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  • Transnational celebrities react on Afghan situation after Taliban take charge

    Transnational celebrities react on Afghan situation after Taliban take charge

    Prominent transnational celebrities have used their social media clout to spread awareness on the plight of civilians in Afghanistan as Taliban took charge of Kabul.

    Pakistani diva Mahira khan also shared a heartbreaking image of Afghans on US Air force plane.

    Taking to Instagram, the Alif star Kubra Khan shared a horrific situation of young girls in Afghanistan after Jihadist commanders reportedly forced the imams in the areas to bring them a list of unmarried girls for their soldiers to marry.

    Fellow Pakistani actors Mariyam Nafees and Ghana Ali also expressed their concern on the matter.

    US supermodel Gigi Hadid also turned to her Instagram stories after thousands of people mobbed the Kabul airport trying to flee the country after Taliban takeover.

    Bella Hadid also took to Instagram to express her concern.

    While Dirilis Ertugrul famed Esra Bilgic also turned to her social media to show her concern for the future of women in Afghanistan.

  • ‘Pakistan has taken more than its share of responsibility in last many many years’: Hina Rabbani Khar

    ‘Pakistan has taken more than its share of responsibility in last many many years’: Hina Rabbani Khar

    Former Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, while speaking on Microsoft/National Broadcasting Company (MSNBC) political talk show ‘The Mehdi Hasan Show’, said, “1996 and 2021 Pakistan are very different…Please do not judge the Pakistan of 2021 by the role that Pakistan played in 1996.”

    Mehdi, referring to remarks of Prime Minister Imran Khan, said, “PM Khan is right, there is no military solution but do you [Hina Rabbani] think Pakistan is going to help broker the sort of political outcome he talked about. Given your country’s historical role in aiding the Afghan Taliban, providing a safe haven for them on Pakistani soil.”

    “Providing safe haven is very different than not doing kinetic action against a group which seek refuge like millions of other Afghans in Pakistan’s territory,” replied Khar.

    “For a country or a state to choose to go after those who were attacking our own children and policemen and our own soldiers which happened to be Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and many other extremist organisations. So please don’t forget that Pakistan has had an influx of extremist organisations within its own territory that Pakistan had to deal with,” said Khar.

    Khar further added, “For the world to expect to that we would leave all of that and concentrate and go for a full blast military action against the Afghan Taliban clearly did not happen, was not likely to happen. So as far as our responsibility is concerned and our ability to engineer a behavioral change in the Taliban is concerned, I think that is an exaggerated role and has been an exaggerated role — if not the last few decades, at least for the last few years.”

    “TTP, which has butchered our children continues to have links with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Afghanistan (TTA). Now if Pakistan had the type of leverage that the world expects of Pakistan, wouldn’t Pakistan first ensure that TTA and TTP were able to de-link. And TTP was to receive no support from TTA. Pakistan is unable to broker that for itself, do you think Pakistan was able to broker a solution when the United States (US) itself and of course Pakistan encourage whatever role it could possibly,” added Khar.

    Mehdi questioned Khar that Pakistan has strategic geopolitical reasons and supported the Afghan Taliban in Afghanistan. “Are you telling me that you as foreign minister had no knowledge of anyone in your defence establishment, your Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), nobody had contacts with the Afghan Taliban?”

    “For the 20 years that US and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) partners were in Afghanistan, I don’t know a single year where the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) did not have contact with the Afghan Taliban. This is what intelligence agencies do. They maintain those contacts to have intelligence and to protect their sovereign territorial boundaries,” said Khar.

    “The leverage that is expected of Pakistan, Pakistan never had,” added Khar talking about negotiations. “Once a date of exit has been given to the people what leverage can anyone have. What leverage can a country like Pakistan with eight billion dollars in defence spending as opposed to the United States, which has 778 billion dollars of defence spending? Do you expect too much?”

    The anchorperson reiterated that Pakistan needs to take some responsibility for its role in Afghanistan referring to the remarks made by Husain Haqqani for Ambassador to the US and no one was denying what the CIA and United States had done in the region.

    “Pakistan has taken more than its share of the responsibility in the last many many years,” replied Khar.

    Replying to the comments of Haqqani, Khar said, ” If Mr Husain Haqqani was not living in the US and was living in Pakistan, he would know that the Pakistan of 1996 and 2021 are very different. Pakistan has made many mistakes but I am proud to say that Pakistan is perhaps one of the few countries left which has learnt the right lessons of history.”

    “I feel Pakistan is getting out the black and getting into to the white or grey area, many countries are actually receding right now. We are very willing to accept the mistakes we made in the past but what we are saying is please do not judge the Pakistan of 2021 by the role that Pakistan played in 1996,” stressed Khar.

  • Pakistan bonds fall as investors brace for Afghanistan fallout

    Pakistan bonds fall as investors brace for Afghanistan fallout

    Pakistan’s international bonds came under selling pressure on Monday as market investors brace themselves for the fallout from the crisis in Afghanistan.

    Afghanistan’s US-backed government collapsed over the weekend as Taliban fighters seized the capital, Kabul, following a stunning advance that had seen the Islamist group take over most of the country.

    The likely evacuation of refugees from Afghanistan could strain the finances of neighbouring countries, fund managers say, and there is also concern over the potential for ‘western retaliation’ against Pakistan for providing a safe haven for the Taliban.

    As per a report of Financial Times, Pakistan’s dollar-denominated bonds fell by about one per cent to just above 100 cents on the dollar, with some longer dated issues sinking to their lowest prices in nine months. The yield on a 10-year bond issued in April this year, which moves in the opposite direction to the debt’s price, climbed by about a quarter of a percentage point to roughly 7.3 per cent.

    The country’s $8.8bn of dollar bonds have now fallen by about four per cent since mid-June.

    “There are a few concerns driving this move,” said head of emerging market debt at Legal and General Investment Management, Uday Patnaik to Financial Times. “One is the refugee crisis — clearly Pakistan is going to be affected by that, and that’s going to be expensive.”

    “A lot of people are also debating the possibility of formal or informal sanctions on Pakistan for working with the Taliban. We’ve been underweight for the last couple months because of these issues but like everyone else we didn’t expect this to happen so quickly.”

    Even prior to the recent sell-off, Pakistan already had some of the highest bond yields among emerging economies that are not considered to be at immediate risk of default. Its debt is rated B minus by Standard & Poor’s and by Fitch.

    The market’s focus has fallen on Afghanistan’s neighbours as the country itself does not have any internationally traded debt, with the ousted government having received most of its financing from western governments and other donors such as the World Bank and the IMF.

    The Current reached out to Chairman of KASB Securities, Ali Farid Khwaja for a word on this situation and said: “Global investors are and will be concerned about the spillover impact of the fall of Kabul and takeover by Taliban. Of course, they will need assurance that such a thing cannot happen in Pakistan and a Taliban government in Afghanistan will not destabilize Pakistan. The jury is still out. I think there are two important aspects of this. First the world would want to see whether Pakistan is standing by them on the values they claim to preach and promote, or do we share the ethos with Taliban. So far, from the commentary it seems that it is the latter. Except for a few media celebrities most politicians seems to be pleased with the Taliban victory. This alone is a bit disturbing purely from an image perspective. Secondly, we need to prove that the wall we have made on the border with Afghanistan will be strong enough to keep Taliban out of Pakistan. Global markets are sensitive to sentiment and hence managing perception is very important,” he added.

    While a Bloomberg journalist in Pakistan, Faseeh Mangi has also shed some light on the situation of Pakistan’s dollar bonds after Taliban takeover in Afghanistan.

  • ‘I will marry four of you in one day’: Afghan women relate stories of horror as Taliban take over

    Terrifying stories of mistreatment of women in Afghanistan are being discussed on social media and are also being reported by news outlets ever since the Taliban started gaining control of Afghanistan two months ago.

    “When I heard that the Taliban had reached Kabul, I felt I was going to be a slave. They can play with my life any way they want.”

    A female university student in Afghanistan while talking to The Guardian expressed her feelings of fear and hopelessness after the Taliban took over Afghanistan.

    “Early on Sunday morning I was heading to university for a class when a group of women came running out from the women’s dormitory. I asked what had happened and one of them told me the police were evacuating them because the Taliban had arrived in Kabul, and they will beat women who do not have a burqa,” she said while sharing her experience on the day the Taliban entered Kabul.

    “We all wanted to get home, but we couldn’t use public transport. The drivers would not let us in their cars because they did not want to take responsibility for transporting a woman. It was even worse for the women from the dormitory, who are from outside Kabul and were scared and confused about where they should go.” she added.

    The men standing outside the university said: “Go and put on your chadari [burqa],” One called out, “It is your last days of being out on the streets.” Another said, “I will marry four of you in one day.”

    The Afghan student further shared, “I loved doing my nails. Today, as I was on my way home, I glanced at the beauty salon where I used to go for manicures. The shop front, which had been decorated with beautiful pictures of girls, had been whitewashed overnight.”

    “Now it looks like I have to burn everything I achieved in 24 years of my life. Having any ID card or awards from the American University is risky now; even if we keep them, we are not able to use them. There are no jobs for us in Afghanistan.”

    “Then today, when I heard that the Taliban had reached Kabul, I felt I was going to be a slave. They can play with my life any way they want.”

    “Or identity is being destroyed and nothing has been done by us to deserve this.”

    Women, specially female journalists are fearing for their life after the recent developments in the country.

    “For many years, I worked as a journalist … to raise the voice of Afghans, especially Afghan women, but now our identity is being destroyed and nothing has been done by us to deserve this,” Aaisha a prominent news anchor and political talk show host, said while speaking to The Guardian.

    “In the last 24 hours, our lives have changed and we have been confined to our homes, and death threatens us at every moment.”

    The homes of two female journalists were visited by Taliban fighters on Sunday, leaving both women “severely shaken psychologically,” CNN has reported.

    Taliban fighters are ‘going door-to-door and forcibly marrying girls as young as 12 and forcing them into sex slavery as they seize vast swathes of the Afghanistan from government forces,’ reported the Daily Mail on August 13.

    However, Taliban’s spokesperson Suhail Shaheen has refuted the claims.

  • ‘Don’t want women to be victims, they should be in govt’: Taliban

    ‘Don’t want women to be victims, they should be in govt’: Taliban

    The Taliban declared an “amnesty” across Afghanistan and urged women to join its government, reported Al-Jazeera.

    “A general amnesty has been declared for all, so you should start your routine life with full confidence,” said a statement from the Taliban. 

    Enamullah Samangani, a member of the Taliban’s cultural commission, said, “The Islamic Emirate doesn’t want women to be victims, they should be in government structure according to Shariah law.”

    Enamullah’s statement represents the first comments on governance from a federal level across the country.

    Enamullah further added, “The structure of government is not fully clear, but based on experience, there should be a fully Islamic leadership and all sides should join.”

    Samangani remained vague on other details, however, implying people already knew the rules of the Islamic law the Taliban expected them to follow.

    “Our people are Muslims and we are not here to force them to Islam,” he said.

    Meanwhile, United States (US) President Joe Biden blamed the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan on Afghan political leaders who fled the country and the unwillingness of the US-trained Afghan army to fight the militant group.

    In his speech, Biden said that the US troops could not defend a nation whose leaders “gave up and fled”, as did Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.

    “I stand squarely behind my decision. After 20 years, I have learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw US forces,” Biden said in a televised address from the White House.

  • Shahid Afridi wants a ban on TikTok, appeals to Shehzad Roy to raise voice

    Shahid Afridi wants a ban on TikTok, appeals to Shehzad Roy to raise voice

    Former Pakistani cricket team captain Shahid Afridi was invited on Ahsan Khan’s talk show, Time Out with Ahsan khan along with singer Shehzad Roy. The sports star appealed the Mukhra singer that he should get TikTok banned for the betterment of the society.

    Shahid highlighted that the app is being misused by civilians and can be accessed in regions of the country where the literacy rate is insufficient for the users to understand the importance of using the app correctly.

    “You raise voice for everything, get TikTok banned as well,” Afridi asked the Ya Rabb singer.

    In response to Afridi’s demand, Shehzad Roy asked why he wants the app to be banned.

    “In most of our remote areas, WiFi reached before education,” the cricketer answered.

    He added that there have been multiple incidents due to TikTok. The all-rounder also expressed his displeasure over the usage of mobile phone by kids and mentioned that his daughter got a phone after turning nineteen.

  • Karachi traffic plan for Muharram 2021

    Karachi traffic plan for Muharram 2021

    The Karachi traffic police released the traffic diversion plan for the Muharram procession that will begin from Nishtar Park and end at the Imambargah Hussainian Iranian at Kharadar, Salis Bin Parwaiz reported for The News.

    The traffic diversion plan is for Muharram 8, 9, and 10 when there will be different Muharram processions in the city.

    On Muharram 8, the procession will pass through Sir Shah Nawaz Bhutto Road, Father Jaminis Road, Mehfil-e-Shah Khurasan, MA Jinnah Road, Mansfield Street, Preedy Street, Tibet Chowk, MA Jinnah Road, Chand Bibi Chowk, Nishtar Road, Nigar Cinema, Altaf Hussain Road, Denso Hall, MA Jinnah Road, Kharadar police station and Bombay Bazaar to reach the Imambargah.

    Muharram 9: a procession will start from Liaquatabad via Imambargah Martin Road to the Nishtar Park where a Majlis will be held. After the Majlis, the procession will start from Nishtar Park in the afternoon and then proceed to the Imambargah Hussain Iranian, Kharadar.

    Read More: Police arrest man for stealing mobile phones during Muharram procession

    The route will include Nishtar Park, Sir Shah Nawaz Bhutto Road, Father Jaminis Road, Mehfil-e-Shah Khurasan, MA Jinnah Road, Mansfield Street, Preedy Street, Tibet Chowk, MA Jinnah Road, Boulton Market, Bombay Bazaar, Kharadar, Nawab Mahabbat Khanji Road and Hussainian Iranian Imambargah.

    When the processions will start from Nishtar Park, all traffic coming from the city side will be diverted towards Soldier Bazaar Road (Bahadur Yar Jang Road), Coast Guard, Anklesaria Chowk to Jubilee or Nishtar Road.

    Traffic coming from Nazimabad will be diverted from Lasbela towards Nishtar Road and the zoological garden to reach their destinations. The traffic coming from the Liaquatabad side will be diverted to Martin Road towards the jail side. 

    These vehicles will be allowed to proceed to Jail Road, Jamshed Road, Dadabhoy Noorji Road, Kashmir Road, Shahrah-e-Quaideen and Sharae Faisal to reach their destination.

    All traffic coming from Stadium Road side will continue through New MA Jinnah Road. These vehicles will be diverted on Dadabhoi Noorji Road towards Kashmir Road, Society Light Signal, Shahrah-e-Quaideen and Sharea Faisal.

    The traffic coming from the Super Highway and Gulberg side will be diverted from Liaquatabad No 10 towards Nazimabad No 2 and will proceed using Habib Bank Flyover, Estate Avenue Road and Sher Shah to Mauripur Road.

    To return, these vehicles will take the same route. All kinds of traffic coming from the National Highway side will be diverted from Rashid Minhas Road towards Stadium Road, Sir Shah Suleman Road, Hassan Square, Liaquatabad No 10 and Nazimabad No 2, and will proceed via Habib Bank Flyover, Estate Avenue Road, Shershah to Mauripur Road. For the return journey, these vehicles will adopt the same route.

    Traffic will not be allowed to proceed along the route of the procession from Gurumandir. These vehicles will be diverted to Bahadur Yar Jang Road. All the vehicular traffic coming from Shahrah-e-Quaideen will not be permitted to proceed towards Numaish, except the participants of the procession and those with stickers on their windscreens allotted from the traffic police, and diverted from the Society signal.

    Traffic on MA Jinnah Road will not be allowed from Preedy Street, Aga Khan-III Road and Mansfield Street to proceed towards Saddar.

    No traffic will be allowed to pass MA Jinnah Road-Preedy Street junction until the procession has passed the intersection. All kinds of traffic coming from the zoo and Aga Khan-III Road will be allowed till Anklesaria Hospital.

  • First Pakistani female cyclist Samar Khan reaches K2 base camp on cycle

    First Pakistani female cyclist Samar Khan reaches K2 base camp on cycle

    Mountain biker and adventure athlete, Samar Khan, has become the only female cyclist to reach the base camp of the world’s second tallest peak.

    Khan, who holds the title of the first Pakistani to summit Mount Kilimanjaro and the Biafo Glaciers in the Karakoram Range on a bike, has set a unique record by reaching the base camp of the savage mountain via cycle.

    As per reports, in her journey, Khan cycled from Askole, a small town located in Shigar Valley, to K2 base camp.

    She posted the landmark achievement on Instagram. “Doorway to Choghori (K2). The stage where prayers are answered or sometimes delayed, where I got to see the clear face of majestic Choghori, standing with grace,” she captioned the post.

    Khan, while narrating her story, mentioned that she has reached her goal by facing harsh climate as she had to encounter long nights of “chasing oxygen” and prayers. “There were many injuries and I was shivering with cold on the way but finally accomplished,” she mentioned in a series of posts.

    Earlier, the award-winning biker girl became the first woman to ride her cycle on the Biafo Glacier, which is located in the Karakoram region at an elevated height of 4,500 meters.

    Khan has participated in a number of races and has also been spreading awareness about extreme sports in Pakistan. The young biker has been vocal about the need to support and promote less popular sports.

  • ‘Shameful’: Fawad Chaudhry condemns vandalism of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s statue

    Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry has condemned the vandalism of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s statue at the Lahore Fort.

    “Shameful this bunch of illiterates are really dangerous for Pakistan image in the world,” tweeted Chaudhry.

    Punjab Police tweeted that the culprit has been arrested.

    A video went viral on social media in which the statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh was being vandalised by a man.

    https://twitter.com/AU_Qasmi/status/1427516195331354707

    Have a look at how people on social media are reacting to the video:

    https://twitter.com/gigglypundit/status/1427536453446348828

    Last year in December, police arrested a teenager for vandalising a statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who ruled Punjab in the 19th century. The statue was installed in front of the Haveli of Rani Jindan at the Lahore Fort. This is the third time that Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s statue has been vandalised.