Pakistan launches offensive against IS near Afghan border. Image copyright. Getty Images. Image caption. The volatile tribal areas along the Afghan border have often posed security problems for Pakistan. Pakistans military says it has launched a major operation against so called Islamic State IS in the north western region along the Afghan border. A spokesman said militants had gained ground inside Afghanistan and had to be stopped from extending their influence. He said the Khyber 4 operation, backed by the air force, would focus on the mountainous Rajgal Valley area in Khyber Agency. Body charged with attracting investment into Pakistan. Provides information on investment opportunities, government policies, and facilities available. Pakistan has previously denied the presence of IS on its territory. However, the growth of the group often referred to as Daesh in neighbouring Afghanistan has alarmed Islamabad and the group has claimed several attacks in Pakistan over the past two years. This operation was necessary because Daesh is getting established there and we have to stop the influence spreading into Pakistani territory through the Rajgal Valley, military spokesman Lt Gen Asif Ghafoor said. IS in the region is mostly made up of former members of the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban and Gen Ghafoor reiterated the governments stance that the group has no established presence inside Pakistan. Bd-Company Rapidshare Torrent. There is no organised infrastructure and we shall not allow them to establish themselves, he said. As regards inside Afghanistan, yes, Daesh is getting stronger there, is gaining strength. But still, we feel that it is not purely the Daesh which is there in the Middle East. He said that the operation would first secure the border near Rajgal Valley and forces would then clear the rest of the area. He said multiple terrorist organisations with links to recent attacks in Pakistan had safe havens on the other side of border. The Rajgal Valley and Khyber Agency are part of the volatile Federally Administered Tribal Areas. IS controls some territory in Afghanistan and has been seeking to strengthen its presence in Pakistan since 2. At about that time, IS announced the establishment of its Khorasan branch a historical name for Afghanistan and the surrounding areas. It marked the first time that IS had officially spread outside the Arab world. Pakistan Rail Game' title='Pakistan Rail Game' />Gwadar will be the economic funnel for the region. Pakistans deep sea port Gwadar, which the Chinese built and are now operating under a 4. ISLAMABAD The IndiaPakistan dispute over Kashmir is a matter of concern, according to a United Nations UN report, claiming that the ChinaPakistan Economic. Pakistan Cant Afford Chinas Friendship. Argument Pakistan Cant Afford Chinas Friendship Pakistans elites think Chinese cash can save the country. Photos Pakistani Villages Pakistan is agriculture based country and most of the population lives in the rural areas. See Photos of Pakistani Villages. Some 20 people from Multan, Pakistan, have been arrested for ordering the rape of a teenage girl, in revenge for a rape her brother allegedly committed. Free Games Online Play free online games,free online games, free games, game online, play games online, kids games, kids online games, games for girls, games for. The port, 6. 05km east of the worlds biggest energy choke point Straits of Hormuz, has a much bigger strategic dimension than earlier imagined. Nearly 2. 0 per cent of the worlds traded oil and 7. Asia Pacific pass through the Straits everyday. Pakistans former president General Pervez Musharraf had described Gwadar as the economic funnel for the whole region. Gwadar shortens Chinas route to the world by thousands of kilometres. Gwadars importance increased manifold following Chinas announcement of China Pakistan Economic Corridor CPEC by President Xi Jinping in 2. Dh. 16. 5. 5. 1 billion. Additional projects have now raised the investment volume to 5. As the southern terminal of the CPEC, close to the Straits of Hormuz, Gwadar assumes formidable importance in the high stakes power game for strategic control of the Indian Ocean region. Despite initial challenges, there is considerable optimism in its future because firstly the Chinese go full steam once they take on a project. Secondly, Gwadar being a vital cog in the CPEC, China or Pakistan cannot afford its failure. The projected development of road, rail links, with oil and gas pipelines will convert Gwadar into a trans shipment port for China and the Central Asian region. Unconfirmed reports indicate that after senior Russian officials visited Gwadar, Pakistan has also acquiesced to Russias interest in using the port. Moscows gradual thaw towards Pakistan may also be a consequence of this mutual interest. For Pakistan, Gwadar, with its industrial free zone is potentially the economic engine that can help shore up its faltering economy. The 9. 23 hectares zone will be manufacturing hinterland for the Gwadar Port and will benefit countries of South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. Gwadars location 4. Karachi decreases Pakistans vulnerability against India in case of another round of hostilities between the two neighbours. Along with the naval base at Ormara 3. Karachi, Pakistan will have an enhanced ability to eavesdrop on Indias naval manoeuvres in the Arabian Sea. Underlying Chinas need is the fact the Gulf Cooperation Council GCC countries together account for 6. Chinas energy supplies. Nearly 7. 5 per cent of Chinas energy supplies pass through the Straits of Malacca. The US navy and its allies have a commanding presence in both the regions and can block Chinas supplies. Beijing for now seems to be developing Gwadar to be a terminal of Iranian, GCC and African oil, which leaves open the possibility of Chinese naval units patrolling the areas around. While this may be the ostensible interest, it is likely that Irans gas and oil pipelines will extend to Gwadar through overland route to provide greater security to its supplies from the Gulf. Gwadars importance to CPEC is logical once developed, it will help spur economic growth in Chinas western region through much shorter energy supply route and for exports from China through Gwadar into the Middle East and beyond. Gwadars strategic significance is best understood as part of a growing Chinese acquisition of port facilities, often described as the string of pearls in the Indian Ocean region. Gwadar followed Chinese presence in Myanmar, Bangladesh, Seychelles and Sri Lanka, and will soon add Djibouti where a Chinese built naval base is nearing completion. The US and India are just about the only significant countries looking at the Chinese OBORCPEC initiative with scepticism. They believe that the twin initiative is meant more to secure Chinas geo strategic aims with political and security implications for them. Gwadar is therefore, viewed differently by either side. Despite several Chinese overtures to join the CPEC, India believes that the initiative, of which Gwadar is a key component, is designed for strategic encirclement of India. The US is also wary of China supplanting American hegemony around the world. In this game of power, the fact remains that the US, through its land and sea based deployments, overwhelmingly dominates the oil producing Middle East region and the sea lanes. No rapidly ascending power can accept to remain a hostage to such military dominance. Hence the Chinese attempts to break out of the US imposed order. Gwadar and the CPEC project offer several opportunities to the GCC countries. From nearly 1. 5,0. UAE ports to Xingjiang in China, the Gwadar route will bring the shipping distance down to just about 2,5. When the road, rail and energy pipelines are in place, Gwadar will offer the shortest and more secure route for the transportation of Gulf oil to China and goods either way, eliminating any danger of chocking at Malacca. Gwadar therefore, offers a unique opportunity for not only China and Pakistan, but will also directly benefit countries in Central Asia and the Middle East. The unhindered and efficient flow of energy and goods will bring advantages of interdependence leading to peace and greater prosperity to the region. Sajjad Ashraf is an adjunct professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore. He was a member of Pakistan Foreign Service from 1.