The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) said Tuesday that a joint committee from Afghanistan and Pakistan met earlier in the day in a bid to resolve the recent border conflict in Paktia province. Speaking at an event in Kabul, Zabiullah Mujahid, the IEA’s spokesman, said the Islamic Emirate is opposed to cross-border skirmishes with neighboring countries. “We are committed not […]

The road to hell is paved with good intentions, this ancient proverb aptly captures former Prime minister of Pakistan Imran Khan with his populist politics and demagoguery. He can best be described as a demagogue defined as “a political leader who tries to get support by making false claims and appealing to emotions rather than facts”. Khan exploited the incentives […]

In the immediate aftermath of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, Pakistan appealed to the international community to provide humanitarian assistance and remove sanctions against Afghanistan to prevent a potential humanitarian crisis. But much has changed in a year. Pakistan is now focussed on thwarting cross-border terrorism and preventing India from establishing a presence in Afghanistan. Even the Taliban government has […]

Pakistan on Monday reopened Chaman border crossing with Afghanistan for trade and pedestrian movement after shutting it down a week earlier following a border shooting. The shooting took place on November 13 at the Spin Boldak – Chaman crossing. One Pakistani border guard was killed in the incident. Pakistan immediately closed the crossing causing heavy losses to traders and stranding […]

In Pakistan’s current troubled times where Pakistan is in an existential crisis, both politically and economically, and the Pakistan Army is the sole guarantor of Pakistan’s security and existence, it would be a facile argument that the Pakistan Army has become toothless in tamely submitting to political imposition of the next Army Chief. In an unprecedented intense politicisation of selection […]

Six police officers were killed in an ambush in northwest Pakistan on Wednesday, officials said, an assault claimed by the nation’s homegrown Taliban. The Pakistan Taliban share common lineage with the Afghan Taliban and have staged an increasing number of strikes in the year since Kabul fell into the hands of the hardline Islamists. Gunmen with automatic rifles launched an attack at around 7 am (0200 GMT) on a police vehicle patrolling the village of […]

Pakistan said Friday it would not formally recognize the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) without global consensus. Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari told reporters in Islamabad his government continues to advocate sustained international engagement with IEA to help prevent a humanitarian disaster in the war-torn neighboring country. “As far as their official recognition is concerned, Pakistan would not want to […]

Pakistan on Wednesday said sustained engagement with the Interim Afghan government remained imperative as Islamabad believed a ‘new balance’ was needed to be devised with the Taliban. Addressing the fourth Moscow format meeting that began on Wednesday in Moscow, Pakistan’s special representative for Afghanistan Ambassador Muhammad Sadiq said Pakistan was a firm adherent to the primacy of a regional approach […]

Armed militants on Wednesday ambushed a routine police patrol in northwestern Pakistan, killing all six policemen in the vehicle, while a shootout with gunmen elsewhere in the volatile region killed two soldiers, officials said. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the ambush in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan and has seen frequent attacks on security forces. The militant […]

A major border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan has closed for trade and transit after a clash between security force personnel from both sides, a local Pakistani official said on Monday. Abdul Hameed Zehri, the Deputy Commissioner of the town of Chahman, which borders the Afghan district of Spin Boldak, said the closure came after prolonged firing between security forces […]