ISLAMABAD // The Nato air raids that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers lasted almost two hours - continuing after commanders pleaded with the US-led coalition forces to stop, the army claimed yesterday.
The charges could further stoke anti-American sentiment in the country.
Nato has apologised to Pakistan and the families of the dead. But it has yet to explain what happened, pending an investigation.
Afghan officials said an Afghan-Nato force on their side of the border received incoming fire from the direction of the Pakistani posts and called in air strikes.
Ties between Pakistan and the US were already deteriorating, weighed down by the manner of the killing of Osama bin Laden in May and the increasing number of deaths from US drone strikes.
The Pakistan army's spokesman, Major General Athar Abbas, said the dead soldiers were the victims of an unprovoked aggression.
He claimed the attack lasted almost two hours and that commanders had contacted Nato counterparts asking that "they get this fire to cease, but somehow it continued".
The poorly defined, mountainous border that divides ethnic Pashtuns has been a constant source of tension between Pakistan and the US.
Nato officials complain that insurgents fire from across the frontier, often from positions close to Pakistani soldiers, who have been accused of tolerating or supporting the militants.
Saturday's strikes added to the popular anger in Pakistan against the US-led coalition in Afghanistan and US pressure on Pakistan to do more to tackle militancy.
Many in the army, parliament, general population and media already believed the US and Nato were hostile to Pakistan.
Although the US is widely disliked in Pakistan, the army has accepted billions in American aid over the past decade in return for its cooperation in fighting Al Qaeda and the Taliban.
In Pakistan, the army controls relations with the US - the country's most important yet most troublesome ally, militarily and financially.
The generals will likely drive the response, backed by a public outcry, to the deadly attack on Pakistani troops. The military's supremacy over the weak, increasingly unpopular civilian government when it comes to international relations was underscored by the downfall of the former ambassador to Washington, Hussain Haqqani.
Mr Haqqani, who had already drawn the military's ire with outspoken comments about its influence, was forced out in a scandal over his role in reported efforts by Islamabad to seek Washington's help to rein in the military.
The army has played a dominant role in civil and international affairs since Pakistan was created in 1947.
This, along with its control of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal, means Washington relies more on the army leadership than Islamabad's.
"The [Haqqani] resignation shows the military has further dug in as far as ties with the US and security issues are concerned. The army has overriding control on these issues," said the retired analyst and former army general, Talat Masood.
Relations with Pakistan are crucial for the US as it struggles to stabilise Afghanistan before it withdraws its forces by 2014.
But relations have nosedived, particularly after US Navy Seals killed bin Laden in a secret raid in May, embarrassing the Pakistani army.
Pakistan's military halved the number of US military trainers in the country after the raid and privately tried to restrict the movements of US diplomats. In return, the US suspended military aid.
Many in the US doubt Pakistan is a reliable partner in the war against militancy. Suspicions over army and intelligence links with militants deepened after bin Laden was found living near the main military academy. According to some reports, he had been there five years.
Some US legislators and Republican presidential candidates have demanded all aid to Pakistan stop.
Complicating issues is the geopolitical tug-of-war over influence in Afghanistan, a strategically vital area that has been fought over by major powers for centuries.
Pakistan fears the US departure could see regional powers such as India, China, Iran and Saudi Arabia all jostle for influence there.
But while Washington sees Pakistan as important for its efforts to stabilise Afghanistan, Pakistan needs Washington's financial help.
"Pakistan-US relations are like a bad marriage. The spouses can't divorce and have to make a compromise," said Mr Masood. "They will continue to go about like that. They have no other choices."
foreign.desk@thenational.ae
* Additional reporting by Associated Press
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Sebastian Stefan, Sebastian Morar and Claudia Pacurar
Based: Dubai, UAE
Founded: 2014
Number of employees: 36
Sector: Logistics
Raised: $2.5 million
Investors: DP World, Prime Venture Partners and family offices in Saudi Arabia and the UAE
england euro squad
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Man Utd), Sam Johnstone (West Brom), Jordan Pickford (Everton)
Defenders: John Stones (Man City), Luke Shaw (Man Utd), Harry Maguire (Man Utd), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Kyle Walker (Man City), Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa), Reece James (Chelsea), Conor Coady (Wolves), Ben Chilwell (Chelsea), Kieran Trippier (Atletico Madrid)
Midfielders: Mason Mount (Chelsea), Declan Rice (West Ham), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Kalvin Phillips (Leeds)
Forwards: Harry Kane (Tottenham), Marcus Rashford (Man Utd), Raheem Sterling (Man City), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton), Phil Foden (Man City), Jack Grealish (Aston Villa), Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
COMPANY%20PROFILE%3A
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Jewel of the Expo 2020
252 projectors installed on Al Wasl dome
13.6km of steel used in the structure that makes it equal in length to 16 Burj Khalifas
550 tonnes of moulded steel were raised last year to cap the dome
724,000 cubic metres is the space it encloses
Stands taller than the leaning tower of Pisa
Steel trellis dome is one of the largest single structures on site
The size of 16 tennis courts and weighs as much as 500 elephants
Al Wasl means connection in Arabic
World’s largest 360-degree projection surface
MATCH INFO
Fulham 0
Aston Villa 3 (Grealish 4', Hourihane 15', Mings 48')
Man of the match: Jack Grealish (Aston Villa)
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
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- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
Company profile
Company: Verity
Date started: May 2021
Founders: Kamal Al-Samarrai, Dina Shoman and Omar Al Sharif
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Size: four team members
Stage: Intially bootstrapped but recently closed its first pre-seed round of $800,000
Investors: Wamda, VentureSouq, Beyond Capital and regional angel investors
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Turkish Ladies
Various artists, Sony Music Turkey
Apple product price list
iPad Pro
11" - $799 (64GB)
12.9" - $999 (64GB)
MacBook Air
$1,199
Mac Mini
$799
If you go...
Flying
There is no simple way to get to Punta Arenas from the UAE, with flights from Dubai and Abu Dhabi requiring at least two connections to reach this part of Patagonia. Flights start from about Dh6,250.
Touring
Chile Nativo offers the amended Los Dientes trek with expert guides and porters who are met in Puerto Williams on Isla Navarino. The trip starts and ends in Punta Arenas and lasts for six days in total. Prices start from Dh8,795.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
