Author: The Frontier Post

Jalil Afridi
Washington DC: Technology giants in United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel are working to strengthen their relations in field of technology and cyber security. In this regard both the countries are searching for ways to improve their local businesses and protect themselves from threats which lies in the bandwidth. 
Tech giants and telecom sectors are in particular two areas where both the governments are working extensively to collaborate on data sharing and several other projects.
Etisalat, a mobile giant from UAE already has presence in several countries in Africa, Middle East and Asia including Pakistan and Afghanistan. 
In Pakistan Etisalat owns most of the shares in Pakistan Tele Communication Limited (PTCL) which has monopoly over the county market share when it comes to their landlines, internet or their mobile carrier (UFONE). 
Israeli telecom giants Pelephone, Cellcom Partner, Hot Mobile and the government are all trying to collaborate with Etisalat to provide consumers with better rates and more options. Newly appointed CEO of PTCL, Mathew Wilsher has already started working on how PTCL can strengthen Etisalat, the mother company of PTCL. Mathew Wilsher brings with him decades of experience in telecom sector and has served in places like Afghanistan and Africa. 
Mathew Wilsher has experience in dealing with Israeli officials due to his past experience in Africa where he built great relations between the two countries in fields of telecom and cyber security.On the other hand Etisalat is not very happy with PTCL because of the continues drop in its profits since last more than a decade. Etisalat had acquired PTCL in 2005 at throw away price from Pakistan by President Musharraf who was leading the country at that time. 
Despite being the leading company of Pakistan at that time whose shares use to sell like hot cakes, Pakistan sold its national asset, PTCL without thinking about the future of technology. It is pertinent to mention here that despite lapse of fifteen years Etisalat still owes Pakistan more than 800 million. 
Now, according to sources the plan is not only to provide consumers with good costs of calling, but to gather as much data as possible about Pakistan. It is also pertinent to mention here Pakistan has been the bone of contention for official presence of Israel in the region. Israel is well aware that if Pakistan follows the foot step of Saudi Arabia and start taking lenient view about Israel then it will become very easy for Israel to establish formal relations with several other neighboring countries of Pakistan including Pakistan.
The next part of this collocation is related to digital content promotion, which will enable advertisers and promoters to go through with their desired agenda. It is pertinent to mention here that globally Israel owns some of the leading digital advertising companies and Singapore is a common destination for these CEO’s to meet and discuss. 
When asked an IT expert in Pakistan about the prospect and consequences of this collaboration between Etisalat and Israeli telecom companies, the official who did want to be named said that “yes all the data being used  by PTCL landlines, internet and UFONE will be available to Israel and its companies.” 
When asked if the government of Pakistan has taken any measures about sharing Pakistani citizens or Pakistani companies and organizations data with third parties, the official said “come on, the government has no clue about these things.”It is also pertinent to mention here that Israel and India and UAE and India are already collaborating in fields of technology and combatting cyber crime. — 
Muhammad Jalil Afridi
Managing Editor/Director
The Frontier Post
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Confusion has erupted over Donald Trump‘s condition as he fights coronavirus after the president’s doctors said he is doing ‘very well’ while a White House source claimed his vitals are ‘very concerning’.  

Trump’s personal physician Sean Conley offered an update on his condition outside Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, on Saturday morning alongside several other members of the president’s medical team.

This morning, the president is doing very well. The team and I are extremely happy with the progress the president has made. He’s been fever free for 24 hours and we are cautiously optimistic,’ Conley said, adding that Trump has been working and walking in his hospital suite. 

Conley’s depiction was far more optimistic than one put forward by a White House source familiar with the president’s health who spoke to Bloomberg Business pooler Cheryl Bolen on background immediately after the briefing ended. 

‘The president’s vitals over the last 24 hours were very concerning and the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care. We’re still not on a clear path to a full recovery,’ the source told Bolen, who passed that information along to the press pool.   

the briefing raised more questions than answers as Conley declined to say what temperature the president had when he had a fever, whether he was on oxygen and when he last tested negative for COVID. 

Conley told reporters the team was 72 hours into Trump’s diagnosis. But that would put the timeline at the president testing positive Wednesday morning. Trump tweeted shortly before 1 am on Friday he had tested positive. On Thursday he flew to his golf club in Bedminister, New Jersey, for a fundraiser with about 100 people.

‘Just 72 hours into the diagnosis now, the first week of COVID, in a particular day seven to day 10, are most critical in determining the likely course of this illness. At this time the team and I are extremely happy with the progress the president has made. Thursday he had a mild cough with nasal congestion and fatigue all of which are now resolving and improving,’ Conley said.

courtesy: Mail

Jalil Afridi

Washington DC: America’s specially envoy to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad said that with completion of railroad link between Uzbekistan city Termez to Peshawar, the journey of businesses and their goods will be made in couple of days instead of months. 

It is pertinent to mention here that the said railroad has already been completed between Termez to the Afghanistan city of Mazare Sharif with the support of Uzbekistan.

 Mr Zalmay Khalilzad said that with peace in Afghanistan, “that country can prove to be a great connectivity point for the trade to excel in many countries.”Zalmay Khalilzad who was retired from government service of the US government many years ago, was reappointed by President Trump as Special Envoy to Afghanistan.

During todays virtual event at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), a US government funded Think Tank,  Zalmay Khalilzad seemed very tired and sick of repeating the same things over and over again since last few months, beginning February 29 when peace deal was signed between the United States of America and the Taliban in Doha, Qatar.

The February 29 peace deal did make its headlines in international media but the reality of achieving real peace deal with the Taliban, seemed impossible while having boots of the US troops in Afghanistan. 

Mr Stephen Hadley beautifully moderator the event and asked questions which were mostly volleyed and passed unanswered. Stephen Hadley asked asked Zalmay Khalilzad that it is true that violence has decreased against the American forces in Afghanistan but the violence against civilians and Afghan forces remain very high. In his reply Zalmay said that it was agreed with Taliban that certain cities such as Kabul, US forces, foreign troops and Etc will not be targeted and this commitment has been honored by the Taliban.

Ironically, Zalmay Khalilzad later reminded the viewers that US troops has the right to retaliate and help Afghan forces when they are attacked by Taliban.

When asked about the role of Pakistan in peace talks with the Taliban, Zalmay Khalilzad said that Pakistan has played a positive role and he specially thanked and named  Pakistani Prime Minister, Imran Khan and Army Chief General Qamar Bajwa efforts in promoting these peace talks.

Correspondent of Reuter’s news agency asked whether the basis of Intra Afghan Peace Talks will be based on the agreement signed between the US and Taliban on February 29 this year?. Zalmay replied by saying that the peace talks are a package sort of a deal and US will try it’s best to make it Afghan Owned peace talks.

With regard to the “spoilers” of these peace talks, Zalmay said that the most dangerous and which wants to “tear” Afghanistan is the ISIS. He did not go into further details to explain how ISIS came  to Afghanistan or who are they (ISIS) is supported by. 

With regard to the role of neighboring countries of Afghanistan, Zalmay said that China and Russia have extended their full support to the peace talks whereas Iran is a bit tricky because of the “over all relations of the US with Iran.”

Regarding Al Qaeda, Zalmay Khalilzad said that Taliban have taken action against Al Qaeda but he can not go into any further details of that. 

The role of women in these peace talks was also discussed at length by both the moderator and Mr Zalmay Khalilzad and it was mutually agreed that the US gives great importance to the role of women in ever walk of life whereas on other hand Taliban don’t have a single female member in the peace talks.

By Jalil Afridi and Sojla Sahar

Washington DC & Islamabad: Intra-Afghan talks are currently the most sizzling topic of the drawing rooms. Currently, the Afghanistan government and Taliban’s have agreed to engage into negotiations for ending the bloodiest and longest war of US history

Sources tell that, the fragile intra-Afghan talks are already facing challenges. It was in itself the biggest progress to get Afghanistan government and Taliban’s on table. 

Now both the parties have certain disagreements about the agendas of the negotiations. The formation of agendas and planning for the future of Afghanistan is entirely different for the government of Afghanistan and Taliban’s.

The actors have different ideologies and struggles; the Afghanistan government aims to develop Afghanistan in liberal way. Whereas the Taliban’s still seem to be attached with their conservative narratives.

This point pinches U.S. as it also have severe reservation on what form of government will Taliban’s go for after the negotiations? Will the system be ethnically generalized or not?

The foreign policy analysts view the entire situation is in the favor of Taliban’s. They have more to gain from these dialogues as U.S. has elections nearby. For the next presidential term U.S. will have to fulfill their promise of pulling of troops and ending the Afghan war that has put massive economic burden on U.S.

Trump’s policy of peace is favoring Taliban’s right now. Utilization of time will help or hurt the actors. 

The experts say that, the regional actors are also ready to indulge in intra-Afghan dialogues for the peaceful future of Afghanistan because chaos in Afghanistan will disturb the security situation of the whole country.

Moreover, the major missing in intra-Afghan talks is limited inclusion of women. There are currently only 4 women for discussion on women situation in conflict. The ratio of women in dialogues indicates the importance of women rights in the future of Afghanistan.

Taliban’s want to talk of ceasefire, interim government, nuclear arrangements, security arrangements. Whereas it seems that U.S. is aiming at “exit U.S. policy” leaving the chaos in the backyard, experts say. 

For fruitful outcomes, there is a need of “unity of vision” between the Afghanistan government and the Taliban’s. If the difference of agendas and realities persist this will damage the whole progress made till now.