظر آتے ہیں جب سے ایران نے ہماری فرانس کے خلاف مشترکہ محاذ بنانے کی پیشکش پیار سے رد کی ہے۔ وزیر اعظم پر آج کچھ اراکین یورپین پارلیمنٹ انتہا پسندی پھیلانے کا الزام لگا رہے ہیں، لیکن لبنان مصر دبی کے عربی اخبارات میں یہ بات گزشتہ سال سے ہو رہی ہے /3
Read 4 tweets

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