Afghanistan | Pakistan

Pakistan on Tuesday sought regional countries’ cooperation to counter threats emerging from Afghanistan during the Moscow Format Consultations held in the Russian capital on Tuesday. Pakistan’s Special Representative to Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq addressed the moot, which was also attended by Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. The consultations, held at the level of special representatives and senior officials of Afghanistan, were attended by India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. For the first time, the Afghan delegation participated in the meeting as a member. Russia became the first country to recognise the Taliban government in July this year. A delegation from Belarus also attended the meeting as guests. “I spoke about the urgent need for collective regional efforts to effectively counter terrorism and dismantle all terrorist groups operating from Afghan soil,” Ambassador Sadiq told the 7th meeting of the Moscow Format. Sadiq said he also highligh...

A high-level session of the Moscow Format on Afghanistan began in the Russian capital, bringing together key regional players including Pakistan, China, Iran, India, and several Central Asian nations.

The United Nations Human Rights Council will decide on Monday on an EU proposal to set up a UN investigation into abuses in Afghanistan, which could enable criminal investigations into suspected violations by both the Taliban and foreign troops. The European Union motion calls for investigators to prepare evidence for future court proceedings and is among the strongest forms of UN rights probe, on par with existing investigations into crimes in Syria and Myanmar. The United States, which had troops in Afghanistan until 2021 within a NATO coalition, has previously opposed scrutiny of its actions, for example, by the International Criminal Court, but backed research into suspected Taliban violations. US President Donald Trump has disengaged from the council and did not take a stance in these negotiations, diplomats said. However, a State Department spokesperson said: “Under the leadership of President Trump, the United States government will not tolerate international organisations that attempt to exert unlawfu...

Mobile networks and the internet were restored across Afghanistan on Wednesday, 48 hours after the Taliban authorities shut down telecommunications. Confusion gripped the South Asian country on Monday night when mobile phone service and the internet went down without warning, freezing businesses and cutting Afghans off from the rest of the world. The massive blackout came weeks after the government began cutting high-speed internet connections to some provinces to prevent “immorality”, on the orders of shadowy supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada. AFP journalists reported on Wednesday that mobile phone signals and wifi had returned to provinces across the country, including Kandahar in the south, Khost in the east, central Ghazni, and Herat in the west. The Taliban government has yet to comment on the telecommunications shutdown. On Wednesday night, hundreds of Afghans poured onto the streets in the capital Kabul, spreading the word that the internet was back. “It’s like Eidul Azha; it’s like preparing to go ...

Afghanistan’s Taliban government has welcomed the recent stance by Russia, China, Iran and Pakistan against the establishment of foreign military bases in and around Afghanistan. This position was affirmed in a joint statement released after foreign ministers from the four countries met on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York. They emphasised respect for Afghanistan’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity and said re-establishment of foreign military bases is “not conducive to regional peace and security.” According to Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesperson for the Taliban government, his country not only welcomed the stance of the four countries but said that “Afghanistan will not allow its territory to be used against other countries, nor permit armed groups to operate from its soil.” While the joint statement did not refer to any specific country seeking bases in Afghanistan, it follows one by US President Donald Trump where he said Washington was trying to get...

Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti said on Thursday that terrorists were receiving “state patronage” in Afghanistan, from where they launched attacks on Pakistan. His comments come against the backdrop of a tumultuous security situation in Balochistan, which has worsened in recent months, as terrorists, long involved in a low-level insurgency, have stepped up the frequency and intensity of their attacks. The banned so-called Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), in particular, has adopted new tactics to inflict higher casualties and directly target Pakistani security forces. Islamabad, for the last couple of years, has been insisting that terrorists use Afghan soil to lauch attacks across the country. Kabul, however, denies the allegations. Responding to a question during a press conference in Islamabad, CM Bugti reiterated the state’s narrative and said, “Terrorists were provided safe havens and places to run training camps in Afghanistan.” He highlighted that many among the recently killed terrorists wer...

ISLAMABAD - Terrorist belonging to Fitna al-Hindustan, Gul Rehman alias Ustad Mureed has been mysteriously killed in Afghanistan’s Helmand province “Gul Rehman alias Ustad Mureed was the mastermind of the Jafar Express attack,” sources said.

An elderly British couple detained in Afghanistan for almost eight months were released on Friday, the Taliban authorities said, after pressure built to free the pair due to fears over their health. Taliban officials have refused to detail why Peter Reynolds, 80, and his wife Barbara, 76, were arrested in February as they were returning to their home. “We’ve been treated very well. We’re looking forward to seeing our children,” said Barbara, in a red headscarf, standing next to her bearded husband, near a plane on the tarmac of Kabul airport. “We are looking forward to returning to Afghanistan if we can. We are Afghan citizens,” she added, after Qatar-facilitated negotiations for their release. The couple were married in Kabul in 1970, and have spent almost two decades living in Afghanistan, running educational programmes for women and children. They also became official Afghan citizens. When the Taliban returned to power in 2021, the couple remained in Afghanistan against the advice of the British embassy. F...

ISLAMABAD - Terrorism emanating from Afghanistan remains the gravest threat to Pakistan’s national security, top Pakistani diplomat told the UN Security Council yesterday.

The United States is trying to get Bagram air base in Afghanistan back, President Donald Trump said on Thursday during a joint news conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Trump is on an official state visit to the UK — his second state trip to Britain — where he signed a technology agreement with Starmer earlier today. “We’re trying to get it back,” Trump said, referring to Bagram. “It’s one of the biggest airbases in the world; we gave it to them for nothing. We’re trying to get it back. “One of the reasons we want the base, as you know, is it’s an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons.” Bagram Air Base served as the linchpin for US operations in the rugged country, where the long war against the Taliban and their Al Qaeda allies was fought with air strikes and resupply missions from the airfield. The historic Soviet-built airstrip was the main base for American forces in Afghanistan following the September 11, 2001, attacks, up until their 2021 withdrawal, which led to a takeove...

Pakistan has warned the UN Security Council (UNSC) that terrorism emanating from Afghanistan remains the “gravest threat” to its national security, urging the Taliban authorities to fulfill their counterterrorism commitments.

Azmatullah Omarzai hammered a 20-ball fifty as Afghanistan thrashed Hong Kong by 94 runs in the opening match of the men’s T20 Asia Cup on Tuesday. The 17th edition of the Asia Cup kicked off with the Group ‘B’ match between the two teams which have six-time Asia Cup champions Sri Lanka and Bangladesh as the other teams in their group Afghanistan elected to bat first in Abu Dhabi and posted 188-6 with opener Sediqullah Atal playing the anchor role with an unbeaten 73. His fifth-wicket partnership of 82 with Omarzai, who hit 53 off 21 balls, including two fours and five sixes, proved key for Afghanistan in the Group B fixture. Afghanistan’s bowlers then combined to keep Hong Kong down to 94-9. Temperatures early on touched 40 degrees Celsius, but it was the humidity in the evening that tested the fitness of the players who took regular drinks breaks. Hong Kong bowlers struck two early blows, but Atal stood firm to put on 51 runs with veteran Mohammad Nabi, who made 33, as the two counter-attacked. Off-spinner ...

Pakistan men, led by spinner Mohammad Nawaz’s hat-trick, bamboozled Afghanistan to win by a huge margin of 75 runs in the final of the Twenty20 International tri-series in Sharjah on Sunday. Player of the match Nawaz became the third Pakistani bowler to take a hat-trick in T20Is for the Green Shirts and ended up with figures of 5-19 as the Afghan batters had no response to his wily left-arm spin — getting bowled out for a paltry 66. He also contributed with the bat in Pakistan’s first innings by hitting two sixes and scoring 25 of 21 deliveries. Earlier, Afghanistan men’s spinners restricted Pakistan to 141-8 after skipper Salman Ali Agha had elected to bat first after winning the toss, and the Green Shirts had one change since their last encounter against Afghanistan on Tuesday, with spinner Abrar Ahmed playing in place of pacer Haris Rauf. Spinners Abrar and Sufyan Moqim picked up two wickets each as the Pakistani spinners outbowled their Afghan counterparts to win the final by 75 runs at the packed Sharjah...

Pakistan is set to host a T20 International (T20I) tri-series for the first time from November 17 to 29, according to a press release issued by the country’s cricket board on Sunday. Apart from Pakistan, the “three-nation tournament” would feature Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, the press release said. It added that the series was organised to “provide all teams with valuable preparation” ahead of next year’s International Cricket Council Men’s T20 World Cup, which will take place in India and Sri Lanka. Detailing its schedule, it further stated that the hosts would take on Afghanistan on November 17, marking the beginning of the series at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. It also mentioned that “will be Afghanistan’s first-ever T20I in Pakistan”. “On November 19, Sri Lanka will face Afghanistan at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, while the remaining five T20Is of the tri-series, including the final on November 29, will be played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore,” the press release said. Tri-series schedule Nov 17: P...

Afghanistan won by four runs against the United Arab Emirates in their T20 tri-series match in Sharjah on Friday. Pakistan and Afghanistan will now face each other in the final on September 7 (Sunday). Pakistan entered the final after beating the UAE twice and Afghanistan once. They set a target of 171 for the UAE today, with the latter side managing 166. Afghan skipper Rashid Khan won the toss earlier and opted to bat first. The tri-series of Twenty20 international matches is to tune up for the Asia Cup and features Pakistan, the UAE and Afghanistan. Afghanistan had already beaten the UAE by 38 runs in Sharjah on Monday.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan officially handed over 105 tons of critical humanitarian assistance to Afghan authorities on Thursday in response to the devastating earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan on August 31, claiming more than 1,400 lives.

On the directives of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan has dispatched humanitarian aid to Afghanistan for victims of the devastating earthquake that struck the country on August 31, claiming more than 1,400 lives.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Wednesday dispatched five trucks loaded with 105 tons of essential relief supplies to earthquake-affected regions of Afghanistan.

Pakistan on Wednesday dispatched 105 tonnes of humanitarian aid for quake-struck Afghanistan, according to Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. The earthquake killed a total of 1,469 people and injured more than 3,700, according to a new toll from Taliban authorities, making it one of the deadliest in decades to hit the impoverished country, according to AFP. The vast majority of the casualties — more than 1,450 — were in Kunar province, with a dozen dead and hundreds hurt in nearby Nangarhar and Laghman provinces. “Following my telephone call with Foreign Minister [Amir] Muttaqi, the government of Pakistan today dispatched 105 tonnes of humanitarian relief assistance to Afghanistan,” a statement from FM Dar said. The consignment includes “essential food items, medicines, tents, blankets, and bubble mats”, aimed at supporting those affected by the recent earthquakes in the country, the statement added. “We extend our deepest condolences and prayers for the victims and wish a speedy recovery t...

Afghanistan men’s quartet of spinners ruled the roost as they beat Pakistan by 18 runs in their Twenty20 International tri-series encounter in Sharjah on Tuesday. Both teams observed a minute of silence for the flood victims in Pakistan and the earthquake victims in Afghanistan before the match. Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan said that they would aim for crossing 170 after winning the toss and batting, but his team fell just short of that mark as Pakistan’s bowlers, led by Faheem, kept the lid on scoring. However, the Pakistani reply never got going as the Afghan bowlers kept taking wickets at regular intervals, with pacer Haris Rauf being the highest scorer for the Green Shirts. Faheem was the pick of the bowlers for Pakistan, picking a career best of four wickets for 27 runs and picking up the prized scalps of player of the match Ibrahim Zadran and Sediqullah Atal as both batters scored 50s for their side. Pakistan still top the table in the tri-series, with both sides scheduled to play the UAE ahead of th...