The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has condemned actions by Israeli police against Palestinian worshipers at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem early Friday morning. The foreign ministry said late Friday it condemned the actions and called on the international community, especially Muslim countries, to take practical steps to “protect human rights of Palestinians and stop Israeli brutality”. Despite the […]

A former senior diplomat for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has said that the IEA should have maintained its strong presence in Doha and that the foreign ministry should have been incorporated into that office. In an interview with Ariana News, Abdul Salam Zaeef, who served as ambassador to Pakistan during the IEA’s previous rule of Afghanistan, said if […]

Taliban authorities said on Wednesday they were deeply saddened by reports of the mistreatment of Afghan refugees in Iran, after videos circulated on social media showed civilians being manhandled by men appearing to be Iranian security forces. The videos made the rounds over the weekend, showing men in Iranian border guard uniform and civilians beating Afghan refugees. When the footage […]

That the Pakistan army had lost its ‘holy cow’ status within the country became more than evident in April last year when despite serious objections by the opposition, Pakistan’s National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior passed the Criminal Law [amendment] Act 2020. Accordingly, Section 500A [Titled-intentional ridiculing of the Armed Forces] was included in Act XLV of Pakistan Penal Code […]

Islamabad : Dr. Muhammad Faisal, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Germany, has said that Germany is the most populous country in Europe and Pakistan has a positive trade balance with it. Mr. Faisal was speaking at International Conference and Roundup on “Pak-German relations: Afghanistan post-2022 prospects and challenges” organised by South Asian Strategic stability (SASSI) University here. Faisal said that Germany is […]

A conversation with Afghan-Australian entrepreneur Saad Mohseni on launching the country’s first independent broadcaster 20 years ago — and why keeping it in business is more vital than ever. Bobby Ghosh: You’re the Dubai-based founder and CEO of the Moby Group, which launched Afghanistan’s first independent radio and TV networks after the fall of the Taliban in 2002. Twenty years […]

Afghanistan’s Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs said Thursday that efforts are underway to decrease the rate of unemployment in the country. Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Mawlavi Makhdoom Abdul Salam Sadat in a meeting with directors of the ministry said that employment opportunities will be created through projects including TAPI and Qush Tepae Canal projects. “Efforts are […]

Balancing is the most commonplace word in the South Caucasus. This is how the three states approach the war Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. As the Russian invasion of Ukraine reverberates across the world, the South Caucasus region is especially susceptible to the dark geopolitical mood music. Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia are balancing between potential Russian reprisals and the need, near […]

Earlier this month, the Taliban ordered a halt to poppy production, and the production, use, and transit of other narcotics. Given the dire state of the Afghan economy, the move will likely ruin the small farmers who grow and harvest much of the crop, and see the loss of the income from opiates, between $1.8 billion and $2.7 billion according […]

How did the political crisis escalate? The Pakistani parliament voted no confidence in Prime Minister Imran Khan in the early hours of 10 April, in a culmination of tensions that had been building for some time. Khan’s main opponents, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), had long insisted that […]