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‘Sharia law will be in force in Afghanistan’

Taliban Supremo Haibatullah Akhundzada

Akhundzada said that the Afghan authorities will take serious steps to protect human and minority rights “within the framework of Islam”….reports Asian Lite News

The Taliban’s supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada said that Sharia law would be in force in Afghanistan as the outfit announced its caretaker government in Kabul on Tuesday, Sputnik reported.

“In the future, all issues of governance and life in Afghanistan will be governed by the laws of holy Sharia,” Sputnik reported quoting a statement from the Taliban chief.

Akhundzada said that the Afghan authorities will take serious steps to protect human and minority rights “within the framework of Islam”.

On Tuesday, the Taliban announced its new caretaker government ending days of speculation and reports of infighting within the group, which reportedly delayed the announcement of the new dispensation in Afghanistan.

Mullah Mohammad Hasan Akhund, chief of the Taliban’s powerful decision-making body ‘Rehbari Shura’ will head the new “caretaker” government in the country, which it had seized control of on August 15.

Addressing a press conference in Kabul, the Taliban’s spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said that the group’s co-founder Abdul Ghani Baradar will be the acting deputy Afghan leader.

Also, Sirajuddin Haqqani, the leader of the proscribed Haqqani network has been named the new interior minister.

According to Sputnik, Akhundzada further said in the statement, “The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan will use all its resources for economic power, prosperity and development, in addition to strengthening security. It will manage domestic revenues appropriately and transparently, provide special opportunities for international investment and various sectors of trade, will effectively fight unemployment.”

Hardliners in interim govt

After the fall of the Republic of Afghanistan, the Taliban on Tuesday formed the interim “Islamic Emirate”, appointing hardliners in its new government who oversaw the 20-year fight against the US-led military coalition.

The cabinet members consist of many Taliban figures that are considered hardliners. The list announced by chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid was dominated by members of the group’s old guard, with no women included.

Mullah Muhammad Hassan Akhund is appointed as Prime Minister with two deputies Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and Molavi Abdul Salam Hanafi.

Akhund was a close aide to the group’s late founder Mullah Omar and is on a United Nations sanctions list. He was previously the foreign minister and then deputy prime minister during the group’s last stint in power from 1996 to 2001.

Molavi Muhammad Yaqoob Mujahid, son of Mullah Omar has been appointed as Minister of Defense.

Molavi Siraj udin Haqqani has been appointed as Minister of Interior, while Molavi Amir Khan Muttaqi, a Taliban negotiator in Doha as Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Other ministers appointed include – Mullah Hidayatullah Badri as Minister of Finance, Sheikh Molavi Noorullah Munir as Minister of Education, Mullah Khairullah Khairkhwa as Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Qari Din Mohammad Hanif as Minister of Economic Affairs, Molavi Noor Muhammad Saqib as Minister of Hajj and Auqaf, Molavi Abdul Hakim Sharae as Minister of Justice, Noorullah Noori as Minister for Borders and Tribal Affairs, Mullah Muhammad Yonus Khundzada as Minister for Rural Development, Sheikh Mohammad Khalid as Minister of Dawat and Irshad, Amru bil maroof wa nahi anil munkar, Mullah Abdul Manan Omari as Minister of Public works, Mullah Muhammad Essa Akhund as Minister of minerals and Petroleum, Molavi Abdul Latif Mansoor as Minister of Water and Electricity, Hameed ullah Akhundzada as Minister of Civil Aviation and Transportation, Abdul Baqi Haqani as Minister of Higher education, Najeebullah Haqqani as Minister of Communication, Khalil ul Rahman Haqqani as Minister of Refugees, Abdul Haq Wasiq as Head of Intelligence, Haji Mohammad ldrees as Head of (Da Afghanistan Bank), Molavi Ahrnad Jan Ahmadi as Chief of Staff, Mullah Mohammad Fadel Akhund as Deputy Defense Minister, Qari Faseeh udin as Army Chief, Sher Muhammad Abbas Stanikzai as Deputy Foreign Minister, Molavi Noor Jalal as Deputy Interior Minister, Zabihullah Mujahid as Deputy Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Mullah Taj Mir Jawad as 1st Deputy of Intelligence, Mullah Rahmat ullah Najeeb as Administrative Deputy of Intelligence, Mullah Abdul Haq as Deputy Interior Minister, Narcotics Control.

Mujahid, who named 33 members of “the new Islamic Government”, said the remaining posts will be announced after careful deliberations. (ANI)

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AFGHAN GOVT: Doha Team Demoted

The new power sharing deal was apparently brokered by the ISI chief Faiz Hameed following the internal differences among the various factions in the Taliban…reports Mrityunjoy Kumar Jha

This is what happened after the visit of the Director General of ISI Lt Gen Faiz Hameed to Kabul on Saturday. The much-expected name of Mullah Baradar as the head of the new Taliban government was suddenly replaced by a lesser-known face Mullah Hasan Akhund overnight.

In fact, most of the probable names of the Taliban’s Doha political office were either removed or “demoted” in the new list of the Taliban government. The political face and head of the negotiating team, Mullah Baradar may serve as a deputy of Hasan Akhund the new head of the Taliban proposed government.

“The Taliban chief Sheikh Hibatullah Akhundzada had himself proposed Mullah Mohammad Hasan Akhund as Raees-e-Jamhoor, or Raees-ul-Wazara or the new head of state of Afghanistan. Mullah Baradar Akhund and Mullah Abdus Salam will work as his deputies,” Pakistani daily The News reports quoting Taliban leaders.

Ambassador Syed Ahsan Raza Shah welcomed 7 member high level TPC delegation headed by Sher Muhammad Abbas Stanakzai at Embassy of Pakistan, Doha. (Photo Pakistan Embassy Qatar)

According to the report, the Taliban is expected to announce the new government but this might get delayed for a few more days.

The new power sharing deal was apparently brokered by the ISI chief Faiz Hameed following the internal differences among the various factions in the group.

According to Pakistani analysts, in an ISI brokered deal, Hasan was the “right” choice as he has no power base of his own, so he is no threat to the leaders of the two major factions.

According to reports, Mullah Yakub will be the defence minister. The pro-ISI Haqqani network appears to be a big gainer. Sirajuddin Haqqani, the face of the Haqqani network is proposed as federal interior minister. He has also been authorised to nominate governors for the eastern provinces, from where the Haqqani Network used to draw its force. They are Paktia, Khost, Gardez, Nangarhar and Kunar. Mullah Ameer Khan Muttaqi has been nominated as the new foreign minister, the Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid who was earlier reported to be the new information minister, will be the spokesman for the head of the state, Mullah Hasan Akhund.

Who is Mullah Hasan Akhund?

“Mullah Akhund worked for 20 years as head of Rahbari Shura and earned himself a very good reputation. He is a religious leader rather than a military background and is known for his character and devotion,” says the Taliban chief Hibatullah Akhundzada.

At present he is the head of Taliban’s Rahbari Shura, better known as Quetta Shura or leadership council , based in Quetta in Pakistan. Though he heads it, all power lies with the Taliban chief. He belongs to Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban, and was among the many founders of the group. Studied in various madrasas in Pakistan, he was never considered as a leader in the group.

In fact, Hasan Akhund is considered one of the most ineffective and unreasonable Taliban leaders. He was never given any important posts in the last regime of Taliban other than stop gap arrangements for a brief period. He was the one who supervised the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas in March 2001, and is still listed as a terrorist by the United Nations.

As reported earlier, there were many differences in the group. The first was between the leaders of the Doha political team headed by Mullah Baradar and the Taliban’s military chief Mullah Yakub, son of the founder of Taliban, Mullah Omar over Baradar’s heading the proposed government, who thinks that he was a natural “heir” of his father’s legacy.

(Image Source ANI)

According to a report, Yakub said that those living in luxury in Doha cannot dictate terms to those involved in jihad against the US and the then Afghan government. The comment was an obvious reference to Mullah Baradar, Sher Mohammed Stanekzai and others who handled the political office of Taliban in Doha.

Sirajuddin Haqqani, the heir of Haqqani network and the most powerful militant commander in Afghanistan, is also the member of the Taliban’s Doha political office. Now, his brother Anas Haqqani and uncle Khalil-ur-Haqqani control the territories including Kabul and the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif, in addition to key border crossings into north-western Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan.

It was reported on Friday that Mullah Baradar was injured during a fist fight with Anas Haqqani. Haqqanis and a few members of Taliban were dead against Baradar’s appointment as the head and that was apparently one of the main reasons for the sudden visit of the ISI chief to Kabul.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)

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ISIS-K: India on alert as Pakistan adds new ‘weapon’

Since ISIS-K specialises in mass casualty attacks, Kashmir is likely to witness attacks against security forces or installations, government offices and tourists. These attacks could be in the form of suicide bombings, bomb blasts in public places or transport, all intended to attract global attention. While ISIS-K would claim responsibility for such attacks, JeM and LeT would remain quiet and Pakistan and Taliban would be the first ones to condemn such attacks …. A special report by Dr Sakariya Kareem

The Taliban victory in Afghanistan has given Pakistan a new set of hard-core trained and experienced jihadis, newer weapons, strategy and offensive tactics in urban warfare, especially in holding against a military force. These assets will form part of Pakistan’s attempts to stoke militancy in Kashmir in the coming weeks, before the winter sets in.

One of the key elements of this new strategy would be to send cadres from JeM and LeT under the banner of Islamic State of Khorasan Province (ISIS-K), a convenient way for Pakistan to claim deniability and avoid sanctions.

Since ISIS-K specialises in mass casualty attacks, Kashmir is likely to witness attacks against security forces or installations, government offices and tourists. These attacks could be in the form of suicide bombings, bomb blasts in public places or transport, all intended to attract global attention. While ISIS-K would claim responsibility for such attacks, JeM and LeT would remain quiet and Pakistan and Taliban would be the first ones to condemn such attacks. 

In the past two years, thousands of LeT and JeM cadres were trained in heavy weapons, armed assaults, urban warfare and grenade attacks by Pak Army and sent to bolster the Taliban offensive in Afghanistan. These cadres were trained in camps set up largely in Nangarhar, Kunar and Kandahar provinces of Afghanistan. Nangarhar is the base of operations for the Haqqani Network as well as ISIS-K. In fact, most of the leadership of ISIS-K come either from the Haqqani Network or from LeT. The cadres are trained in JeM-run camps. JeM is ideologically close to the Taliban and has been a conduit for recruitment and training of Taliban cadres for several years now. 

Now that the Taliban has taken over Kabul, their new assignment would be Kashmir. While ISIS-K has tenuous moorings in Kashmir, both LeT and JeM, especially the former, have been able to consolidate their support and influence in Kashmir in the past few years. LeT in particular have been able to build a base of local support which was evidenced in the recent past by incidents of eulogising killed terrorists as martyrs and locals resorting to violence to give the terrorists a proper burial. 

The fact that LeT could foster foreign militants in areas like Hajin, Srinagar and Baramulla, before they were ousted or killed in military operations, showed the growing capability of the group to foster local support. These areas overlooked infantry positions and were not easy to be infiltrated. But the fact that the local people hid and supported terrorists, amidst heavy military presence, showed the strength of the support. 

The rising number of local recruits–38 in 2013 to 88 in 2016–amply projected the increasing hold of militant groups in Kashmir. A demographic profile of 393 local militants killed in encounters in J&K, from January 2017 to June 2019 showed that nearly 43 per cent of them were recruited by the LeT and JeM, and another 45 percent joined Hizb-ul Mujahideen. LeT and JeM cadres would be reassigned to join ISIS-K in Kashmir to carry out spectacular attacks in Kashmir, quite similar to the Kabul airport attack.

Besides direct attacks, the ISIS-K would be more emboldened to take on the security forces in isolated mountainous areas as well as crowded urban centres. The LeT, JeM and ISIS-K cadres have gained considerable experience in this regard while ousting the Afghan forces. Although the Indian security forces are battle-hardened and more experienced than the Afghan forces, the terrorist cadres from Pakistan, with new tactical weapons and strategies learnt in Afghanistan in the past few months, will present a stronger challenge than in the past. Groups like LeT and JeM would fall back on their local support network to plan and attack new targets, and escape, waving the flag of ISIS-K. 

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Taliban to announce inclusive caretaker govt

The US has been pushing the Taliban to include names of former government leaders, including former President Hamid Karzai and former head of Afghanistan’s High Council for National Reconciliation, Abdullah Abdullah, reports Hamza Ameer

Amid discussions and meetings to announce the new government in Afghanistan, which the Taliban say will be inclusive, the world is cautiously keeping an eye on the developing situation in the war-torn nation.

The Taliban have said that they are planning and working towards an inclusive caretaker government in Afghanistan, which would include leaders from all the ethnicities and tribal backgrounds.

As per Taliban sources, over a dozen names are under consideration to be made part of the new government. However, as a caretaker government is being formed, the duration of its stay in office is still not known.

“The caretaker government will have an ‘Amir ul Mominees’ (supreme leader), who will lead the Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan (IEA),” said a Taliban source.

For this purpose, a supreme leader council has been convened to finalise the ministers and the government.

As per initial information, the ministries in the new government will include the following: Internal security; Defence; Foreign Affairs; Finance; Information; Judiciary; Special assignment for Kabul Affairs.

The ongoing discussions for the formation of the government started from Kandahar, which was followed by final contemplations that are underway in Kabul.

Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, co-founder of the Taliban, and Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, son of Taliban founder Mullah Omar, are the key heads of the council and are expected to be the ones leading the new setup.

Sources also revealed that introduction of new faces will be done in the new government, which would include sons of Tajiks and Uzbek tribal leaders.

On the other hand, the US has been pushing the Taliban to include names of former government leaders, including former President Hamid Karzai and former head of Afghanistan’s High Council for National Reconciliation, Abdullah Abdullah, a demand that the Taliban have refused to cater to at the moment.

As per details shared by sources in the Taliban, the new government will stand by its commitment made in the Doha agreement with the US to not allow its soil to be used to spread terrorism. The source also said that under the new Taliban government, women will be allowed to work in various sectors, including health and education.

The sources also revealed that special courts will be set up at the local levels to counter corruption and deliver speedy justice against the corrupt officials.

Threats of humanitarian disaster

After the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, international aid, which evidently constitutes and caters to all basic facilitations of the country, has been suspended, leaving the country’s basic healthcare facilities on the verge of a total collapse and looming threats of a humanitarian disaster.

Around 2,000 clinics and other health related facilities in Afghanistan are donor-funded, which are expected to shut their doors within a few days as there is no money to run operations.

The worsening situation of hospitals and healthcare facilities in Afghanistan and no sight of foreign aid, may just leave millions of locals from facilitation of access to primary or secondary healthcare.

“The closure, amounting to 90 per cent of clinics funded by a World Bank administered donor pot, would also leave only a fraction of Afghanistan’s Covid-19 isolation beds still operating”, said the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Doctors and healthcare nurses at the Kabul Emergency Hospital say they are running out of medicines, basic and emergency needs of critical patients in the ICU.

“Medicines, drips, injections and even swabs are ending in the hospital. We will not be able to treat the patients in the coming days. The patients admitted in the hospital will be left with no medication”, said a doctor working at the Kabul Emergency Hospital.

World Bank and other major donors, inject over $600 million to the Sehatmandi programme in Afghanistan, which forms the driving force behind the country’s aid dependent health system. However, after the Taliban takeover, the donors have frozen aid payments to Afghanistan.

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What is Pakistan upto in Kabul?

It is not clear what Pakistan means by “border management” – one of the agenda items on Hameed’s Kabul visit. Afghanistan and Pakistan have almost an open border which has existed for decades…reports Asian Lite News.

Pakistan is campaigning passionately for an “inclusive” government in Afghanistan. From Prime Minister Imran Khan to the garrulous Foreign Minister Shah Muhammad Qureshi and the ever-reticent Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, every Pakistani leader of some consequence is making the pitch for a broad-based government under the aegis of Taliban, which has taken over the war-ravaged country in what was no more than a bloodless fight.

Yet, the Pakistani chorus is met with as much scepticism as disbelief. This is largely because the world has come to see the Taliban and its allies in the splintered militant landscape as the proxies of Paksitan Army’s eyes and ears – the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

The way the ISI chief has air dashed to Kabul to broker peace amongst the Taliban groups jockeying for positions in the new dispensation has dented Taliban’s carefully crafted image. It has deprived it of the room it cherished to deny linkages with Pakistan.

Moreover, within and outside Pakistan, the clamour for an inclusive government is seen as a ploy to ensure key slots for the ISI proxies, like the Haqqanis. But the delay in constituting the new Kabul power structure has invited barbs from stalwarts like Farhatullah Babar.

“Conquerors of Afghanistan haven’t yet formed government despite declaring to make it on Friday last. Internal power tussle between Haqqanis, Mullah Baradar the likely cause. Haqqanis must be happy with some visitors visiting Kabul,” the veteran politician from Peshawar, which is the gateway to the Talibanised tribal belt of Pakistan, tweeted on September 4. The visitor to Kabul, he was referring to, was Lt Gen Faiz Hameed, the ISI chief.

An Afghan activist, and human rights campaigner, Zarifa Ghafari took a dig at Mullah Baradar himself in a tongue in cheek tweet. “Does Mullah Brother remember (know); he was in a Pakistani prison? And this man (ISI Chief) who he welcomed in Kabul today, was mainly responsible for it? Does he remember that Pakistani soldiers were taking him like an animal with all those chains (from) place to place?”

The tweet was loaded by all means. It shows the chasm between today and yesterday in Pakistan-Afghan relations. For the uninitiated in Afghan politics, Ghafari has survived three assassination attempts. She became the Mayor of Maidan Shahr, capital of the Wardak Province in 2019 at a time when there were not many women politicians around. Zarifa was chosen as an International Woman of Courage in 2020 by the US Secretary of State.

Going by the “news” making the rounds in the Afghan capital, the Pakistani embassy has been relaying instructions from Islamabad/Rawalpindi to Kabul on an “hourly basis”. In so many words, the Pakistani embassy has become the postman for the leaderships of Pakistan and Taliban.

Hameed’s air dash is a clear give away that the remote control has failed to deliver the desired result. Frankly, Gen Bajwa conceded that much in his closed-door security briefing to law makers who were keen to get a hang of the situation, according to a front-page report on the sedate Karachi daily Dawn.

Shorn of all shibboleths, the Pakistani motive is to have an effective control of Kabul airport and even perhaps the Afghan airspace. It has been reported that at present the Turks, friends of the Taliban, are managing the Kabul airport. But that is not considered good enough by Pakistan which wants to scrutinise the fleeing foreign nationals as that will open for it the possibility of harassing amongst others the Indian nationals still left in Afghanistan.

It is not clear what Pakistan means by “border management” – one of the agenda items on Hameed’s Kabul visit. Afghanistan and Pakistan have almost an open border which has existed for decades. But there is also a long-standing boundary dispute between the two Islamic “brothers”.

The Taliban 1.0 did not accept the British-drawn Durand Line border which is seen as a hindrance in the movement of Pushtuns on either side of the border. The Taliban 2.0 has stuck to the same refrain to the relief of Afghans. The Taliban are Pushtuns though they are not known to adhere to the Pushtun’s code of honour.

From media reports, it is clear that Pakistan is dictating to the Taliban as to how it should deal with “pending requests” for evacuation of foreign nationals. It is almost certain that these “requests” relate to nationals of countries in the West and perhaps Indians. Since Kabul airport is not fully operational, the evacuation will have to be through Pakistan.

This is what is enabling Pakistan to dream big on securing global recognition to its Kabul proxy. By becoming a key factor in the departure of foreign nationals stranded amidst chaos in Kabul, Islamabad can put pressure on, nay arm twist, the affected nations to give legitimacy to Taliban 2.0.

Frankly, the Western countries would not welcome the idea of granting recognition to the new Afghan regime solely on the recommendation of Pakistan. For Taliban 1.0 recognition came only from three countries. And now by letting their embassies to function in Kabul, Russia and China may have signaled their tacit recognition but the rest of the world is in a wait and watch mode. The wait is to see if Taliban 2.0 is opposed to being chained by a neighbour which had made such a hue and cry over the American “shackles” in Afghanistan!

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Massoud calls for Afghans to stand together against Taliban


Masoud in his voice clip though did not say anything about the capture of Panjshir province directly, added that their forces are present in the province and Andarab…reports Asian Lite News.

One of the leaders of the resistance forces in Panjshir province, Ahmad Massoud, has called on the people of Afghanistan to resurrect against the Taliban.

Massoud said that people from all the classes should get together and stand for their country against the Taliban, Khaama News reported.

Masoud aired his voice clip from an unknown place, hours after Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid said that there are unconfirmed reports that Amrullah Saleh had fled Panjshir.

There were reports about the escape of Massoud and Saleh to Tajikistan.

Mujahid, speaking at a press conference, said that Panjshir province has been fully captured and added that those who have fled can still join the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

Masoud in his voice clip though did not say anything about the capture of Panjshir province directly, added that their forces are present in the province and Andarab.

“National resistance force is for entire Afghanistan. We welcomed the call for a ceasefire by religious scholars in Kabul but the Taliban did not agree and launched attacks on the forces,” Massoud said.

He claimed that the Taliban’s last night’s attacks were backed by foreign forces and added that a new spokesperson of the resistance forces will be announced soon.

The spokesperson of the resistance forces, Fahmi Dashti, has been killed but the Taliban said that he was killed in a conflict between the resistance forces.

Humanitarian crisis

Taliban celebrated ‘Independence Day as the last troop of the US military forces left Afghanistan. But after the Taliban takeover, the average Afghan population faces mounting challenges ahead.

Afghanistan now is experiencing a collapse of administration and economy, rising food prices, restriction on basic freedom and brutalities against women and children. And there is no mechanism to seek redress or appeal, thus creating a hell-like situation for Afghan people.

The humanitarian organisations and non-profits working in Afghanistan have painted a horrific picture of Afghanistan and its people.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said a humanitarian catastrophe loomed in Afghanistan. “Almost half of the population need humanitarian assistance. One in three don’t know where their next meal will come from.Now more than ever, Afghan children, women & men need the support & solidarity of the international community,” he said.

With the withdrawal of the US troops, the economy of Afghanistan has taken a blow as the foreign fund assistance to the country has started receding. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have cut off their finance to the war-torn country as the international community debates over whether to recognise the Taliban government.

IMF has halted Afghanistan’s access to its resources including the country’s share of Special Drawing Rights (SDR) reserves. The World Bank has expressed concern over Afghanistan’s “development prospects, especially for women” and suspended aid disbursements. The World Bank’s aid commitment is worth $5.3 billion.

Now, the country is headed toward economic collapse thanks to struggling financial condition, frozen foreign help and lack of recovery roadmap by the Taliban.

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Protest Against Pakistan Rocks Kabul

Massive protests rock Kabul as over 1000 people raise anti-Pakistan slogans to condemn the Pakistan’s plot to install a puppet regime in Kabul

Gunshots were heard as Afghans protest in front of the Pakistani Embassy in Kabul against Pakistan’s interference in Afghanistan’s internal affairs, the Khaama news reported.

Another video clip shows protesters running away from a prominent city hotel where ISI chief Faiz Hameed stayed during his recent visit to meet the Taliban leaders.

The protesters gathered at the gate of the Pakistani embassy and said that they do not want a puppet government in Afghanistan and asked for an inclusive government.

Protesters were chanting “death to Pakistan” and asked for the Pakistani embassy to leave Afghanistan.

Around 1000 people joined the protest. They chanted slogans like Freedom, Allahu Akbar, We want an independent government, We don’t want a Pakistani puppet government, Pakistan leaves Afghanistan etc.

The Taliban fighters reportedly conducted aerial gunshots to disperse the protestors but they were still protesting and fewer people were dispersed.

In the meantime, people in Blakh and Daikundi provinces too took to the streets yesterday and last night and chanted slogans against Pakistan.

Iran has also reacted to the airstrikes in Panjshir province and the spokesperson of the country’s foreign ministry has asked for investigations over what he called the interference of foreign jets.

Another report says co-leader of the resistance front in Panjshir province Ahmad Masoud in a voice clip called on people of Afghanistan to resurrect against the Taliban.

Tuesday’s demonstration comes after the Taliban claimed total control over Afghanistan a day earlier, saying they had won the key battle for the Panjshir Valley, the last holdout of resistance against their rule.

Despite capturing power on August 15, the Taliban have yet to announce a government. Pakistan’s intelligence chief Faiz Hameed was in Kabul at the weekend, reportedly to be briefed by his country’s ambassador but is likely to have also met with Taliban officials.

Problems in Pakistan

Meanwhile, our reporter Hamza Ameer says that the Pakistani Taliban are intensifying their terror attacks on security forces.

As the Afghan Taliban has claimed complete control of Afghanistan and are working towards forming a government in the country, Pakistan is witnessing a new surge of terror attacks in the country, which are being claimed by the Pakistani faction of the Afghan Taliban, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

In the most recent terror attack, a suicide bomber detonated his explosives near a security checkpoint in the restive south-western Pakistan, claiming the lives of at least three paramilitary personnel and wounding at least 15 others.

 As per reports, the suicide bomber walked towards the checkpoint guarded by the paramilitary Frontier Corps on the Quetta–Mastung Road in Balochistan province, about 25 km of the provincial capital Quetta.

 The TTP has also recently issued a warning to the Pakistani media, asking them to refrain from calling it a terrorist organisation. 

  “We call on journalists and media houses of Pakistani media to stop their biasness in the ongoing war between the TTP and the Pakistani security forces,” read a letter issued by the group.

 “We have seen that titles like ‘terrorist’ and ‘extremist’ are used with our name, which shows the deliberate biasness of the media. It is warned and directed to mention TTP as TTP only and not with such titles that are given by our enemies,” the statement read.

 The TTP warned of dire consequences if their concerns are not addressed.

  “Being bias is against the very ethics of journalism and also will attract more enemies for you (Pakistani media).”

Protests in Kabul against Pakistan’s plan to install a puppet government

 TTP was among the first to issue a congratulatory letter to the Afghan Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, while also vowing to continue efforts for the imposition of Islamic law and a Muslim state.

 It should be noted that TTP is the Pakistani faction of the Taliban, which is in allegiance with the ideology of Al Qaeda. However, in the past, Pakistan’s military offensive operations have kept them on the run.  But it seems that the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan has given confidence to the TTP factions, who have launched a new offensive, targeted at the Pakistani security forces and law enforcement agencies. 

  Afghan Taliban have maintained that they will not allow their soil to be used by any terror element to spread instability or terror in any country including Pakistan.  However, the Afghan Taliban have also have hinted their suggestion to Pakistan that the country can also negotiate with the TTP, in a similar way that US forces have negotiated and come down to a peace agreement with them in Afghanistan.

Protests in Kabul against Pakistan’s plan to install a puppet government

  The world may see Pakistan in contentment or satisfaction or celebration with the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, but this remains a fact that the development in Afghanistan has opened up a new and more dangerous set of challenges for the country as factions like the TTP have started to show their presence in various parts of the country, putting at risk the overall security situation and lives of locals.

Members of Afghan diaspora also staged protests against Taliban and Pakistan.

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500 Afghans who worked for NATO evacuated

File photo taken on Aug. 22, 2021 shows foreign forces entering the Kabul airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. (Xinhua/IANS)

In total, NATO has airlifted more than 120,000 people from the airport in the Afghan capital, the statement read…reports Asian Lite News.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) on Monday said that over 500 Afghan nationals, who assisted its forces during the war in Afghanistan, have been evacuated from the Taliban-controlled country, and temporarily accommodated at military bases across Europe.

“More than 500 Afghans who have worked with NATO and their families have been evacuated and are safely housed at temporary facilities in Bases around Europe supported by Allied troops,” the alliance said in a statement, adding that coordination with the allies is underway to provide the evacuees with essential support and settlement in member countries.

In total, NATO has airlifted more than 120,000 people from the airport in the Afghan capital, the statement read.

The Taliban entered Kabul in mid-August, leading to the collapse of the US-backed government. The large-scale evacuation of foreign nationals and Afghans seeking to leave their homeland from fear of Taliban rule lasted until August 31. (ANI)

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Pakistan turns its back on Afghan refugees

According to the UNHCR, Pakistan hosts more than 1.4 million registered Afghans who have been forced to flee their homes….reports Asian Lite News

Pakistan is not setting up any camp to accommodate a new wave of Afghan refugees on its territory after the Taliban takeover of the war-torn nation, Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad said.

Addressing a press conference here on Monday, the Minister said that his country is allowing Afghan nationals holding Pakistani visas and other documents to enter the country, but there is no other policy so far for refugees, reports Xinhua news agency.

Ahmad added that the situation at the country’s two border crossings with Afghanistan is under control and there is no influx of refugees anywhere along the borders.

The official noted that Pakistan is keen to see peace prevail in Afghanistan and supports its development.

Ahmad’s remarks came more than a week after Inter Services Public Relations’ (ISPR) Director-General Babar Iftikhar said that there was no influx of Afghan refugees along the borders with Pakistan, and the people who have valid documents to enter Pakistan are being allowed to pass.

The border crossings and other border posts are open for trade with Afghanistan as it is a landlocked country, and on humanitarian grounds, it is improper to keep the borders closed indefinitely.

According to the UNHCR, Pakistan hosts more than 1.4 million registered Afghans who have been forced to flee their homes.

ALSO READ: 98 Pakistani nationals return after being stranded in India for over a year

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PAK ROLE IN KABUL AIRPORT BLAST: The Plot To Hoodwink

Gurdwara-attack-mastermind-Aslam-Farooqi

The Islamic State of Khorasan Province (ISKP) might have claimed responsibility for the attack, but without Pakistan’s patronage and management, camouflaged in intricate webs of deceit, the terrorist group could not have carried out the attack on its own …. Writes Kaliph Anaz

Pakistan’s fig-leaf of deniability in the devastating Kabul Airport attack, which killed over 100 Afghans and more than a dozen American soldiers, must be exposed without delay. The smokescreen of a cover up that is being orchestrated by vested interests is a portender of another Cold War in the making and needs to be cleared at the earliest.

The Islamic State of Khorasan Province (ISKP) might have claimed responsibility for the attack, but without Pakistan’s patronage and management, camouflaged in intricate webs of deceit, the terrorist group could not have carried out the attack on its own.

It is quite easy to see where the web of connections tracing Pakistan’s involvement in the Kabul attack start–in Jalalabad, Lahore and Bahawalpur.

Jalalabad is the capital of Nangarhar province in Afghanistan, adjacent to the Pak border, where the Haqqani Network has ruled supreme for several decades. With the decline of Al Qaeda and ISIS, the Haqqani Network is one of the deadliest and resourceful terrorist groups in the world today. The network is supported and protected by Pakistan which has offered several sanctuaries to the group in the tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan.

Without the Haqqani Network, the Taliban could not have run over Afghanistan as it did this year.  Jalaluddin Haqqani, the leader of the terror conglomeration, is also a founding member of the Taliban and is part of the group’s decision-making shura or council. The network, the only global terrorist entity to survive two-decades of sanctions and military action, acts as the pincer head of the Taliban military operations.

Another Haqqani member of importance is Khalil Haqqani, considered to be the Taliban’s emissary to Al Qaeda, an asset shared by CIA and ISI for long and currently claiming himself to be the Taliban’s head of security for Kabul.

The relationship between the Haqqani Network and Taliban is not a secret.  Nor is the relationship the two groups share with Pakistan. So, where does ISKP fit in with this troika of evil?

On the face of it, ISKP is an adjunct of ISIL (ISIS), a global terrorist entity that claims to fight for an Islamic “caliphate” in Iraq and Syria, and beyond. The ISKP emerged in the Nangarhar province of Afghanistan in 2015 and since then has been part of the terrorist enclave in the Af-Pak region. Although the ISKP had initially declared itself to be against the Taliban and al Qaeda for straying away from jihad, its policy of drawing in disgruntled cadres from the Taliban and other terrorist groups in the region came in handy for ISI to infiltrate its leadership and ranks.

The ISKP leadership came from the Haqqani Network or Lashkar-e-Tayyeba (headquartered in Lahore), two global terrorist entities with close ties to the Pakistan Army. The most recent report of the UN Secretary General on the threat posed by ISIL, ISKP’s new leader, Shihad al-Muhajir was a former hard-core member of the Haqqani Network. Not only do the groups share cadres, they are also partners in drug trafficking, militancy and ties to Pakistan. Besides the working relationship, these two groups are also bound through tribal and marriage ties.

Evidence of this complex relationship was confirmed, according to a recent New York Times report, when biometric profiling of detained ISKP terrorists revealed that biometrics data of certain terrorists were already stored in the database; they were previously arrested as Haqqani Network members. In other words, the leaders and cadres often shifted between the groups depending on requirements.

If there was a proof required to establish the ties between the HaqqaniNetwork-ISKP and Pakistan, it surfaced when the Pakistani leader of ISKP, Aslam Farooqi (Abdullah Orakzai) was arrested by Afghan security forces in Kandahar last year. He was involved in the March 2020 attack on a gurdwara in Kabul which killed over 25 persons. Farooqi revealed how the ISKP was not only associated with the Haqqani Network but was also deeply involved in Pakistani groups like LeT and JeM. Farooqi was in fact a LeT leader before he migrated to ISKP, a clever tactic put in place by Pakistan Army to outsource terrorist attacks without getting its sleeves bloodied, or that of the Taliban.

People queue up to board a military aircraft of Germany and leave Kabul at Kabul airport, Afghanistan. (XinhuaIANS)

Another former LeT leader whose arrest in April 2020 confirmed this troika was Muneeb alias Abu Bilal. He was an ISKP leader with close ties to the Taliban’s Peshawar shura, LeT and the Haqqani Network.

One of the most telling proofs of the involvement of the Haqqani Network-ISKP-LeT in the Kabul attack is the modus operandi–a planned assault using multiple offensive tactics, with specific objectives, including mass casualties. The Pak Army tactic, the Kabul Airport attack revealed, was quite straightforward–LeT cadres, already operating out of many provinces in Afghanistan, would carry out reconnaissance of potential targets, the Haqqani Network would prove organisation and logistical planning and ISKP, with its cadres trained in camps run by JeM (headquartered in Bahawalpur) carry out the attack and claim responsibility. This strategy was evident in the May 12, 2020, attack on the Dasht-e-Barchi hospital in Kabul and the bombing of the Sayed ul-Shuhada High School in Kabul on May 8, killing over  90 people, mostly schoolgirls.

In a documentary, an Afghan media group, Tolo News, last year revealed how ISI was acting as a HR department for the Haqqanis as well as ISKP supplying them with cadres from LeT and JeM besides giving the group around $200 million as aid every year. Former Pakistan ambassador to the US and author, Hussain Haqqani, labelled the relationship quite succinctly- “ISKP is an outcome of the ideological extremism of Pakistani jihadi movements.”

The ISKK’s claim of carrying out the Kabul attack is a smokescreen created by Pakistan Army to distance itself, the Taliban and the Haqqani Network from such a ghastly act of terror. Pakistan is eager for the international community, including China, to recognise the Taliban as a `moderate force`, to pre-empt possible FATF blacklisting if the Haqqanis were to be accused while showing emphatically who really the kingmaker in Afghanistan is.