Islamabad: Pakistan’s prime minister has said that the role of provincial governments in the implementation of the National Action Plan would be restored to combat terrorism. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said there had been a surge in terror incidents in Pakistan during the last four years as the role of provinces in implementing a comprehensive 20-point plan to counter extremism […]

Pakistan is a strange land where people seem to be ‘appearing’, ‘disappearing’ and ‘reappearing’ all the time. While this strange occurrence follows no discernable pattern, but it does appear to have a definite link to sensitive issues, mostly those related to terrorism. For example, despite New Delhi providing Islamabad with his exact whereabouts in Karachi, Islamabad kept denying that 1993 […]

Now that the seven other members are continuing to meet as the Arctic Council but without the presence of a Russian representative who according to its bylaws is chairman in office until next year, Moscow may choose to create an alternative organization for the Arctic consisting of itself, China and some other countries. Dmitry Zhuravlyev, the head of the Moscow […]

Good news from Guantánamo, where the prison’s population has dropped to 36 with the release of the Afghan prisoner Asadullah Haroon Gul. In a deal negotiated with the ruling Taliban government in Afghanistan, Gul was flown to Qatar, where he was welcomed by Taliban representatives who then arranged from him to be flown home to Afghanistan, to be reunited with […]

With their fourth leaders’ meeting in May 2022, the Quad has come a long way since senior officials from Australia, India, Japan and the United States first convened on the sidelines of ASEAN-led summits five years ago. Early doubts about the Quad’s sustainability should surely now give way to firmer beliefs that the arrangement is set to be a persistent […]

The flying visit of a team of top Indian officials headed by Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra on Thursday, indicates New Delhi’s wish not only to be the “first responder” to any crisis in the neighborhood but also to be a “constant companion” to troubled neighbors engaged in rebuilding their economies. That the US is also anxious to help crisis-ridden Sri […]

With the Loya Jirga set to convene, the Kabul Polytechnic University announced on Sunday its closure until July 3. The closure was announced in a statement on the official page of the university, with the stump and signature of its chancellor. It said: “The day and night Master’s programme students and boarders are informed that to convene the Loya Jirga, […]

India has dispatched a new shipment of 3,000 metric tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan through the Pakistani land route, says a media report. With the latest shipment, India has completed sending 33,500 metric tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan in partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP). External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted: “India sent on Saturday the next shipment […]

China’s permanent representative to the United Nations has again asked the US to immediately return Afghanistan its foreign assets. Zhang Jun, addressing a UN Security Council session, lamented that no progress had been made in unfreezing Afghanistan’s reserves. “The Afghan people need every bit of these resources. That’s why it’s unjustified to freeze Afghanistan’s foreign assets,” the diplomat quoted as […]

Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi has welcomed Iran’s timely relief for earthquake victims in southeastern Afghanistan. At the moment, providing shelter for the quake survivors was the top priority of the Islamic Emirate, Muttaqi said in a phone conversation with his Iranian counterpart. Mehr News Agency quoted Muttaqi as commending Iran for offering broad services to the Afghan nation under […]