Afghans are the most unfortunate ones on the planet that they have in trouble in their homeland and with neighbours, soon after they emerged as a nation in 1747 due to their geography and geo-strategic importance well described by great poet Alama Iqbal, “the heart of Asia and Lord Curzon a British statesman, foreign secretary and viceroy in United India, […]

Among Afghanistan’s neighbors, Pakistan’s longstanding and deep relationship with the Taliban was unique. But as terrorism spirals out of control and refugees spill into bordering states, Islamabad has lost its line to Kabul. When Kabul fell to the Taliban in August 2021, neighboring Islamabad found itself in a unique position. One of the Pakistani generals, believed to have played a […]

The United States should be applying lessons for when and how to negotiate with adversaries to other conflicts — starting with Ukraine. Over the course of 20 years, the United States made strategic mistakes in its war with the Taliban that helped fuel the insurgency and likely precluded an earlier end to the war. The U.S. government became fixated on […]

Since the Taliban returned to power there has been no shortage of crises facing Afghanistan. A humanitarian disaster is affecting millions of Afghans. Food insecurity is a major concern. Young girls are not allowed into schools. Transnational terrorist groups are operating across most of the country with impunity. Ethnic and religious minorities are routinely under attack. However, there is another […]

Despite repeated promises of the Pakistani authorities, the arrest and harassment of Afghan refugees by the police in Pakistan continues, Afghan embassy in Pakistan said on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday. Over the last two weeks, many Afghans have been arrested in different areas of Pakistan, especially in and around Islamabad, where the majority of documented refugees reside. “Day and […]

On September 13, China’s newly appointed ambassador to Afghanistan, Zhao Xing, arrived at the presidential palace in Kabul to present his credentials to the acting prime minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Mohammad Hassan Akhund. Uniformed Taliban members welcomed him to the palace in a grand theatrical ceremony. While the Chinese foreign ministry deemed the appointment a ‘normal rotation’, […]

The embassy of Afghanistan in India’s capital New Delhi will cease operations from Oct. 1, due to a lack of support from India and a reduction in personnel and resources, the embassy said in a statement on social media platform X. The embassy also said a failure to meet expectations in serving Afghanistan’s interests is another key factor in shutting […]

Two years after the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, the militant group continues to assert its rule, citing Islamic law as the source of its legitimacy. In a recent interview, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid reaffirmed the group’s commitment to an indefinite rule based on Sharia, dismissing questions about restrictions on women’s rights and education. As Afghanistan grapples with the implications of […]

Afghanistan’s Taliban says it has captured 200 suspected militants for staging deadly cross-border attacks against Pakistan and has implemented other “concrete steps” to “neutralize” the terrorist activity, VOA learned from Pakistani officials privy to the process. The de facto Afghan rulers shared the details about the crackdown on the outlawed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, in bilateral talks they hosted last […]

Afghanistan’s acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi has met with members of the Grand Mufti Council of Russia and the Imam of Moscow’s Central Mosque, Ravil Ainuddin. According to the foreign ministry, Ainuddin gave details about Muslims and religious centers in Russia and also discussed Moscow’s policy of respect for Islam, its sacred places and non-discriminatory stance towards Muslims. He […]