A Dutch court ruled on Wednesday the shelling by Dutch soldiers of a residential complex in the Afghan province of Uruzgan in June 2007 was illegal, adding the Netherlands should compensate the victims, Reuters reported. The Dutch Defence Ministry had asked prosecutors almost two years ago to look into this bombing, which killed dozens of civilians, following a report by […]

Germany’s Chargé d’affaires for Afghanistan has announced that his country will help the people of Afghanistan with 90 million euros ($93 million). According to a statement, German aid will be distributed to the people through the World Food Program (WFP), the UN Development Program (UNDP) and other NGOs. The latest pledge brings Germany’s total to $331 million euros this year.

A meeting was held in Herat on Tuesday between Afghan officials and Iranian authorities on a number of trade and cross-border issues. Hamidullah Motawakel, the Herat governor’s spokesperson, says this was the first such meeting and that both sides are trying to resolve the respective problems. He said the delegations were split in two, and each group looked at problems […]

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 […]

On November 15, 2022, the Foreign Policy Research Institute conducted an in-person and Zoom event titled, “The Future of Resistance in Afghanistan,” with Ali M. Nazary, the head of foreign relations for the National Resistance Front (NRF). Nazary, an articulate spokesman for the NRF and the anti-Taliban cause in Afghanistan, presented one of the most comprehensive briefings to a general American audience […]

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 […]

On November 15, 2022, a 34-year-old man, identified as Manker Hurra, was killed by suspected Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres in Hurrapinjodi village in the Antagarh Tehsil (revenue unit) of Kanker District in the Bastar Division. A group of Maoists abducted Hurra from the village in the night of November 15, and his body was found in the nearby forest in […]

Pakistan Mercantile Exchange (PMEX), the country’s first and only multi-commodity futures exchange, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Uzbek Commodity Exchange (UzEx) at its head office in Karachi. Mr. Ejaz Ali Shah, Managing Director of PMEX and Mr. Badriddinov Ziyoviddin Bositovich, Chairman of the Board of UzEx, were the signatories.  The MoU aims at seeking closer cooperation between the […]

The recent much anticipated meeting between US President Joe Biden and China’s Xi Jinping projected no new concrete intent by both sides to compromise on their own core tenets and interests. It did, however, project two fundamental factors that will guide the immediate term of fierce competition, moving forward. Xi went into the meeting with more of a quest to […]