Tag "Sri Lanka"

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya’s Victory and Implications for Pakistan

Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s landmark victory in the recent Sri Lankan Presidential elections have sparked mixed reactions in the region. While Pakistan considers it an opportunity to further boost Pak-Lankan ties, India may have reasons to be concerned; this, despite a felicitation message and invitation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Gotabaya joined Sri Lanka Army in 1971 and was commissioned into the Corps of Signals. He completed basic

Pakistan’s Standing in the Upcoming SAARCLAW Conferences

Pakistan is preparing to host the 12th SAARC Chief Justices Conference and the 15th SAARCLAW Conference on September 14th and 15th, respectively. The former will be presided by Chief Justice of Pakistan, the Honourable Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa, himself a founding member of SAARCLAW. The fact that this apex forum of SAARC has agreed to let Islamabad host its dignitaries, including as-of-yet willingness by an Indian representative to participate,

India’s Growing Belligerence Amid Delayed Bilateral Dialogue

On February 16, 2016, two leading Asian newspapers published opposing stories on bilateral talks. The Hindustan Times quoted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs Mr Tariq Fatemi that Pakistan was ‘ready to forge cooperative relations with India’. On the other hand, a report by Dawn quoted India’s new High Commissioner to Pakistan Mr Gautam Bambawale saying that the dialogue between both countries would resume ‘once the atmosphere

Pakistan Army Hosts First Counter Terrorism Exercise With Sri Lanka and Maldives

On February 4, Pakistan’s army chief General Raheel Sharif witnessed the first ever trilateral counter terrorism exercise “Eagle Dash-I” involving special forces from Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. The two week-long exercises were held at Pakistan Army’s renowned National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) in Pabbi. The centre’s geography which includes hills and jungles offered participants the perfect environment to simulate operations against a fictitious terrorist group which could employ

Stronger Pakistan-Sri Lanka Ties A Guarantor Of Peace In Asia

Pakistan and Sri Lanka are two important South Asian nation states, even more so because of their unique geostrategic locations. Pakistan is the Indian Ocean’s transit route to Afghanistan and Central Asia and eventually Europe, whereas Sri Lanka lies near major sea lanes in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). Thus, the tiny island state assumed greater importance in the context of maritime trade and combating privacy. Little wonder why China