Farhan Bokhari - The Japan Times

August 15, 2024

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Farhan Bokhari

COMMENTARY

Apr 13, 2004

Pakistani military tightens grip on power

COMMENTARY

Apr 2, 2004

Musharraf gambles in war on terrorists

ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan's decision to send thousands of troops to the remote northern tribal regions marks a fundamental shift in government policy. For decades, the regions have been closed to the outside world, ruled by local leaders who have defied the efforts of the central government to expand its...

COMMENTARY

Mar 7, 2004

Capturing bin Laden won't repair rift

ISLAMABAD -- The elimination of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden -- by either killing or capturing him -- would indeed boost the morale of U.S. President George W. Bush as he prepares for the presidential election in November.

COMMENTARY

Feb 15, 2004

Afghanistan risks becoming narco-state

ISLAMABAD -- The United Nations' office on drugs and crime has warned recently that Afghanistan risks becoming a narco-state, dependent largely on the flow of illegal drugs. The production and shipment of narcotics in an otherwise shattered and bankrupt economy not only add to the aggravation within...

COMMENTARY

Feb 5, 2004

Musharraf must convince skeptical public

ISLAMABAD -- Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf has taken the unprecedented step of ordering an investigation of some of the country's top nuclear scientists on charges that they helped transfer nuclear-weapons technology to Iran. While the investigation has been hailed in the West as a decisive...

COMMENTARY

Jan 22, 2004

Keep Indo-Pakistani talks in public eye

ISLAMABAD -- The emerging Indo-Pakistani peace process is set to face its first political test in the next two months as India conducts national elections, creating an opportunity for hardliners to question the aims set out at this month's meeting between Indian Prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and...

COMMENTARY

Oct 19, 2003

More trouble for Pakistan's democracy

ISLAMABAD -- The first anniversary this month of the restoration of Pakistan's democracy following the three years of military rule has brought little joy over the future prospects of the South Asian nuclear-armed state.

COMMENTARY

Jul 17, 2003

Sino-Indian ties could benefit Pakistan

ISLAMABAD -- The recent visit to China by Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is seen as the first step toward a turning point in relations between Delhi and Beijing following India's acceptance of China's sovereignty over Tibet. The emerging warmth in Sino-Indian ties is also viewed in Pakistan...

COMMENTARY

May 18, 2003

Arms sales hinder S. Asian peace effort

ISLAMABAD -- U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Richard Armitage, concluding his visit to India and Pakistan, extended Washington's support for a new peace process between the two nuclear-armed neighbors without a direct role for the United States in settling the drawn out dispute over the divided Himalayan...

COMMENTARY

May 11, 2003

New round of hope for India, Pakistan

ISLAMABAD -- The latest indications of an emerging peace process between India and Pakistan, South Asia's two nuclear armed neighbors, have momentarily brightened prospects for stability across the region.

COMMENTARY

May 4, 2003

U.S. far from tying up Taliban's loose ends

ISLAMABAD -- Hamid Karzai, the president of Afghanistan's transitional government, spent much of his time on a recent visit to neighboring Pakistan discussing the mounting security challenge faced by his beleaguered government.

COMMENTARY

Apr 19, 2003

World must push Indo-Pakistani dialogue

ISLAMABAD -- India's decision to pursue the development of its Agni-III nuclear missile despite being urged by Western countries to abandon the plan will intensify an already worrisome arms race in South Asia.

COMMENTARY

Apr 13, 2003

Rebuilding Iraq to be better than before

ISLAMABAD -- U.S. President George W. Bush has repeatedly spoken of creating an environment of political freedom for the people of Iraq, where at least one generation, if not two, has grown up under the shadow of President Saddam Hussein. But there are a number of unanswered questions influencing Iraq's...

COMMENTARY

Apr 6, 2003

Finale in Baghdad may delay the peace

ISLAMABAD -- The Bush administration's race to take Baghdad, the grand finale in its military campaign, leads to many questions about what may turn out to be a much more lethal war than expected against an Islamic country. The United States may be heading toward military victory, but the conduct of the...

COMMENTARY

Feb 23, 2003

Iraq crisis increases risks for Musharraf

ISLAMABAD -- Protesters marching in Pakistani streets during worldwide demonstrations last weekend against United States-led plans to attack Iraq have triggered fresh speculation about the South Asian country's future relations with Washington. Pakistan has been a key U.S. ally in the fight against terror...

COMMENTARY

Feb 17, 2003

Poverty fuels Afghanistan's drug trade

ISLAMABAD -- The recent crackdown on opium producers by Afghan officials, resulting in the arrest of more than 100 poppy farmers in eastern Afghanistan, promises only to intensify global concerns about the central Asian country becoming the world's largest source of raw material for heroin.

COMMENTARY

Feb 9, 2003

Islamabad seeks fresh start with Moscow

ISLAMABAD -- Making his first trip to Russia, Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf arrived in Moscow this month hoping to break new ground. Russia and Pakistan were at odds for years, but over the past decade Pakistan has developed an interest in reaching out to the wider world, irrespective of...

COMMENTARY

Jan 31, 2003

War drums making al-Qaeda restless

ISLAMABAD -- Across the Mideast, the fact of life remains that violence breeds more violence. Thus the warning by Afghan Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah that al-Qaeda terrorists may stage retaliatory attacks if the United States leads a war against Iraq cannot be ignored. Speaking on the sidelines...

COMMENTARY

Jan 24, 2003

Cracks in the united front against terror

ISLAMABAD -- Despite its cooperation with the United States in the war on terror, Pakistan can hardly be said to have started the new year on a pleasant note. A brief military encounter between American soldiers and a group of Pakistani paramilitary troops close to the Afghan border -- following a shot...

COMMENTARY

Jan 14, 2003

Afghanistan's fate holds lessons for Iraq

ISLAMABAD -- As prospects for a U.S.-led war on Iraq loom larger, Afghanistan faces an increasingly uncertain future -- more than a year after the United States intervened in that country. Many analysts believe the fate of Afghanistan may determine whether and when the major powers should intervene in...

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Sociologist Gracia Liu-Farrer argues that even though immigration doesn't figure into Japan's autobiography, it is more of a self-perception than a reality.

In search of the ‘Japanese dream’

By Thu-Huong Ha

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mission sustainability vol.8: Omron Corp.Omron helping firms achieve carbon neutrality

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