Islamabad — The ethnic division of Pakistan could lead the country towards more debacles like the fall of Dhaka in 1971, as the movements for new provinces are gaining momentum, with the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) in forefront in favor of carving out Saraiki province from Punjab.

In the past the country faced disintegration due to tussles between two major political parties from East and West Pakistan. The disintegration of Pakistan is a heartbreaking episode in the history of the country, with great violence and upheaval and many deaths as the then-new state of Bangladesh was born out of Pakistan due to a power dispute between the Pakistan People's Party headed by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Awami League chief Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

There were numerous reasons behind the disintegration of Pakistan, but the worst was discrimination against the people of East Pakistan by West Pakistan served as a stimulant to the movement for the separate state of Bangladesh.

Islamabad — Social networking sites and bloggers are helping gays and lesbians in Pakistan to interact despite strict religious and cultural limitations. Homosexuality is viewed as a sin and is firmly ostracized in this part of the world.

The religious pundits and the society at large ignore even the existence of these homosexuals in Pakistan and are reluctant to give them rudimentary privileges and freedom of expression.

In June, the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad hosted the first gay, lesbian and transgender pride ceremony to be held in the country. In attendance were the leaders of Pakistani LGBT advocacy groups. Addressing the gathering, according to an embassy press release, Ambassador Richard E. Hoagland “underscored President Obama’s May 31, 2011 GLBT Pride Proclamation that, ‘we rededicate ourselves to the pursuit of equal rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.’”

The event was heavily criticized by the country’s political and religious parties, but the event nonetheless exposed the mass existence of homosexuals in Pakistan.

Islamabad —Talibanisation is fast spreading in Karachi and the militants' network is getting strengthened amid political mayhem and continued target killings.

According to sources and data collected by human rights organizations, more than 1,100 people have lost their lives since January 2011 in target killing incidents in Karachi.

Pakistan's Interior Minister, Rehman Malik, has repeatedly pointed out the existence of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in Karachi. However, his alarms have been rejected by the opposition parties and coalition partners of the Pakistan People's Party except for the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).

MQM chief Altaf Hussain was the first to point out the increasing activities of the Taliban in the port city. However, the Pashtun nationalist party ANP always rejected the MQM's charges as propaganda against Pashtuns living in Karachi.

The recent arrest of the militant commander Fazal Mehsud, one of the close aides to Baitullah Mehsud and Maulvi Fazal Ahmed in Karachi, exposed the ongoing activities of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Islamabad — China has expressed anguish and deep concern over the recent terrorist attacks by a group of extremists in the city of Kashgar, Xinjiang region of North-West China, that killed more than 20 people and injured scores of others.

The attacks were carried out in two separate incidents in the ancient Silk Road city of Kashgar, home to mainly Uighur minority residents. A massive explosive rocked a busy market in Kashgar city bordering Pakistan along Karakoram highway. Also, unidentified men are believed to have attacked a mob with knives and other explosives as per eyewitness account.

According to the Chinese authorities, the attacks have been carried out by the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), which has long been dreaming of an independent homeland for Xinjiang’s Uighurs. Chinese authorities have openly blamed Pakistani extremists for planning and training attackers in Pakistan’s Northern areas, North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) which are said to be the safe hideouts for the militant outfits.