Port Grand commands the indisputable position of being Asia's biggest food
street which was inaugurated on Saturday (May 28th) by Governor Sindh Dr
Ishratull Ebad. It is officially open to public since Sunday, 29th May
2011. The launching of the venture claims to be the most innovative project
in the history of both this country and the city. It offers its visitors
cuisines from all around the world in one place. Besides being a hot spot
for eateries, Port Grand also carries a wide range of both international
and local shopping outlets for the visitors. The shopping and eating
experience which spreads on the land of 10 kilometers, expects 4000 to 5000
visitors daily from 11 am to 2 am everyday where some places will be opened
around the clock.
The first thing that catches your eye as you enter the world of extreme
entertainment is the shopping mall which carries brands and outlets from
around the globe. To the left of the amazing shopping mall is Napier’s
Tavern which features a fine dining with a mix of cultural heritage and a
breath taking view of the harbor. Another interesting destination within
the Port Grand is the Walker's Pier's which offers a dining experience on
the cruise. The Loop is another incredible dine-in restaurant which is
inspired by the era of speed, communication and connectivity with its bold
and dynamic designs and beautiful landscapes that promise an unforgettable
experience.
Asian Village gives you a snap shot of the entire Asian culture in a glance
with food and products that reflect Asian culture. The Asian Village
features Continental Cuisine from Chinese to Korean and Japanese dishes.
The Asian Bazaar’s gives the taste of the culture of the continent at
bargain prices.
To host events, fashion shows and other entertainment events the Deck is
the best choice. It is city's most spectacular stage when it comes to
models ruling the ramp with ravishing designer wear or the musicians to
lift the crowd on their feet with killer riffs and face-melting guitar
solos! The most refreshing stop - Palm Groove offers fresh juices and a
live juice bar that gives hygienically and professionally extracted juices.
To give it a touch of Karachi and its heritage, Art Lane has indoors and
outdoors display-space which can feature live portraits and still life and
landscape images of the artists. It provides with an opportunity to for
upcoming artists to showcase their talent to those craving for art.
Another striking attraction of Port Grand is the Mermaid place which offers
the most delicious sea food. With its nautical theme and live dolphin view,
this place not only offers sea food but also carries an ice cream parlor
and coffee club.
Numaish, with its most beautiful landscapes and indoor and outdoor sitting
experience, gives you the street like environment of Karachi with its
beautiful restaurants cafes and outdoor lifestyle with live music.
Temple Point, The Galleria and Promenade are some other promising
destinations here at Port Grand which also offers Wi- Fi connectivity
throughout the complex. It is a city within a city with beauty salons, a
movie theatre, a super market, bakery, mosque, florist and many more
attractions to make the visitors never want to leave.
Port Grand is a new attraction to Karachi’s night life and a must to visit
this summer
Friday, December 2, 2011
Asia’s Biggest Food Street In Karachi
Asia’s Biggest Food Street In Karachi
Port Grand commands the indisputable position of being Asia's biggest food
street which was inaugurated on Saturday (May 28th) by Governor Sindh Dr
Ishratull Ebad. It is officially open to public since Sunday, 29th May
2011. The launching of the venture claims to be the most innovative project
in the history of both this country and the city. It offers its visitors
cuisines from all around the world in one place. Besides being a hot spot
for eateries, Port Grand also carries a wide range of both international
and local shopping outlets for the visitors. The shopping and eating
experience which spreads on the land of 10 kilometers, expects 4000 to 5000
visitors daily from 11 am to 2 am everyday where some places will be opened
around the clock.
The first thing that catches your eye as you enter the world of extreme
entertainment is the shopping mall which carries brands and outlets from
around the globe. To the left of the amazing shopping mall is Napier’s
Tavern which features a fine dining with a mix of cultural heritage and a
breath taking view of the harbor. Another interesting destination within
the Port Grand is the Walker's Pier's which offers a dining experience on
the cruise. The Loop is another incredible dine-in restaurant which is
inspired by the era of speed, communication and connectivity with its bold
and dynamic designs and beautiful landscapes that promise an unforgettable
experience.
Asian Village gives you a snap shot of the entire Asian culture in a glance
with food and products that reflect Asian culture. The Asian Village
features Continental Cuisine from Chinese to Korean and Japanese dishes.
The Asian Bazaar’s gives the taste of the culture of the continent at
bargain prices.
To host events, fashion shows and other entertainment events the Deck is
the best choice. It is city's most spectacular stage when it comes to
models ruling the ramp with ravishing designer wear or the musicians to
lift the crowd on their feet with killer riffs and face-melting guitar
solos! The most refreshing stop - Palm Groove offers fresh juices and a
live juice bar that gives hygienically and professionally extracted juices.
To give it a touch of Karachi and its heritage, Art Lane has indoors and
outdoors display-space which can feature live portraits and still life and
landscape images of the artists. It provides with an opportunity to for
upcoming artists to showcase their talent to those craving for art.
Another striking attraction of Port Grand is the Mermaid place which offers
the most delicious sea food. With its nautical theme and live dolphin view,
this place not only offers sea food but also carries an ice cream parlor
and coffee club.
Numaish, with its most beautiful landscapes and indoor and outdoor sitting
experience, gives you the street like environment of Karachi with its
beautiful restaurants cafes and outdoor lifestyle with live music.
Temple Point, The Galleria and Promenade are some other promising
destinations here at Port Grand which also offers Wi- Fi connectivity
throughout the complex. It is a city within a city with beauty salons, a
movie theatre, a super market, bakery, mosque, florist and many more
attractions to make the visitors never want to leave.
Port Grand is a new attraction to Karachi’s night life and a must to visit
this summer
Asia’s Biggest Food Street In Karachi
Port Grand commands the indisputable position of being Asia's biggest food
street which was inaugurated on Saturday (May 28th) by Governor Sindh Dr
Ishratull Ebad. It is officially open to public since Sunday, 29th May
2011. The launching of the venture claims to be the most innovative project
in the history of both this country and the city. It offers its visitors
cuisines from all around the world in one place. Besides being a hot spot
for eateries, Port Grand also carries a wide range of both international
and local shopping outlets for the visitors. The shopping and eating
experience which spreads on the land of 10 kilometers, expects 4000 to 5000
visitors daily from 11 am to 2 am everyday where some places will be opened
around the clock.
The first thing that catches your eye as you enter the world of extreme
entertainment is the shopping mall which carries brands and outlets from
around the globe. To the left of the amazing shopping mall is Napier’s
Tavern which features a fine dining with a mix of cultural heritage and a
breath taking view of the harbor. Another interesting destination within
the Port Grand is the Walker's Pier's which offers a dining experience on
the cruise. The Loop is another incredible dine-in restaurant which is
inspired by the era of speed, communication and connectivity with its bold
and dynamic designs and beautiful landscapes that promise an unforgettable
experience.
Asian Village gives you a snap shot of the entire Asian culture in a glance
with food and products that reflect Asian culture. The Asian Village
features Continental Cuisine from Chinese to Korean and Japanese dishes.
The Asian Bazaar’s gives the taste of the culture of the continent at
bargain prices.
To host events, fashion shows and other entertainment events the Deck is
the best choice. It is city's most spectacular stage when it comes to
models ruling the ramp with ravishing designer wear or the musicians to
lift the crowd on their feet with killer riffs and face-melting guitar
solos! The most refreshing stop - Palm Groove offers fresh juices and a
live juice bar that gives hygienically and professionally extracted juices.
To give it a touch of Karachi and its heritage, Art Lane has indoors and
outdoors display-space which can feature live portraits and still life and
landscape images of the artists. It provides with an opportunity to for
upcoming artists to showcase their talent to those craving for art.
Another striking attraction of Port Grand is the Mermaid place which offers
the most delicious sea food. With its nautical theme and live dolphin view,
this place not only offers sea food but also carries an ice cream parlor
and coffee club.
Numaish, with its most beautiful landscapes and indoor and outdoor sitting
experience, gives you the street like environment of Karachi with its
beautiful restaurants cafes and outdoor lifestyle with live music.
Temple Point, The Galleria and Promenade are some other promising
destinations here at Port Grand which also offers Wi- Fi connectivity
throughout the complex. It is a city within a city with beauty salons, a
movie theatre, a super market, bakery, mosque, florist and many more
attractions to make the visitors never want to leave.
Port Grand is a new attraction to Karachi’s night life and a must to visit
this summer
Asia’s Biggest Food Street In Karachi
Port Grand commands the indisputable position of being Asia's biggest food
street which was inaugurated on Saturday (May 28th) by Governor Sindh Dr
Ishratull Ebad. It is officially open to public since Sunday, 29th May
2011. The launching of the venture claims to be the most innovative project
in the history of both this country and the city. It offers its visitors
cuisines from all around the world in one place. Besides being a hot spot
for eateries, Port Grand also carries a wide range of both international
and local shopping outlets for the visitors. The shopping and eating
experience which spreads on the land of 10 kilometers, expects 4000 to 5000
visitors daily from 11 am to 2 am everyday where some places will be opened
around the clock.
The first thing that catches your eye as you enter the world of extreme
entertainment is the shopping mall which carries brands and outlets from
around the globe. To the left of the amazing shopping mall is Napier’s
Tavern which features a fine dining with a mix of cultural heritage and a
breath taking view of the harbor. Another interesting destination within
the Port Grand is the Walker's Pier's which offers a dining experience on
the cruise. The Loop is another incredible dine-in restaurant which is
inspired by the era of speed, communication and connectivity with its bold
and dynamic designs and beautiful landscapes that promise an unforgettable
experience.
Asian Village gives you a snap shot of the entire Asian culture in a glance
with food and products that reflect Asian culture. The Asian Village
features Continental Cuisine from Chinese to Korean and Japanese dishes.
The Asian Bazaar’s gives the taste of the culture of the continent at
bargain prices.
To host events, fashion shows and other entertainment events the Deck is
the best choice. It is city's most spectacular stage when it comes to
models ruling the ramp with ravishing designer wear or the musicians to
lift the crowd on their feet with killer riffs and face-melting guitar
solos! The most refreshing stop - Palm Groove offers fresh juices and a
live juice bar that gives hygienically and professionally extracted juices.
To give it a touch of Karachi and its heritage, Art Lane has indoors and
outdoors display-space which can feature live portraits and still life and
landscape images of the artists. It provides with an opportunity to for
upcoming artists to showcase their talent to those craving for art.
Another striking attraction of Port Grand is the Mermaid place which offers
the most delicious sea food. With its nautical theme and live dolphin view,
this place not only offers sea food but also carries an ice cream parlor
and coffee club.
Numaish, with its most beautiful landscapes and indoor and outdoor sitting
experience, gives you the street like environment of Karachi with its
beautiful restaurants cafes and outdoor lifestyle with live music.
Temple Point, The Galleria and Promenade are some other promising
destinations here at Port Grand which also offers Wi- Fi connectivity
throughout the complex. It is a city within a city with beauty salons, a
movie theatre, a super market, bakery, mosque, florist and many more
attractions to make the visitors never want to leave.
Port Grand is a new attraction to Karachi’s night life and a must to visit
this summer
Asia’s Biggest Food Street In Karachi
Port Grand commands the indisputable position of being Asia's biggest food
street which was inaugurated on Saturday (May 28th) by Governor Sindh Dr
Ishratull Ebad. It is officially open to public since Sunday, 29th May
2011. The launching of the venture claims to be the most innovative project
in the history of both this country and the city. It offers its visitors
cuisines from all around the world in one place. Besides being a hot spot
for eateries, Port Grand also carries a wide range of both international
and local shopping outlets for the visitors. The shopping and eating
experience which spreads on the land of 10 kilometers, expects 4000 to 5000
visitors daily from 11 am to 2 am everyday where some places will be opened
around the clock.
The first thing that catches your eye as you enter the world of extreme
entertainment is the shopping mall which carries brands and outlets from
around the globe. To the left of the amazing shopping mall is Napier’s
Tavern which features a fine dining with a mix of cultural heritage and a
breath taking view of the harbor. Another interesting destination within
the Port Grand is the Walker's Pier's which offers a dining experience on
the cruise. The Loop is another incredible dine-in restaurant which is
inspired by the era of speed, communication and connectivity with its bold
and dynamic designs and beautiful landscapes that promise an unforgettable
experience.
Asian Village gives you a snap shot of the entire Asian culture in a glance
with food and products that reflect Asian culture. The Asian Village
features Continental Cuisine from Chinese to Korean and Japanese dishes.
The Asian Bazaar’s gives the taste of the culture of the continent at
bargain prices.
To host events, fashion shows and other entertainment events the Deck is
the best choice. It is city's most spectacular stage when it comes to
models ruling the ramp with ravishing designer wear or the musicians to
lift the crowd on their feet with killer riffs and face-melting guitar
solos! The most refreshing stop - Palm Groove offers fresh juices and a
live juice bar that gives hygienically and professionally extracted juices.
To give it a touch of Karachi and its heritage, Art Lane has indoors and
outdoors display-space which can feature live portraits and still life and
landscape images of the artists. It provides with an opportunity to for
upcoming artists to showcase their talent to those craving for art.
Another striking attraction of Port Grand is the Mermaid place which offers
the most delicious sea food. With its nautical theme and live dolphin view,
this place not only offers sea food but also carries an ice cream parlor
and coffee club.
Numaish, with its most beautiful landscapes and indoor and outdoor sitting
experience, gives you the street like environment of Karachi with its
beautiful restaurants cafes and outdoor lifestyle with live music.
Temple Point, The Galleria and Promenade are some other promising
destinations here at Port Grand which also offers Wi- Fi connectivity
throughout the complex. It is a city within a city with beauty salons, a
movie theatre, a super market, bakery, mosque, florist and many more
attractions to make the visitors never want to leave.
Port Grand is a new attraction to Karachi’s night life and a must to visit
this summer
Asia’s Biggest Food Street In Karachi
Port Grand commands the indisputable position of being Asia's biggest food
street which was inaugurated on Saturday (May 28th) by Governor Sindh Dr
Ishratull Ebad. It is officially open to public since Sunday, 29th May
2011. The launching of the venture claims to be the most innovative project
in the history of both this country and the city. It offers its visitors
cuisines from all around the world in one place. Besides being a hot spot
for eateries, Port Grand also carries a wide range of both international
and local shopping outlets for the visitors. The shopping and eating
experience which spreads on the land of 10 kilometers, expects 4000 to 5000
visitors daily from 11 am to 2 am everyday where some places will be opened
around the clock.
The first thing that catches your eye as you enter the world of extreme
entertainment is the shopping mall which carries brands and outlets from
around the globe. To the left of the amazing shopping mall is Napier’s
Tavern which features a fine dining with a mix of cultural heritage and a
breath taking view of the harbor. Another interesting destination within
the Port Grand is the Walker's Pier's which offers a dining experience on
the cruise. The Loop is another incredible dine-in restaurant which is
inspired by the era of speed, communication and connectivity with its bold
and dynamic designs and beautiful landscapes that promise an unforgettable
experience.
Asian Village gives you a snap shot of the entire Asian culture in a glance
with food and products that reflect Asian culture. The Asian Village
features Continental Cuisine from Chinese to Korean and Japanese dishes.
The Asian Bazaar’s gives the taste of the culture of the continent at
bargain prices.
To host events, fashion shows and other entertainment events the Deck is
the best choice. It is city's most spectacular stage when it comes to
models ruling the ramp with ravishing designer wear or the musicians to
lift the crowd on their feet with killer riffs and face-melting guitar
solos! The most refreshing stop - Palm Groove offers fresh juices and a
live juice bar that gives hygienically and professionally extracted juices.
To give it a touch of Karachi and its heritage, Art Lane has indoors and
outdoors display-space which can feature live portraits and still life and
landscape images of the artists. It provides with an opportunity to for
upcoming artists to showcase their talent to those craving for art.
Another striking attraction of Port Grand is the Mermaid place which offers
the most delicious sea food. With its nautical theme and live dolphin view,
this place not only offers sea food but also carries an ice cream parlor
and coffee club.
Numaish, with its most beautiful landscapes and indoor and outdoor sitting
experience, gives you the street like environment of Karachi with its
beautiful restaurants cafes and outdoor lifestyle with live music.
Temple Point, The Galleria and Promenade are some other promising
destinations here at Port Grand which also offers Wi- Fi connectivity
throughout the complex. It is a city within a city with beauty salons, a
movie theatre, a super market, bakery, mosque, florist and many more
attractions to make the visitors never want to leave.
Port Grand is a new attraction to Karachi’s night life and a must to visit
this summer
Asia’s Biggest Food Street In Karachi
The first thing that catches your eye as you enter the world of extreme entertainment is the shopping mall which carries brands and outlets from around the globe. To the left of the amazing shopping mall is Napier's Tavern which features a fine dining with a mix of cultural heritage and a breath taking view of the harbor. Another interesting destination within the Port Grand is the Walker's Pier's which offers a dining experience on the cruise. The Loop is another incredible dine-in restaurant which is inspired by the era of speed, communication and connectivity with its bold and dynamic designs and beautiful landscapes that promise an unforgettable experience.
Asian Village gives you a snap shot of the entire Asian culture in a glance with food and products that reflect Asian culture. The Asian Village features Continental Cuisine from Chinese to Korean and Japanese dishes. The Asian Bazaar's gives the taste of the culture of the continent at bargain prices.
To host events, fashion shows and other entertainment events the Deck is the best choice. It is city's most spectacular stage when it comes to models ruling the ramp with ravishing designer wear or the musicians to lift the crowd on their feet with killer riffs and face-melting guitar solos! The most refreshing stop - Palm Groove offers fresh juices and a live juice bar that gives hygienically and professionally extracted juices.
To give it a touch of Karachi and its heritage, Art Lane has indoors and outdoors display-space which can feature live portraits and still life and landscape images of the artists. It provides with an opportunity to for upcoming artists to showcase their talent to those craving for art.
Another striking attraction of Port Grand is the Mermaid place which offers the most delicious sea food. With its nautical theme and live dolphin view, this place not only offers sea food but also carries an ice cream parlor and coffee club.
Numaish, with its most beautiful landscapes and indoor and outdoor sitting experience, gives you the street like environment of Karachi with its beautiful restaurants cafes and outdoor lifestyle with live music.
Temple Point, The Galleria and Promenade are some other promising destinations here at Port Grand which also offers Wi- Fi connectivity throughout the complex. It is a city within a city with beauty salons, a movie theatre, a super market, bakery, mosque, florist and many more attractions to make the visitors never want to leave.
Port Grand is a new attraction to Karachi's night life and a must to visit this summer
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Pakistan and China participate in anti-terrorism drill
Pakistan and China participate in anti-terrorism drill, originally uploaded by www.first-pakistan.blogspot.com.
Pakistan and China participate in anti-terrorism drill
*JHELUM: Paratroopers hurtling head first out of planes, attack helicopters
strafing a terror training centre and shacks blown to bits were this week’s
latest embodiment of China-Pakistan friendship.*
The war games conducted by 540 Chinese and Pakistani soldiers running
around scrubland —the fourth joint exercises since 2006 —were ostensibly a
chance for China to benefit from Pakistan’s counter-terrorism experience.
There was disappointment that fighter jets were unable to carry out a
bombing raid, with visibility apparently poor, but the exercises were
declared a success in terms of deepening friendship and improving military
cooperation.
But behind the pomp rolled out for the Chinese, complete with slap-up
marquee lunch and bags of presents, the relationship is as transactional as
any other, as China competes with Pakistan’s arch-rival India for Asian
dominance.
And it is far from easy to decipher. “They operate silently so as not to
make any statements in public apart from cliches. So one doesn’t know
what’s happening,” said retired Pakistani general Talat Masood.
China is Pakistan’s main arms supplier, while Beijing has built two nuclear
power plants in Pakistan and is contracted to construct two more reactors.
But the alliance has been knocked by Chinese accusations that the
separatist East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), which wants an
independent homeland for Xinjiang’s Muslim Uighurs, is training
“terrorists” in Pakistani camps.
Those accusations mirror long-standing concerns from the United States that
Taliban and al Qaeda bases are funnelling recruits to fight in Afghanistan
and hatch terror plots against the West.
During the exercises outside Jhelum, 85 kilometres (50 miles) southeast of
Islamabad, generals watched troops attack, clear and destroy a mocked-up
training camp, while smoking and sipping cups of tea under a giant tent to
keep off winter rays.
Chinese deputy chief of staff Hou Shusen and Pakistan’s army chief Ashfaq
Kayani sat together in the front row, guests of honour incapable of talking
to each other without the help of an interpreter.
“We have done our utmost to eliminate this threat of ETIM and other
extremists for China because we consider honestly that China’s security is
very dear to Pakistan,” Kayani told a news conference after the war games.
He said that Pakistan had provided intelligence during the 2008 Beijing
Olympics and the 2010 Shanghai Expo, and reiterated demands for closer
military cooperation and larger imports of military hardware from China.
Beijing was instrumental in getting the United Nations and United States to
blacklist ETIM as a terrorist organisation in 2002, but experts have
questioned how much of a threat such a small group of people really poses.
Pakistani analysts believe members number no more than hundreds and are
fairly dispersed in the remote mountains on the Pakistan-China border.
Despite that issue, if the language used to describe Pakistan’s febrile
relationship with the United States is that of an unhappy couple wishing
but unable to divorce, then the hyperbole used to describe China is that of
an ecstatic lover.
“Higher than mountains” and “sweeter than honey” were phrases used by Prime
Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani when Chinese Public Security Minister Meng
Jianzhu came to town in September, at a time when relations with the US
were at their most difficult in years.
The top US military officer, Admiral Mike Mullen, had just accused Pakistan
of colluding with Afghan militants in besieging the US embassy in Kabul as
ties plummeted further after the raid that killed Osama bin Laden.
But independent China analyst Michael Dillon says that without any real
ideological links, China’s relationship with Pakistan is primarily
strategic, designed to offset its rivalry with India.
“There is a feeling that cooperation with Pakistan on counter-terrorism
might be in China’s interests,” he told AFP.
“They’ve got economic domination over Southeast Asia. But South Asia is
another matter. The big rival is India. If they can get close
diplomatically to Pakistan then it can balance the power of India in the
subcontinent,” he said.
Neither can China present an alternative to the US alliance.
But Kayani described China as “very important” to regional stability,
perhaps best seen against a backdrop of Pakistan’s own rivalry with India.
“It’s not a zero-sum game. You further strengthen your relations with
China, then you increase your importance. You use this as a leverage to
improve your relationship with the US,” said Masood.
Pakistan and China participate in anti-terrorism drill
Pakistan and China participate in anti-terrorism drill, originally uploaded by www.first-pakistan.blogspot.com.
Pakistan and China participate in anti-terrorism drill
*JHELUM: Paratroopers hurtling head first out of planes, attack helicopters
strafing a terror training centre and shacks blown to bits were this week’s
latest embodiment of China-Pakistan friendship.*
The war games conducted by 540 Chinese and Pakistani soldiers running
around scrubland —the fourth joint exercises since 2006 —were ostensibly a
chance for China to benefit from Pakistan’s counter-terrorism experience.
There was disappointment that fighter jets were unable to carry out a
bombing raid, with visibility apparently poor, but the exercises were
declared a success in terms of deepening friendship and improving military
cooperation.
But behind the pomp rolled out for the Chinese, complete with slap-up
marquee lunch and bags of presents, the relationship is as transactional as
any other, as China competes with Pakistan’s arch-rival India for Asian
dominance.
And it is far from easy to decipher. “They operate silently so as not to
make any statements in public apart from cliches. So one doesn’t know
what’s happening,” said retired Pakistani general Talat Masood.
China is Pakistan’s main arms supplier, while Beijing has built two nuclear
power plants in Pakistan and is contracted to construct two more reactors.
But the alliance has been knocked by Chinese accusations that the
separatist East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), which wants an
independent homeland for Xinjiang’s Muslim Uighurs, is training
“terrorists” in Pakistani camps.
Those accusations mirror long-standing concerns from the United States that
Taliban and al Qaeda bases are funnelling recruits to fight in Afghanistan
and hatch terror plots against the West.
During the exercises outside Jhelum, 85 kilometres (50 miles) southeast of
Islamabad, generals watched troops attack, clear and destroy a mocked-up
training camp, while smoking and sipping cups of tea under a giant tent to
keep off winter rays.
Chinese deputy chief of staff Hou Shusen and Pakistan’s army chief Ashfaq
Kayani sat together in the front row, guests of honour incapable of talking
to each other without the help of an interpreter.
“We have done our utmost to eliminate this threat of ETIM and other
extremists for China because we consider honestly that China’s security is
very dear to Pakistan,” Kayani told a news conference after the war games.
He said that Pakistan had provided intelligence during the 2008 Beijing
Olympics and the 2010 Shanghai Expo, and reiterated demands for closer
military cooperation and larger imports of military hardware from China.
Beijing was instrumental in getting the United Nations and United States to
blacklist ETIM as a terrorist organisation in 2002, but experts have
questioned how much of a threat such a small group of people really poses.
Pakistani analysts believe members number no more than hundreds and are
fairly dispersed in the remote mountains on the Pakistan-China border.
Despite that issue, if the language used to describe Pakistan’s febrile
relationship with the United States is that of an unhappy couple wishing
but unable to divorce, then the hyperbole used to describe China is that of
an ecstatic lover.
“Higher than mountains” and “sweeter than honey” were phrases used by Prime
Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani when Chinese Public Security Minister Meng
Jianzhu came to town in September, at a time when relations with the US
were at their most difficult in years.
The top US military officer, Admiral Mike Mullen, had just accused Pakistan
of colluding with Afghan militants in besieging the US embassy in Kabul as
ties plummeted further after the raid that killed Osama bin Laden.
But independent China analyst Michael Dillon says that without any real
ideological links, China’s relationship with Pakistan is primarily
strategic, designed to offset its rivalry with India.
“There is a feeling that cooperation with Pakistan on counter-terrorism
might be in China’s interests,” he told AFP.
“They’ve got economic domination over Southeast Asia. But South Asia is
another matter. The big rival is India. If they can get close
diplomatically to Pakistan then it can balance the power of India in the
subcontinent,” he said.
Neither can China present an alternative to the US alliance.
But Kayani described China as “very important” to regional stability,
perhaps best seen against a backdrop of Pakistan’s own rivalry with India.
“It’s not a zero-sum game. You further strengthen your relations with
China, then you increase your importance. You use this as a leverage to
improve your relationship with the US,” said Masood.
Pakistan and China participate in anti-terrorism drill
Pakistan and China participate in anti-terrorism drill, originally uploaded by www.first-pakistan.blogspot.com.
Pakistan and China participate in anti-terrorism drill
*JHELUM: Paratroopers hurtling head first out of planes, attack helicopters
strafing a terror training centre and shacks blown to bits were this week’s
latest embodiment of China-Pakistan friendship.*
The war games conducted by 540 Chinese and Pakistani soldiers running
around scrubland —the fourth joint exercises since 2006 —were ostensibly a
chance for China to benefit from Pakistan’s counter-terrorism experience.
There was disappointment that fighter jets were unable to carry out a
bombing raid, with visibility apparently poor, but the exercises were
declared a success in terms of deepening friendship and improving military
cooperation.
But behind the pomp rolled out for the Chinese, complete with slap-up
marquee lunch and bags of presents, the relationship is as transactional as
any other, as China competes with Pakistan’s arch-rival India for Asian
dominance.
And it is far from easy to decipher. “They operate silently so as not to
make any statements in public apart from cliches. So one doesn’t know
what’s happening,” said retired Pakistani general Talat Masood.
China is Pakistan’s main arms supplier, while Beijing has built two nuclear
power plants in Pakistan and is contracted to construct two more reactors.
But the alliance has been knocked by Chinese accusations that the
separatist East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), which wants an
independent homeland for Xinjiang’s Muslim Uighurs, is training
“terrorists” in Pakistani camps.
Those accusations mirror long-standing concerns from the United States that
Taliban and al Qaeda bases are funnelling recruits to fight in Afghanistan
and hatch terror plots against the West.
During the exercises outside Jhelum, 85 kilometres (50 miles) southeast of
Islamabad, generals watched troops attack, clear and destroy a mocked-up
training camp, while smoking and sipping cups of tea under a giant tent to
keep off winter rays.
Chinese deputy chief of staff Hou Shusen and Pakistan’s army chief Ashfaq
Kayani sat together in the front row, guests of honour incapable of talking
to each other without the help of an interpreter.
“We have done our utmost to eliminate this threat of ETIM and other
extremists for China because we consider honestly that China’s security is
very dear to Pakistan,” Kayani told a news conference after the war games.
He said that Pakistan had provided intelligence during the 2008 Beijing
Olympics and the 2010 Shanghai Expo, and reiterated demands for closer
military cooperation and larger imports of military hardware from China.
Beijing was instrumental in getting the United Nations and United States to
blacklist ETIM as a terrorist organisation in 2002, but experts have
questioned how much of a threat such a small group of people really poses.
Pakistani analysts believe members number no more than hundreds and are
fairly dispersed in the remote mountains on the Pakistan-China border.
Despite that issue, if the language used to describe Pakistan’s febrile
relationship with the United States is that of an unhappy couple wishing
but unable to divorce, then the hyperbole used to describe China is that of
an ecstatic lover.
“Higher than mountains” and “sweeter than honey” were phrases used by Prime
Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani when Chinese Public Security Minister Meng
Jianzhu came to town in September, at a time when relations with the US
were at their most difficult in years.
The top US military officer, Admiral Mike Mullen, had just accused Pakistan
of colluding with Afghan militants in besieging the US embassy in Kabul as
ties plummeted further after the raid that killed Osama bin Laden.
But independent China analyst Michael Dillon says that without any real
ideological links, China’s relationship with Pakistan is primarily
strategic, designed to offset its rivalry with India.
“There is a feeling that cooperation with Pakistan on counter-terrorism
might be in China’s interests,” he told AFP.
“They’ve got economic domination over Southeast Asia. But South Asia is
another matter. The big rival is India. If they can get close
diplomatically to Pakistan then it can balance the power of India in the
subcontinent,” he said.
Neither can China present an alternative to the US alliance.
But Kayani described China as “very important” to regional stability,
perhaps best seen against a backdrop of Pakistan’s own rivalry with India.
“It’s not a zero-sum game. You further strengthen your relations with
China, then you increase your importance. You use this as a leverage to
improve your relationship with the US,” said Masood.
Pakistan and China participate in anti-terrorism drill
Pakistan and China participate in anti-terrorism drill, originally uploaded by www.first-pakistan.blogspot.com.
Pakistan and China participate in anti-terrorism drill
*JHELUM: Paratroopers hurtling head first out of planes, attack helicopters
strafing a terror training centre and shacks blown to bits were this week’s
latest embodiment of China-Pakistan friendship.*
The war games conducted by 540 Chinese and Pakistani soldiers running
around scrubland —the fourth joint exercises since 2006 —were ostensibly a
chance for China to benefit from Pakistan’s counter-terrorism experience.
There was disappointment that fighter jets were unable to carry out a
bombing raid, with visibility apparently poor, but the exercises were
declared a success in terms of deepening friendship and improving military
cooperation.
But behind the pomp rolled out for the Chinese, complete with slap-up
marquee lunch and bags of presents, the relationship is as transactional as
any other, as China competes with Pakistan’s arch-rival India for Asian
dominance.
And it is far from easy to decipher. “They operate silently so as not to
make any statements in public apart from cliches. So one doesn’t know
what’s happening,” said retired Pakistani general Talat Masood.
China is Pakistan’s main arms supplier, while Beijing has built two nuclear
power plants in Pakistan and is contracted to construct two more reactors.
But the alliance has been knocked by Chinese accusations that the
separatist East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), which wants an
independent homeland for Xinjiang’s Muslim Uighurs, is training
“terrorists” in Pakistani camps.
Those accusations mirror long-standing concerns from the United States that
Taliban and al Qaeda bases are funnelling recruits to fight in Afghanistan
and hatch terror plots against the West.
During the exercises outside Jhelum, 85 kilometres (50 miles) southeast of
Islamabad, generals watched troops attack, clear and destroy a mocked-up
training camp, while smoking and sipping cups of tea under a giant tent to
keep off winter rays.
Chinese deputy chief of staff Hou Shusen and Pakistan’s army chief Ashfaq
Kayani sat together in the front row, guests of honour incapable of talking
to each other without the help of an interpreter.
“We have done our utmost to eliminate this threat of ETIM and other
extremists for China because we consider honestly that China’s security is
very dear to Pakistan,” Kayani told a news conference after the war games.
He said that Pakistan had provided intelligence during the 2008 Beijing
Olympics and the 2010 Shanghai Expo, and reiterated demands for closer
military cooperation and larger imports of military hardware from China.
Beijing was instrumental in getting the United Nations and United States to
blacklist ETIM as a terrorist organisation in 2002, but experts have
questioned how much of a threat such a small group of people really poses.
Pakistani analysts believe members number no more than hundreds and are
fairly dispersed in the remote mountains on the Pakistan-China border.
Despite that issue, if the language used to describe Pakistan’s febrile
relationship with the United States is that of an unhappy couple wishing
but unable to divorce, then the hyperbole used to describe China is that of
an ecstatic lover.
“Higher than mountains” and “sweeter than honey” were phrases used by Prime
Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani when Chinese Public Security Minister Meng
Jianzhu came to town in September, at a time when relations with the US
were at their most difficult in years.
The top US military officer, Admiral Mike Mullen, had just accused Pakistan
of colluding with Afghan militants in besieging the US embassy in Kabul as
ties plummeted further after the raid that killed Osama bin Laden.
But independent China analyst Michael Dillon says that without any real
ideological links, China’s relationship with Pakistan is primarily
strategic, designed to offset its rivalry with India.
“There is a feeling that cooperation with Pakistan on counter-terrorism
might be in China’s interests,” he told AFP.
“They’ve got economic domination over Southeast Asia. But South Asia is
another matter. The big rival is India. If they can get close
diplomatically to Pakistan then it can balance the power of India in the
subcontinent,” he said.
Neither can China present an alternative to the US alliance.
But Kayani described China as “very important” to regional stability,
perhaps best seen against a backdrop of Pakistan’s own rivalry with India.
“It’s not a zero-sum game. You further strengthen your relations with
China, then you increase your importance. You use this as a leverage to
improve your relationship with the US,” said Masood.
Pakistan and China participate in anti-terrorism drill
Pakistan and China participate in anti-terrorism drill, originally uploaded by www.first-pakistan.blogspot.com.
Pakistan and China participate in anti-terrorism drill
*JHELUM: Paratroopers hurtling head first out of planes, attack helicopters
strafing a terror training centre and shacks blown to bits were this week’s
latest embodiment of China-Pakistan friendship.*
The war games conducted by 540 Chinese and Pakistani soldiers running
around scrubland —the fourth joint exercises since 2006 —were ostensibly a
chance for China to benefit from Pakistan’s counter-terrorism experience.
There was disappointment that fighter jets were unable to carry out a
bombing raid, with visibility apparently poor, but the exercises were
declared a success in terms of deepening friendship and improving military
cooperation.
But behind the pomp rolled out for the Chinese, complete with slap-up
marquee lunch and bags of presents, the relationship is as transactional as
any other, as China competes with Pakistan’s arch-rival India for Asian
dominance.
And it is far from easy to decipher. “They operate silently so as not to
make any statements in public apart from cliches. So one doesn’t know
what’s happening,” said retired Pakistani general Talat Masood.
China is Pakistan’s main arms supplier, while Beijing has built two nuclear
power plants in Pakistan and is contracted to construct two more reactors.
But the alliance has been knocked by Chinese accusations that the
separatist East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), which wants an
independent homeland for Xinjiang’s Muslim Uighurs, is training
“terrorists” in Pakistani camps.
Those accusations mirror long-standing concerns from the United States that
Taliban and al Qaeda bases are funnelling recruits to fight in Afghanistan
and hatch terror plots against the West.
During the exercises outside Jhelum, 85 kilometres (50 miles) southeast of
Islamabad, generals watched troops attack, clear and destroy a mocked-up
training camp, while smoking and sipping cups of tea under a giant tent to
keep off winter rays.
Chinese deputy chief of staff Hou Shusen and Pakistan’s army chief Ashfaq
Kayani sat together in the front row, guests of honour incapable of talking
to each other without the help of an interpreter.
“We have done our utmost to eliminate this threat of ETIM and other
extremists for China because we consider honestly that China’s security is
very dear to Pakistan,” Kayani told a news conference after the war games.
He said that Pakistan had provided intelligence during the 2008 Beijing
Olympics and the 2010 Shanghai Expo, and reiterated demands for closer
military cooperation and larger imports of military hardware from China.
Beijing was instrumental in getting the United Nations and United States to
blacklist ETIM as a terrorist organisation in 2002, but experts have
questioned how much of a threat such a small group of people really poses.
Pakistani analysts believe members number no more than hundreds and are
fairly dispersed in the remote mountains on the Pakistan-China border.
Despite that issue, if the language used to describe Pakistan’s febrile
relationship with the United States is that of an unhappy couple wishing
but unable to divorce, then the hyperbole used to describe China is that of
an ecstatic lover.
“Higher than mountains” and “sweeter than honey” were phrases used by Prime
Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani when Chinese Public Security Minister Meng
Jianzhu came to town in September, at a time when relations with the US
were at their most difficult in years.
The top US military officer, Admiral Mike Mullen, had just accused Pakistan
of colluding with Afghan militants in besieging the US embassy in Kabul as
ties plummeted further after the raid that killed Osama bin Laden.
But independent China analyst Michael Dillon says that without any real
ideological links, China’s relationship with Pakistan is primarily
strategic, designed to offset its rivalry with India.
“There is a feeling that cooperation with Pakistan on counter-terrorism
might be in China’s interests,” he told AFP.
“They’ve got economic domination over Southeast Asia. But South Asia is
another matter. The big rival is India. If they can get close
diplomatically to Pakistan then it can balance the power of India in the
subcontinent,” he said.
Neither can China present an alternative to the US alliance.
But Kayani described China as “very important” to regional stability,
perhaps best seen against a backdrop of Pakistan’s own rivalry with India.
“It’s not a zero-sum game. You further strengthen your relations with
China, then you increase your importance. You use this as a leverage to
improve your relationship with the US,” said Masood.
Pakistan and China participate in anti-terrorism drill
Pakistan and China participate in anti-terrorism drill, originally uploaded by www.first-pakistan.blogspot.com.
Pakistan and China participate in anti-terrorism drill
*JHELUM: Paratroopers hurtling head first out of planes, attack helicopters
strafing a terror training centre and shacks blown to bits were this week’s
latest embodiment of China-Pakistan friendship.*
The war games conducted by 540 Chinese and Pakistani soldiers running
around scrubland —the fourth joint exercises since 2006 —were ostensibly a
chance for China to benefit from Pakistan’s counter-terrorism experience.
There was disappointment that fighter jets were unable to carry out a
bombing raid, with visibility apparently poor, but the exercises were
declared a success in terms of deepening friendship and improving military
cooperation.
But behind the pomp rolled out for the Chinese, complete with slap-up
marquee lunch and bags of presents, the relationship is as transactional as
any other, as China competes with Pakistan’s arch-rival India for Asian
dominance.
And it is far from easy to decipher. “They operate silently so as not to
make any statements in public apart from cliches. So one doesn’t know
what’s happening,” said retired Pakistani general Talat Masood.
China is Pakistan’s main arms supplier, while Beijing has built two nuclear
power plants in Pakistan and is contracted to construct two more reactors.
But the alliance has been knocked by Chinese accusations that the
separatist East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), which wants an
independent homeland for Xinjiang’s Muslim Uighurs, is training
“terrorists” in Pakistani camps.
Those accusations mirror long-standing concerns from the United States that
Taliban and al Qaeda bases are funnelling recruits to fight in Afghanistan
and hatch terror plots against the West.
During the exercises outside Jhelum, 85 kilometres (50 miles) southeast of
Islamabad, generals watched troops attack, clear and destroy a mocked-up
training camp, while smoking and sipping cups of tea under a giant tent to
keep off winter rays.
Chinese deputy chief of staff Hou Shusen and Pakistan’s army chief Ashfaq
Kayani sat together in the front row, guests of honour incapable of talking
to each other without the help of an interpreter.
“We have done our utmost to eliminate this threat of ETIM and other
extremists for China because we consider honestly that China’s security is
very dear to Pakistan,” Kayani told a news conference after the war games.
He said that Pakistan had provided intelligence during the 2008 Beijing
Olympics and the 2010 Shanghai Expo, and reiterated demands for closer
military cooperation and larger imports of military hardware from China.
Beijing was instrumental in getting the United Nations and United States to
blacklist ETIM as a terrorist organisation in 2002, but experts have
questioned how much of a threat such a small group of people really poses.
Pakistani analysts believe members number no more than hundreds and are
fairly dispersed in the remote mountains on the Pakistan-China border.
Despite that issue, if the language used to describe Pakistan’s febrile
relationship with the United States is that of an unhappy couple wishing
but unable to divorce, then the hyperbole used to describe China is that of
an ecstatic lover.
“Higher than mountains” and “sweeter than honey” were phrases used by Prime
Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani when Chinese Public Security Minister Meng
Jianzhu came to town in September, at a time when relations with the US
were at their most difficult in years.
The top US military officer, Admiral Mike Mullen, had just accused Pakistan
of colluding with Afghan militants in besieging the US embassy in Kabul as
ties plummeted further after the raid that killed Osama bin Laden.
But independent China analyst Michael Dillon says that without any real
ideological links, China’s relationship with Pakistan is primarily
strategic, designed to offset its rivalry with India.
“There is a feeling that cooperation with Pakistan on counter-terrorism
might be in China’s interests,” he told AFP.
“They’ve got economic domination over Southeast Asia. But South Asia is
another matter. The big rival is India. If they can get close
diplomatically to Pakistan then it can balance the power of India in the
subcontinent,” he said.
Neither can China present an alternative to the US alliance.
But Kayani described China as “very important” to regional stability,
perhaps best seen against a backdrop of Pakistan’s own rivalry with India.
“It’s not a zero-sum game. You further strengthen your relations with
China, then you increase your importance. You use this as a leverage to
improve your relationship with the US,” said Masood.
Pakistan and China participate in anti-terrorism drill
Pakistan and China participate in anti-terrorism drill, originally uploaded by www.first-pakistan.blogspot.com.
Pakistan and China participate in anti-terrorism drill
*JHELUM: Paratroopers hurtling head first out of planes, attack helicopters
strafing a terror training centre and shacks blown to bits were this week’s
latest embodiment of China-Pakistan friendship.*
The war games conducted by 540 Chinese and Pakistani soldiers running
around scrubland —the fourth joint exercises since 2006 —were ostensibly a
chance for China to benefit from Pakistan’s counter-terrorism experience.
There was disappointment that fighter jets were unable to carry out a
bombing raid, with visibility apparently poor, but the exercises were
declared a success in terms of deepening friendship and improving military
cooperation.
But behind the pomp rolled out for the Chinese, complete with slap-up
marquee lunch and bags of presents, the relationship is as transactional as
any other, as China competes with Pakistan’s arch-rival India for Asian
dominance.
And it is far from easy to decipher. “They operate silently so as not to
make any statements in public apart from cliches. So one doesn’t know
what’s happening,” said retired Pakistani general Talat Masood.
China is Pakistan’s main arms supplier, while Beijing has built two nuclear
power plants in Pakistan and is contracted to construct two more reactors.
But the alliance has been knocked by Chinese accusations that the
separatist East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), which wants an
independent homeland for Xinjiang’s Muslim Uighurs, is training
“terrorists” in Pakistani camps.
Those accusations mirror long-standing concerns from the United States that
Taliban and al Qaeda bases are funnelling recruits to fight in Afghanistan
and hatch terror plots against the West.
During the exercises outside Jhelum, 85 kilometres (50 miles) southeast of
Islamabad, generals watched troops attack, clear and destroy a mocked-up
training camp, while smoking and sipping cups of tea under a giant tent to
keep off winter rays.
Chinese deputy chief of staff Hou Shusen and Pakistan’s army chief Ashfaq
Kayani sat together in the front row, guests of honour incapable of talking
to each other without the help of an interpreter.
“We have done our utmost to eliminate this threat of ETIM and other
extremists for China because we consider honestly that China’s security is
very dear to Pakistan,” Kayani told a news conference after the war games.
He said that Pakistan had provided intelligence during the 2008 Beijing
Olympics and the 2010 Shanghai Expo, and reiterated demands for closer
military cooperation and larger imports of military hardware from China.
Beijing was instrumental in getting the United Nations and United States to
blacklist ETIM as a terrorist organisation in 2002, but experts have
questioned how much of a threat such a small group of people really poses.
Pakistani analysts believe members number no more than hundreds and are
fairly dispersed in the remote mountains on the Pakistan-China border.
Despite that issue, if the language used to describe Pakistan’s febrile
relationship with the United States is that of an unhappy couple wishing
but unable to divorce, then the hyperbole used to describe China is that of
an ecstatic lover.
“Higher than mountains” and “sweeter than honey” were phrases used by Prime
Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani when Chinese Public Security Minister Meng
Jianzhu came to town in September, at a time when relations with the US
were at their most difficult in years.
The top US military officer, Admiral Mike Mullen, had just accused Pakistan
of colluding with Afghan militants in besieging the US embassy in Kabul as
ties plummeted further after the raid that killed Osama bin Laden.
But independent China analyst Michael Dillon says that without any real
ideological links, China’s relationship with Pakistan is primarily
strategic, designed to offset its rivalry with India.
“There is a feeling that cooperation with Pakistan on counter-terrorism
might be in China’s interests,” he told AFP.
“They’ve got economic domination over Southeast Asia. But South Asia is
another matter. The big rival is India. If they can get close
diplomatically to Pakistan then it can balance the power of India in the
subcontinent,” he said.
Neither can China present an alternative to the US alliance.
But Kayani described China as “very important” to regional stability,
perhaps best seen against a backdrop of Pakistan’s own rivalry with India.
“It’s not a zero-sum game. You further strengthen your relations with
China, then you increase your importance. You use this as a leverage to
improve your relationship with the US,” said Masood.
