India has “temporarily” withdrawn staff from its consulate in Kandahar in the face of growing control of Taliban fighters in Afghanistan. Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said in a statement that Indian personnel had been withdrawn due to heavy fighting near the city of Kandahar. Our response to media queries on the Indian Consulate … Read more
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has said that the Taliban want to resolve the Afghan conflict in accordance with the agreement reached between the United States and the Taliban instead of Sharia. No one but the Afghan government can release Taliban prisoners. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani inaugurated the international airport in the northeastern province of Khost … Read more
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday categorically stated that the country would not favour ‘Talibanisation’. “The comeback of TTP is not in Pakistan’s interest. We do not want Talibanization of our country,” the foreign minister said in his remarks at the meeting of the Senate’s Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs at the Parliament House. … Read more
ISLAMABAD: The extension in the agreement of Protocol-VI of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APPTA) 2010 was essential to facilitate uninterrupted flow of transit trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan and to provide sufficient time to the technical teams to conclude negotiations on the new APTTA 2021, a statement received here from Kabul said on Thursday. … Read more
With the United States having nearly completed the withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan, an inclusive political settlement in the war-torn country would best serve Pakistan and US’ shared security interests in the region, Pakistani Ambassador in Washington Asad Majeed Khan said on Thursday. Speaking at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), where he … Read more
KARACHI: The friendly relations between Pakistan and China led to stability in the region and beyond and both the countries are keen to further promote ties for the development of the entire region, a diplomat said on Tuesday. “Regional peace is important for the development of our people, so that’s why we promote friendly neighbourly … Read more
The Taliban say they will retaliate if all foreign forces do not complete their withdrawal by the deadline. Speaking to the BBC, Sohail Shaheen, a spokesman for the Taliban’s political office in Qatar, said: “no foreign troops, including military contractors, should remain in the country once the withdrawal process is complete.” “If they leave their … Read more
Hundreds of Taliban fighters have been killed in fierce fighting with Afghan officials in several Afghan provinces, while Washington has announced it will complete the withdrawal of its troops by the end of August. According to the report, Washington’s announcement came at a time when all US and NATO troops evacuated Bagram Air Base, from … Read more
The fast-paced withdrawal of foreign troops amid stalled peace talks and rising incidents of violence in Afghanistan could threaten to undermine Pakistan’s efforts to facilitate Taliban’s return to Kabul through power-sharing arrangements that have international backing, a report by the International Crisis Group said. The report compiled by the think-tank with information received from Islamabad, … Read more
Dubbing India a ‘spoiler’ in the Afghan peace talks, President Arif Alvi said that New Delhi had always created misunderstanding between Islamabad and Kabul. “Peace and stability in Afghanistan is vital for regional stability and Pakistan would especially immensely benefit from it,” the president said in an interview to a private news channel. Alvi expressed … Read more
Terrorists from inside Afghanistan across the international border opened fire on a military post in Dwatoi, North Waziristan District. According to the Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR), during the exchange of fire, 2 soldiers Havaldar Saleem age 43 years and Lance Naik Pervaiz age 35 years, embraced shahadat. Own troops responded in a befitting manner. ISPR … Read more
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has termed India’s allegation of a drone strike on Pakistan as baseless and said it remains to be seen why they are resorting to such allegations. According to details, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in a statement on the Afghan peace process, regional security, and FATF said that the thinking … Read more
ISLAMABAD: The Turkish authorities on Tuesday issued revised policy regarding the mandatory quarantine requirement for the passengers arriving in Turkey. As per the new policy, which will come into effect on July 1, 2021, the quarantine period for the passengers arriving from Pakistan and Afghanistan has been reduced from 14 to 10 days. Meanwhile, the … Read more
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Tuesday congratulated law enforcement agencies (LEAs) for exposing foreign elements aiming to destabilise Pakistan. In a statement regarding the progress made in the investigation of Lahore blast, he said our intelligence agencies, Punjab Counter Terrorism Department and police have carried out a thorough probe and arrested those responsible. “Anti-terror … Read more
Pakistan has been cold-shouldered by more than two dozens of countries on the requests seeking mutual legal assistance to tackle terrorism-financing, money laundering, and cyber terrorism to meet the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATD) conditions and recommendations. Pakistan has sent more than 232 official requests to two dozen countries under its mutual assistance laws in … Read more
Pakistan was not expecting the Afghan Taliban to make rapid inroads after the US and NATO forces started to withdraw from Afghanistan from May 1. When the US and NATO forces started withdrawing their troops from Afghanistan, the Taliban have took control over 69 of the 407 districts in the country, including the northern districts … Read more
Federal Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed has said that Pakistan will not allow its land to be used against Afghanistan and the Afghan Taliban is also expected to prevent other elements, including the TTP, from harming the lives and properties of the people of Pakistan. Talking to the media on the occasion of visiting injured … Read more
US President Joe Biden held a meeting with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his former political foe, Abdullah Abdullah, on Friday at the White House. He called on the Afghans to decide on their future as the last US troops are set to leave Afghanistan after 20 years of war. Biden said that US support … Read more
