Posts published in “Day: May 18, 2016”

The loyalists of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group have released a set of images which purportedly shows the execution of Taliban fighters in Afghanistan. The photographs were published by the loyalists of the terror group in social media earlier this evening. The authenticity of the photographs could not be independently verified and it is yet not in which part of the country the militants were executed. Subtitles in Arabic language…

The Supreme Council of Jihadi and National Parties on Sunday urged the Enlightening Movement to restrain from launching protests over the controversial 500 kilovolt electricity project. The leadership of the council also urged government to stop the 500 kilovolt electricity transmission project from Turkmenistan to Kabul until an agreement had been reached. “We urge the Afghan government stop work on the project until the assigned commission reaches a conclusion,” said Sayed Hamed Gailani, a member…

Islamabad – Afghan Ambassador to Pakistan Dr Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal said yesterday that despite efforts by both Islamabad and Kabul misunderstandings could not be removed between two countries, however, the endeavours in this regard must continue. Talking in a Waqt News programme, Afghan envoy said his country did not know why a Taliban delegation visited Karachi recently. He said his government was not informed that with whom the Taliban delegation had the meeting. According to…

ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan wants the Taliban to be declared ‘irreconcilable’ as they have publicly refused to engage in talks, the country’s top envoy to Pakistan said on Sunday. Ambassador Omar Zakhilwal’s comments came ahead of a key meeting of the Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) which has been pushing for a political solution to a long, deadly insurgency in Afghanistan. Official and diplomatic sources have confirmed to The Express Tribune the quartet, which is made up of…

In a well-coordinated plan, the Afghan government overnight blocked off mostly all streets leading into Kabul city center, preventing anyone from entering the area. The move was undertaken ahead of a planned mass demonstration in the city on Monday, which activists expected would draw up to 200,000 people. However, by 6am local time, Kabul residents began to realize that they were locked out of the main business, diplomatic and government district. Shipping containers had been…

ISLAMABAD – Chairman Senate Defence Committee Senator Mushahid Hussain yesterday proposed to the govt to prepare a National Maritime Security Plan (NMSP) on the face of emerging regional scenario and role of the Pakistan Navy. Talking to media persons on Monday after the recent visit of Senate Defence Committee to Naval installations in Karachi, Gwadar and Ormara, he also proposed establishment of a new shipyard in Gwadar to supplement the one in Karachi. He also…

The fate of the Afghan peace process has been hanging in the balance as the Taliban are reluctant to hold direct peace talks with the Afghan government. Afghanistan has been passing through a critical time as there does not seem to be a foreseeable end to the ongoing violence. In a bid to bring peace to war-torn Afghanistan, top diplomats from Afghanistan, China, Pakistan and the United States are scheduled to meet in Islamabad on…

A number of important lessons have come out of the recent Torkham border closure incident. One, of course, is that the Afghan ambassador finally knocked at the right door after a number of necessary back-and-forths. Two, that the fence is a reality. It is unfortunate that a little bit of arm twisting was needed to get the Afghans to really agree; but if there is a better idea than fencing at the moment, nobody has…

Seemingly no road leads to peace in Afghanistan no matter how often the road to reconciliation is redesigned, redrafted and rebooted. There is an entire generation that has grown up and reached maturity that has never known the country to be completely at peace. The Taliban, a creature of multiple parentings and with children of their own, have never been sufficiently unified to present a cohesive and coherent set of proposals for peace that were…

THE HOUSE and Senate Amed Services committees have let down Afghans who braved danger and strife to work with the United States through a decade and a half of war. In 2009, Congress approved a special program that provided visas for Afghan translators and others who risked their lives shoulder-to-shoulder with U.S. forces. Though 8,528 applicants have received visas , thousands are still waiting. The annual defense bills just sent to the floor of each…