Tag: Afghanistan

  • ‘We are not against education’, Taliban to open separate schools for girls

    ‘We are not against education’, Taliban to open separate schools for girls

    The Taliban has said that they hope to open all schools for girls and women across the country after March 21.

    Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson and deputy Culture and Information Minister of Afghanistan said girls and boys must be completely segregated in schools. According to him, the biggest obstacle so far has been finding enough space where girls could stay while going to school. In heavily populated areas, there is not enough space to have separate classrooms for boys and girls.

    “We are not against education,” Mujahid stressed while talking to Associated Press (AP). He also said women are working in the health and education sector and at Kabul International Airport in customs and passport control. But didn’t comment that whether women would be allowed to return to work in government ministries.

    Since August, girls in most of Afghanistan have not been allowed back to school beyond grade 7. However, private universities in the capital Kabul are still operating.

    Earlier this month, the United Nations (UN) launched a $5 billion appeal for the war-torn country.

  • Pakistan’s most-wanted terrorist killed in Afghanistan

    Pakistan’s most-wanted terrorist killed in Afghanistan

    Pakistan’s most-wanted terrorist Muhammad Khorasani has been killed in Afghanistan.

    Khorasani, also known as Khalid Balti was planning attacks against Pakistan along with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Chief Noor Wali Mehsood, as per Geo News’ sources. He was a spokesperson for the banned outfit since 2014.

    Khorasani was involved in several attacks which killed innocent civilians security forces personnel.

    He was running a terrorist hub in Miranshah, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), however, after the Pakistan Army’s successful “Zarb-e-Azb” operation, he escaped to Afghanistan.

    Last week, Pakistan Army spokesman Major General Babar Iftikhar said that talks with the TTP ended after the banned group came up with certain conditions which were not acceptable.

    He said that operations are on-going against the militants.

  • ‘No deal with Nawaz, keep us out of it’: DG ISPR tells media

    ‘No deal with Nawaz, keep us out of it’: DG ISPR tells media

    Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director-General (DG) Major Gen Babar Iftikhar termed the rumours of a deal with former Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif as “baseless” and urged the media to “keep the establishment out of it.”

    At a press conference in Rawalpindi, DG ISPR dismissed any deal with Sharif, saying, “If someone does talk of a deal, then you must ask them who is offering a deal.”

    “Who is striking a deal with Nawaz Sharif?” he posed a question while adding that there is no trouble between the civilian government and military.

    Security situation at the Western border

    During an ISPR briefing to the media, DG ISPR also addressed the Pakistan-Afghanistan border i.e. Durand Line issue. According to him, border fencing which is 94 per cent completed, was being done in an effort to protect the people on both sides [Pak and Afghan] as well as to regulate trade. 

    He revealed that the security situation along the Western border was “challenging” during 2021. He said: “People can cross the border from designated points. This process will be eased in the coming months. The blood of our martyrs was spilled in fencing of the border. It is a fence of peace. It will be completed and remain.”

    No ceasefire with TTP currently, operations to continue

    The DG ISPR said that talks with the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan  (TTP) are “on hold” but the operations [against them] are “ongoing”.

    “The TTP is not a monolith. They have internal differences. There were some problems, some conditions that were non-negotiable from our [Pakistan] side so there is no ceasefire right now. We are continuing with operations and will continue till we get rid of this menace,” he added.

    The worst siege in human history: DG ISPR on Kashmir

    He recalled Indian forces’ cruelty in occupied Kashmir a “propaganda” campaign by their media and said that this is the “worst siege” in human history.

    The DG ISPR accused India of endangering regional security by purchasing arms, adding that it would lead to a race in the region and have a negative impact on peace.

    He also added that India faked an encounter in Neelum Valley and killed an innocent Kashmiri and then blamed Pakistan for it.

  • Video: Taliban orders beheading of dummies, mannequins

    Video: Taliban orders beheading of dummies, mannequins

    The Taliban has ordered a series of mannequin beheadings in Afghanistan. The order was issued after the Taliban described dummies as “idols” and according to them, forbidden in Islam. Shopkeepers in the western Afghan province of Herat were told to remove the heads of female mannequins. As per Afghan media, those who disobey the order would face harsh consequences as ordered by the ministry’s local department.

    Journalist Arshad Yousafzai shared a video of a shopkeeper beheading female dummy mannequins.

    Read more- No transport for women travelling without hijab, male relative: Taliban

    Earlier on December 27, Aghanistan’s Taliban announced that women who seek to travel long distances should not be offered transport if they are not wearing hijab and are not accompanied by a close male relative.

  • America forced IMF to impose strict conditions on Pakistan: Shaukat Tarin

    America forced IMF to impose strict conditions on Pakistan: Shaukat Tarin

    Federal Minister for Finance Shaukat Tarin termed the geo-political situation of the region as a reason for the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) to impose strict conditions on Pakistan.

    The finance minister spoke about a number of issues, including the Supplementary Finance Bill 2021, inflation, State Bank Amendment Bill, prior actions demanded by IMF, and other core issues related to finance on Geo News‘ programme ‘Naya Pakistan’.

    The minister, terming the geo-political situation of the region as a reason for the IMF being forceful, said that the talks with the lender aiming to restore the United States (US) $6 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) were not a piece of cake after the US pullout of Afghanistan.

    Tarin admitted that America was behind IMF to impose strict conditions on Pakistan.

    The finance minister said that the petroleum levy in fuel prices has been increased as per the IMF’s demand.

    “We had cut down the sales tax on petroleum products to zero but were compelled to apply the petroleum levy due to IMF’s strict behaviour,” said Tarin, adding that the IMF had lent the country some money back in March 2021 on account of an increase in the petroleum levy.

  • ‘Backward thinking dangerous for Pakistan’: Fawad on Taliban’s restrictions on Afghan women

    Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry, while talking about the recent Taliban’s restrictions on Afghan women, stated that the Taliban’s ‘retrogressive thinking’ is dangerous for Pakistan, reports Dawn.

    While addressing a ceremony in Islamabad, the minister said, “Saying that women can’t travel alone or go to schools and colleges — this kind of retrogressive thinking is a danger for Pakistan.”

    “You see that two extremist regimes have cropped up on right [India] and left [Afghanistan] of Pakistan. On one side there is Afghanistan where the Taliban have arrived. We want to fully help the Afghan people”, he added.

    Fawad said, “We have had failures and successes but till now Pakistan is that bright hope in this region which while remaining amid these extremes can emerge out from them.”

    Chaudhry’s statement has come after Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities’ announcement about women who seek to travel long distances should not be offered transport if they are not wearing hijab or not accompanied by a close male relative.

    Furthermore, he pointed out that extremists in the country and said, “Quaid-e-Azam never saw Pakistan as a religious country and all these people who today on his name are fooling the people that the meaning of an Islamic country was a religious country — this was entirely not the case.”

    While talking about the Sialkot lynching incident, Fawad said, “You saw the whole of Pakistan was united and condemned that incident. This is happening every day in India with Muslims and no one is bothered.”

    Chaudhry stressed that Pakistan’s purpose was “preserving minority rights and safeguarding them”.

  • No transport for women travelling without hijab, male relative: Taliban

    Afghanistan’s Taliban leadership has announced that women who seek to travel long distances should not be offered transport if they are not wearing hijab and are not accompanied by a close male relative, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).

    The guidance was issued on Sunday by the country’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. The ministry spokesman Sadeq Akif Muhajir told AFP: “Women travelling for more than 72 kilometers (km) should not be offered a ride if they are not accompanied by a close family member.”

    Previously, the government had also called on women TV journalists to wear hijabs while presenting. They also directed people to stop playing music in their vehicles.

    Taliban also banned women from acting in dramas due to which they received immense backlash.

    Since August, the Taliban have been imposing severe restrictions for women in the country despite promising the fulfillment of their rights.

    However, activists hope that the Taliban’s battle to gain international recognition and get aid flowing back into Afghanistan will lead to them making concessions to women.

  • UNSC adopts resolution to facilitate Afghanistan

    The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) members unanimously adopted a resolution to provide vital support to Afghanistan.

    The resolution states that “payment of funds, other financial assets or economic resources, and the provision of goods and services necessary to ensure the timely delivery of such assistance or to support such activities are permitted.”

    Such assistance supports “basic human needs in Afghanistan” and is “not a violation” of sanctions imposed on entities linked to the Taliban, added the resolution.

    The move came as Afghanistan faces an economic meltdown since the Taliban seized control of the country in August. The crisis has left nearly 23 million people facing acute food insecurity, according to the World Food Programme.

    “Humanitarian aid and life-saving assistance must be able to reach the Afghan people without any hindrance,” China’s UN (United Nation) Ambassador, Zhang Jun, said in a tweet on Monday.

    The decision has been made to limit the scope of the resolution to one year, which only suggests that this aims to satisfy Washington’s European allies.

  • From Atif Aslam, Abida Parveen to Momina Mustehsan: Coke Studio season 14’s artists revealed

    From Atif Aslam, Abida Parveen to Momina Mustehsan: Coke Studio season 14’s artists revealed

    The much awaited next season of Coke Studio is set to be released soon as it has announced its artist line-up this year, providing people a chance to listen and watch their favorite music icons perform.

    In a press release, the spokesperson of Coca Cola Pakistan and Afghanistan, Fahad Ashraf said: “The Coke Studio platform has evolved this season. Whereas the values are the same but we are now leaning into the future by including the GenZ sound very deliberately. It is about time that we sync our cords with what the youngsters what. Nostalgia has its place in Season 14 but so does the firepower of a sound never been heard before.”

    Te performers for this season are:

    Abdullah Siddiqui

    Abida Parveen

    Ali Sethi

    Ameer Baksh

    Arooj Aftab

    Asfar Hussain

    Atif Aslam

    Butt Brothers

    Eva B

    Faisal Kapadia

    Faris Shafi

    Hasan Raheem

    Justin Bibis

    Kaifi Khalil

    Karakoram

    Lahore Jazz Ensemble

    Meesha Shafi

    Momina Mustehsan

    Naseebo Lal

    Quratulain Baloch

    Shaegill, Soch

    Talal Qureshi

  • US forms a commission of to investigate their failure in Afghanistan

    The US Congress has formed a commission to look into what mistakes were made during the 20-years war in Afghanistan.

    “The Commission shall conduct a comprehensive assessment of the war in Afghanistan and make recommendations to inform future operations with tactical and strategic lessons learned, including the impact of troop increases and decreases and date-certain deadlines,” the legislation said.

    President Joe Biden also reiterated that issue should be investigated within three years.

    The commission will also examine the steps taken by Biden’s three predecessors and what mistakes they might have made in handling Afghan crisis.

    The US Congress has also recommended a $768 billion defense package approved by the House of Representatives and the Senate. It would include nearly $28 billion for a nuclear weapons programs, training, equipment, command and control, advisory efforts and situational awareness.