Worryingly, the Pakistan government is engaging the militant group in talks from a position of weakness. The Pakistani government has been negotiating with the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) for weeks in an effort to permanently halt cross-border attacks from Afghanistan. The latest round of intense and extensive negotiations has seen Pakistan going all in to involve relevant stakeholders to reach […]

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe spoke in Singapore, part of an effort to add “guardrails” to the China-U.S. competition. U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin held his first meeting with China’s Minister of Defense Wei Fenghe on Friday, on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. Both men are also slated to speak later at […]

After a whirlwind of visits and agreements, where does the Pacific region stand? Developments of great significance continue to unfold in the Pacific following China’s bold attempt to redraw the region’s geopolitical map. China aimed to create a bloc of “China-Pacific Island” countries during Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s barnstorming eight-nation tour through the region, which began on May 26 in […]

Russia’s special envoy for Afghanistan has said Moscow may recognise the interim Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) government and has reserved grain for the South Asian country to stave off the possible food crisis there. “There is such a possibility. Its conditions were determined by both the Russian president and foreign minister,” Zamir Kabulov told the Russian state TV Channel […]

Officials at the country’s central bank – Da Afghanistan Bank – said Wednesday they have embarked on a series of discussions with professors and lecturers from financial faculties of universities to find solutions to increase the value of the Afghan currency. The Monetary Policy discussions are being held between central bank officials and university staff across the country in a […]

In a joint statement in April, both India and the United States (US) demanded the Taliban to respect human rights and women rights, and deter Afghanistan from promoting or harbouring terrorists. A month later, the US Special Representative for Afghanistan held high-level engagements with senior Indian diplomats. Officials from both the countries also met Abdullah Abdullah—who had carried a special […]

A Gong Ceremony was held at Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on the visit of the Ambassador of the United States of America to Pakistan, Donald Blome. The US Ambassador, accompanied by the US Consul General in Karachi, Mark Stroh, and his team, were welcomed at the Exchange by the PSX Chairperson, Dr. Shamshad Akhtar; Managing Director PSX, Farrukh H. Khan; […]

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has approved a new on arrival visa policy for Afghan nationals going abroad via Pakistan, local media reported on Saturday. Salman Sufi, head of the Prime Minister’s Strategic Reforms Initiatives, said that under the new policy a transit visa of 30 days would be issued within 24 hours by the Pakistan government to Afghan nationals, […]

In a separate farewell meetings with Sirajuddin Haqqani and former chairman of the reconciliation council Abdullah Abdullah, the outgoing UN Special Representative for Afghanistan, Deborah Lyons, emphasized the importance of fighting terrorism in Afghanistan. In a series of tweets Saturday night Lyons said that in a meeting with Sirajuddin Haqqani, the acting minister of interior, she emphasized the need to […]

Local officials in Kunar province say an explosion in Asadabad, the provincial capital, has killed one person and injured four others. Malawi Abdulhaq Haqqani, the provincial police chief said the blast took place on Sunday at around 9:00 AM. The device used was an IED which was attended to a police Ranger vehicle. According to the police chief, the mine […]