Category: South East Asia

Was There A US-Backed Regime Change In Pakistan? – OpEd

A US-sponsored regime change is hardly new, and it does not take a student of history to cite examples of such transgressions. Guatemala, Congo, China, Libya, Palestinian Territories, Dominican Republic, Afghanistan, Cuba, Iraq, Iran, Panama, Bolivia, and Poland are just a few countries where the US has interfered in the past. The Washington Post asserts that the “US tried to […]

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IEA condemns dawn raid on al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem

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 […]

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Ex-IEA envoy says Doha office’s strength should have been maintained

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 […]

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Who Is Behind Pakistan Army’s Plummeting Image? – OpEd

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 […]

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Will Afghanistan’s Media Survive Under the Taliban?

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 […]

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IEA says development projects will lead to job creation opportunies

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 […]

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South Caucasus Shudder In The Shadow Of Russia’s War – Analysis

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 […]

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Is The Taliban’s Halt Of Poppy Production Too Good To Be True?

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 […]

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Imran Khan’s Fall: Political and Security Implications for Pakistan

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 […]

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2 Pakistani officers, 2 militants killed in shootout in NW

Militants ambushed Pakistani troops in a former Taliban stronghold in the northwest, triggering an intense shootout in which two officers and two insurgents were killed, the military said Tuesday. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement. The pre-dawn gunbattle happened in South Waziristan, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to a military statement. It said […]

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