The first US drone strike in Pakistan after the recent elections did more than just kill Waliur Rehman, the second top man of the Pakistani Taliban. The automated execution also sabotaged the latest version of a peace process between the militants and the Pakistani government.
After the killing of its key commander in the May 29 explosion, Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) withdrew its pending offer of peace talks with the government. The outlawed TTP said that it was holding Pakistan's government and military establishment responsible for the attack, and vowed to avenge Rehman's death.
Considering the TTP's previous manipulation of the "peace talk" process, this result may in the long run serve the group's opponents very well.
In direct terms, too, the killing came as a big blow to the TTP, because Rehman was the real brain behind its operational capacity.
As the TTP's prime commander in the Mehsud area, he was poised to succeed Hakimullah Mehsud as leader of the TTP and had emerged as the group's primary military strategist; many members of the group had grown wary of Mr Mehsud's brutality.
The death of Rehman brings Khan Saeed to prominence in the TTP. Mr Saeed, 38, was involved in planning a 2011 attack on a Pakistani navy base and was involved in a jail break last year in the northwestern town of Bannu; 400 militants escaped.
Rehman had been amenable to talks with the government. The drone killed him on the same day that members of the provincial assembly in the northwestern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province were taking their oaths of office.
This was the first drone strike in Pakistan since the May 11 general elections that brought Nawaf Sharif of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) to power.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, meanwhile, the same elections brought in a new provincial government of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, led nationally by cricketer-turned politician Imran Khan.
The May 29 strike was a clear message to the newly elected Pakistani government that the US will continue its drone war in the country's northwestern tribal region, the stronghold of Islamist militants.
In fact the US, as noted above, actually killed two birds with one drone: it eliminated a key Taliban commander and also stopped the government-TTP dialogue process, at least temporarily.
Indeed, not only is there no immediate prospect of talks, but more suicide attacks and other bloodshed now seem likely.
That does not suit the agenda of Mr Sharif, who was sworn in as Pakistan's prime minister on June 5, entering the office for the third time, after about 14 years.
He strongly believes that holding talks with the Pakistani Taliban is the only effective way to tackle the extremism and terrorism confronting the country.
In February, the TTP declared that it would negotiate if Mr Sharif, as well as the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and the Jamaat-i-Islami chief Syed Munawwar Hasan, agreed to act as guarantors for the talks.
Before the drone attack, Mr Sharif and Maulana Rehman had reportedly worked out a mechanism for negotiating with the Taliban through a grand peace jirga (tribal gathering).
Mr Sharif, who has spoken of the whole US drone campaign as a challenge to Pakistani sovereignty, vehemently condemned the May 29 incident.
But there is also an argument to the contrary, that the US drone weapon is essential in the country's lawless border areas which have become a safe haven for militants. (Last month the US president, Barack Obama, defended his covert drone war as legal but warned that undisciplined use of the tactic would invite abuses of power.)
Pakistan is currently ruled by right-wing political parties that have long supported dialogue with the extremists and opposed the US drone strikes. Both Mr Sharif and Mr Khan strongly oppose any full-fledged military operation against Taliban militant outfits in North Waziristan.
But the new government will have to convince Washington to stop the drone strikes before it can convince the Taliban to resolve the problem at the negotiating table. And getting agreement, from the US or, later, from the Taliban, will be a hard nut to crack.
The US will not abandon its weapon of choice easily, or at all. Increasing tension between Islamabad and Washington over this issue can already be plainly foreseen.
Further, it is still not clear if Pakistan's political leadership and military establishment are on the same page on the issue of dealing with the Taliban.
Last month, army chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani declared the war on terror to be the country's own war.
He has a point: over 5,000 security personnel and 45,000 civilians have so far died in this war that seems to have no end. Besides human losses, the economic cost is incalculable.
The Taliban have repeatedly used dialogue to achieve short-term objectives, such as the freedom of jailed militants, while never showing any flexibility about its ideological goals. The ultimate fact is that the Taliban have been utterly unreliable in adhering to its peace agreements.
By now it should be very clear that Talibanisation is a grave threat to the soul of a democratic and progressive Pakistan, and the war on extremism is a war for the country's soul.
Syed Fazl-e-Haider (www.syedfazlehaider.com) is a development analyst in Pakistan
[ sfazlehaider05@yahoo.com ]
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Haltia.ai
Started: 2023
Co-founders: Arto Bendiken and Talal Thabet
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: AI
Number of employees: 41
Funding: About $1.7 million
Investors: Self, family and friends
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
Director: Shawn Levy
Rating: 3/5
GCC-UK Growth
An FTA with the GCC would be very significant for the UK. My Department has forecast that it could generate an additional £1.6 billion a year for our economy.
With consumer demand across the GCC predicted to increase to £800 billion by 2035 this deal could act as a launchpad from which our firms can boost their market share.
Company profile
Company name: Fasset
Started: 2019
Founders: Mohammad Raafi Hossain, Daniel Ahmed
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $2.45 million
Current number of staff: 86
Investment stage: Pre-series B
Investors: Investcorp, Liberty City Ventures, Fatima Gobi Ventures, Primal Capital, Wealthwell Ventures, FHS Capital, VN2 Capital, local family offices
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Ejari
Based: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Founders: Yazeed Al Shamsi, Fahad Albedah, Mohammed Alkhelewy and Khalid Almunif
Sector: PropTech
Total funding: $1 million
Investors: Sanabil 500 Mena, Hambro Perks' Oryx Fund and angel investors
Number of employees: 8
Company Profile
Company name: Hoopla
Date started: March 2023
Founder: Jacqueline Perrottet
Based: Dubai
Number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Investment required: $500,000
Company Profile
Company name: Cargoz
Date started: January 2022
Founders: Premlal Pullisserry and Lijo Antony
Based: Dubai
Number of staff: 30
Investment stage: Seed
The specs
Engine: 5.2-litre V10
Power: 640hp at 8,000rpm
Torque: 565Nm at 6,500rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: From Dh1 million
On sale: Q3 or Q4 2022
Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
'Panga'
Directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring Kangana Ranaut, Richa Chadha, Jassie Gill, Yagya Bhasin, Neena Gupta
Rating: 3.5/5
Match info:
Portugal 1
Ronaldo (4')
Morocco 0
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Klipit
Started: 2022
Founders: Venkat Reddy, Mohammed Al Bulooki, Bilal Merchant, Asif Ahmed, Ovais Merchant
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Digital receipts, finance, blockchain
Funding: $4 million
Investors: Privately/self-funded
Indika
Developer: 11 Bit Studios
Publisher: Odd Meter
Console: PlayStation 5, PC and Xbox series X/S
Rating: 4/5
'Brazen'
Director:+Monika Mitchell
Starring:+Alyssa Milano, Sam Page, Colleen Wheeler
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Akeed
Based: Muscat
Launch year: 2018
Number of employees: 40
Sector: Online food delivery
Funding: Raised $3.2m since inception
The biog
Favourite film: Motorcycle Dairies, Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday, Kagemusha
Favourite book: One Hundred Years of Solitude
Holiday destination: Sri Lanka
First car: VW Golf
Proudest achievement: Building Robotics Labs at Khalifa University and King’s College London, Daughters
Driverless cars or drones: Driverless Cars
MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
UAE and Russia in numbers
UAE-Russia ties stretch back 48 years
Trade between the UAE and Russia reached Dh12.5 bn in 2018
More than 3,000 Russian companies are registered in the UAE
Around 40,000 Russians live in the UAE
The number of Russian tourists travelling to the UAE will increase to 12 percent to reach 1.6 million in 2023
Sonchiriya
Director: Abhishek Chaubey
Producer: RSVP Movies, Azure Entertainment
Cast: Sushant Singh Rajput, Manoj Bajpayee, Ashutosh Rana, Bhumi Pednekar, Ranvir Shorey
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 3.0 twin-turbo inline six-cylinder
Transmission: eight-speed
Power: 503hp
Torque: 600Nm
Price: from Dh450,000
On sale: now
Directed by: Craig Gillespie
Starring: Emma Stone, Emma Thompson, Joel Fry
4/5
Company profile
Company name: Tuhoon
Year started: June 2021
Co-founders: Fares Ghandour, Dr Naif Almutawa, Aymane Sennoussi
Based: Riyadh
Sector: health care
Size: 15 employees, $250,000 in revenue
Investment stage: seed
Investors: Wamda Capital, Nuwa Capital, angel investors
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The past Palme d'Or winners
2018 Shoplifters, Hirokazu Kore-eda
2017 The Square, Ruben Ostlund
2016 I, Daniel Blake, Ken Loach
2015 Dheepan, Jacques Audiard
2014 Winter Sleep (Kış Uykusu), Nuri Bilge Ceylan
2013 Blue is the Warmest Colour (La Vie d'Adèle: Chapitres 1 et 2), Abdellatif Kechiche, Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux
2012 Amour, Michael Haneke
2011 The Tree of Life, Terrence Malick
2010 Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Lung Bunmi Raluek Chat), Apichatpong Weerasethakul
2009 The White Ribbon (Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte), Michael Haneke
2008 The Class (Entre les murs), Laurent Cantet
What's in my pazhamkootan?
Add:
Parippu – moong dal and coconut curry
Sambar – vegetable-infused toor dal curry
Aviyal – mixed vegetables in thick coconut paste
Thoran – beans and other dry veggies with spiced coconut
Khichdi – lentil and rice porridge
Optional:
Kootukari – stew of black chickpeas, raw banana, yam and coconut paste
Olan – ash gourd curry with coconut milk
Pulissery – spiced buttermilk curry
Rasam – spice-infused soup with a tamarind base
Avoid:
Payasam – sweet vermicelli kheer
Innotech Profile
Date started: 2013
Founder/CEO: Othman Al Mandhari
Based: Muscat, Oman
Sector: Additive manufacturing, 3D printing technologies
Size: 15 full-time employees
Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing
Investors: Oman Technology Fund from 2017 to 2019, exited through an agreement with a new investor to secure new funding that it under negotiation right now.
CABINET OF CURIOSITIES EPISODE 1: LOT 36
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Stars: Tim Blake Nelson, Sebastian Roche, Elpidia Carrillo
Rating: 4/5
THE SPECS
Engine: six-litre W12 twin-turbo
Transmission: eight-speed dual clutch auto
Power: 626bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh940,160 (plus VAT)
On sale: Q1 2020
UAE jiu-jitsu squad
Men: Hamad Nawad and Khalid Al Balushi (56kg), Omar Al Fadhli and Saeed Al Mazroui (62kg), Taleb Al Kirbi and Humaid Al Kaabi (69kg), Mohammed Al Qubaisi and Saud Al Hammadi (70kg), Khalfan Belhol and Mohammad Haitham Radhi (85kg), Faisal Al Ketbi and Zayed Al Kaabi (94kg)
Women: Wadima Al Yafei and Mahra Al Hanaei (49kg), Bashayer Al Matrooshi and Hessa Al Shamsi (62kg)