Tag: Pakistan Taliban

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MEDIA SCAN: India starts booster doses and Imran Khan readies for China visit

India started administering booster doses to frontline workers and senior citizens as COVID-19 cases continue to spike, driven by Omicron.

The precautionary third doses of vaccines started being administered from today, along with the first dose of the vaccines for 15 to 18-year-olds, as the country recorded 1.79 lakh daily COVID-19 cases today, the highest since May 2021.

In light of this surge in infections across India, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade has set up a Control Room to “ensure the smooth conduct of international trade” and to guard against disruptions in the transportation and delivery of goods and essential commodities.

In other news, political parties have cancelled their physical rallies and have turned to digital modes to reach out to the voters ahead of the assembly elections in March. As Covid-19 infections rise sharply, all the political parties have asked their social media wing to gear up for campaigning and Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat confirmed: “The BJP is ready for virtual rallies.”

Pressure continues to build-up for Imran Khan

In neighbouring Pakistan, the situation appears to get progressively worse for Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Prime Minister Imran Khan (Image credit: IndiaNarrative/IANS)

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has intensified his war against Khan after a report of the Election Commission of Pakistan scrutiny committee revealed that PTI has hidden foreign funding worth millions of rupees. Directing his party workers, Sharif said: “Do not let (prime minister) Imran Khan off the hook as he has been caught red-handed while stealing money through the party’s foreign funding,” reported Dawn.

ALSO READ: Imran should be exposed before nation: Nawaz

The political crises and economic meltdown in the country are likely to intensify in 2022, resulting in a regime change or mass protests, Friday Times reported. This comes as Khan readies to visit China early next month to seek investments and discuss the slow pace of CPEC projects in Pakistan.

In another update from the country, at least 22 people, including 10 children, were sadly killed after they froze to death in their stranded vehicles in Murree after an unprecedented snowfall. Khan said he was “shocked and upset” at the tragic deaths of the tourists.

Crisis-hit Sri Lanka has asked China to restructure its debts

The Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has sought Chinese assistance to restructure its debts as the country faces bankruptcy in 2022, said a media report. The Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa made the request during a meeting with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi on Sunday, “as a solution to the economic crisis that has arisen in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the Presidential Media Division said in a statement

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in Colombo, Sri Lanka (Image Twitter@GotabayaR)

The island country has been facing a deepening financial and humanitarian crisis as inflation rises to record levels. The Sri Lanka government had announced a national financial emergency last year, after a steep fall in the value of the country’s currency which caused a spike in food prices.

READ MORE: Sri Lanka asks China to ease debt burden

Rohingya refugee campfire leaves thousands homeless in Bangladesh
Approximately 5,000 people are believed to have lost their homes after a fire broke out in south-eastern Bangladesh on Sunday and spread through the shelters made of bamboo and tarpaulin. According to reports, “about 1,200 houses were burnt in the fire”. The cause of the blaze has not been established, he added.

On a lighter note…

Actor Kriti Sanon, in a freewheeling chat, told us that she credits her last year’s release ‘Mimi’ for giving her the strength to take on more risks. As she looks forward to five new releases in 2022, you can read the full story here.

In more news from the south, Tamil anthology ‘Putham Pudhu Kaalai Vidiyaadhaa’ will release on Prime Video on January 14, 2022. It is the second instalment of the Tamil anthology ‘Putham Pudhu Kaalai’, which has been received well by OTT audiences.

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Pak people unhappy with Imran-TTP deal

The opposition parties too are angry because they were kept dark about Imran Khan’s secret deal with TTP, a report by Mrityunjoy Kumar Jha

 Imran Khan has been hit by a pincer strike. On the one side, the ferocious Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has trapped him and on another axis, the Afghan Taliban is targeting him. This is the general perception that is emerging at the grassroots level in Pakistan, where the people are angry and hurt by the announcement of a ceasefire agreement between the Imran Khan government and the TTP, a UN banned outfit.

“Extremist group TTP should be held accountable for the killings of thousands of people before any negotiations for bringing them into the national political mainstream can take place,” said Hina Jilani, Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, the Pakistani daily The News reports.

The opposition parties too are angry because they were kept dark about Imran Khan’s secret deal with TTP.

“The problem is that the government hasn’t taken parliament into confidence and has gone about talks with the TTP unilaterally, which is not right. There need not be a binary between kinetic war and talking to militants,” said Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Chief of Pakistan People’s Party. He asserted that the only way to hold talks with the TTP is from a position of strength.

“We need real Red Lines especially with respect to the Constitution,” he pointed out.

Though both sides are silent on the terms and conditions of the secret deal, Pakistani media has reported that the Imran Khan government has laid three conditions before the TTP — accept the constitution, lay down arms and get an identity card. In response, the militant group too has forwarded its own conditions — Shariat system & courts in tribal belt & Malakand, removal of Pakistani military fences from Durand line, the TTP to be allowed to keep weapons in tribal areas and withdrawal of Pak Army from tribal belt.

Pakistani experts believe that the TTP and the government both are engaged in a tactical game. While Imran Khan’s strategy is to divide the group and check on its eagerness to reconcile, the statements emanating from the TTP do not appear to suggest that they are negotiating from a position of weakness.

Amid the talks, Imran Khan got slammed by the Pakistani Supreme Court, which summoned Khan and grilled him for more than two hours over the “secret” deals with the TTP militants, who are the main accused of killing 140 school children in 2014 among other crimes.

“Why are we bringing them (TTP) to the negotiating table instead of taking action against them?” a judge asked Khan.

The court asked the Prime Minister to pay heed to the parents’ demands and take action against the school attackers and submit the report in four weeks.

According to Pakistani analysts, the deal is brokered by the Interior Minister of the Taliban regime and the Chief of terror outfit, Sirajuddin Haqqani — it is like one terror group is mediating talks between another terror group and the government — it is in a very uncomfortable situation.

“Who is the guarantor — Haqqanis? A terror outfit, how can Imran Khan trust these terror outfits,” ask one analyst.

Some Pakistani observers feel that Imran Khan was doing deals with the militant organisations first with the TLP and then with the TTP for his survival as his government is losing the grip over the country. The worsening economic situation is haunting Imran Khan who is already in many controversies, including on the appointment of the ISI Chief.

Even supporters of Imran Khan’s slogan of change, “Naya Pakistan”, have started talking about his mistakes and biases.

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

ALSO READ: Internal Rift in Taliban Leadership Deepens

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Govt should not ‘uplift’ Pak Taliban: Malala

Speaking about the Taliban in general, Malala said there should be no distinction between the “good” and “bad” Taliban….reports Asian Lite News

Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, who was shot by the Pakistani Taliban as a schoolgirl, said that the Imran Khan government should not “uplift” the Taliban.

After Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan-led government held talks with some groups of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Malala told during an interview with Dawn News, “In my opinion, you enter into agreements when you believe that the concerns of the other side should be taken seriously [or] they are a powerful authority. “

“But the Taliban have no public-level support, [people] from none of the areas [in Pakistan] are saying that they want a Taliban government. So, in my opinion, we should not uplift the Pakistan Taliban,” she added.

Earlier this month, Imran Khan had said that his government is in talks with some groups of the banned TTP with the aim of having the group lay down their weapons and making them agree to adhere to the country’s Constitution.

Speaking about the Taliban in general, Malala said there should be no distinction between the “good” and “bad” Taliban.

“One should not differentiate between the good and bad [Taliban] as their thinking is the same — of repression [and] forcing their own laws,” Dawn quoted Malala as saying. She reiterated that the Taliban took repressive measures, adding that they were against women’s rights, girls’ education and there was no justice in their governance.

When asked about girls’ education — a cause she has been working for years — Malala expressed worry over the situation in Afghanistan.

“The current temporary restriction on girls’ education [in Afghanistan] shouldn’t turn out to be as long as in their (Taliban’s) first tenure [in the government] when the ban stretched for five years,” she said, adding that she feared that. “We don’t want a repeat of their previous rule.”

However, she added, pressure on the Taliban from activists and Afghan women was a positive sign.

Speaking about the Malala Fund, her non-profit organisation, and its role in Afghanistan, she said the fund was working there since 2017 and thus far, USD 2million had been invested in digital and female education, Dawn reported. (ANI)

ALSO READ: Saudi Arabia To Resume Fund To Pakistan

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Tehran concerned over growing Pak-Turkey-Azerbaijan alliance

The recent rise in “Turkic nationalism” and close cooperation between Ankara and Baku, which helped cement Azerbaijan’s victory in its war with Armenia last year, as well as give NATO member Turkey a strategic foothold in the South Caucasus, has not gone down well in Iran, a report by Aditi Bhaduri

The Azerbaijan-Pakistan-Turkey axis, it seems, has not roiled India alone. Iran too seems to be infuriated by the trilateral alliance. Recent tensions between Iran and Azerbaijan point to Tehran’s disquiet about the alliance, especially its military angle.

A war of words has erupted between Iran and Azerbaijan over the past week. The apparent raison d’etre was the military drills that Iran had begun along its Azeri borders.

Rich in oil and gas, Azerbaijan was part of the former Soviet Union. It is a pivotal state in the Caucuses, sharing borders with Iran and Armenia, whose importance is enhanced on account of its potential wealth and influence.

Iran’s influential Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in a statement said that the Islamic Republic would not tolerate any changes in the geopolitics of borders and would confront with all its might the inimical actions of its enemies. “We warn all those who are trying to destabilize the northern borders of Iran, and assert our preparedness to impede the evil designs of our enemies.”

The Iranian state media reported that the drills involved armoured and artillery units as well as drones and helicopters.

The Azeri President Ilham Aliev expressed surprise at the drills. On Sunday Iranian Supreme Leader on his Twitter handle said, “The issues concerning Iran’s north-western neighbours should be resolved wisely by relying on nations, through the cooperation of the armies of neighbouring countries and by avoiding the presence of any foreign military forces…… ‘Those who dig a hole for their brothers will be the first to fall into it’.”

The reference was obviously to Iran’s northern neighbour Azerbaijan. The latter had earlier in September held the first ever trilateral military exercises with Turkey and Pakistan in Baku. Azeri Defence Minister Hikmat Mirzayev was quoted as saying, “Azerbaijan, Turkey and Pakistan have entered the history of humanity as close friends and brothers. At the heart of these relations are the close ties between our peoples. Evidence of this can be seen in the solidarity and support of Turkey and Pakistan to Azerbaijan from the first day of the 44-day counteroffensive operations launched by Azerbaijan against the Armenian armed forces on September 27, 2020.”



No doubt, the Iranian military exercises were a response to it. But it also marks an ongoing cycle of bilateral tensions. Last year a similar spat had broken out between Iran and Turkey after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had recited a poem on his trip to Baku to commemorate Azerbaijan’s victory in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The poem alluded to a vision of “Greater Azerbaijan” which includes Iran’s northern districts populated by Iranian ethnic Azeris, the largest non-Persian ethnic minority in the country.

Since Azerbaijan’s emergence as a sovereign nation, tensions have marked bilateral relations. For Baku, a staunchly secular state in the fashion of most ex-Soviet ones, Shiite radicalism and “Khomeinism” were threats emanating from Iran. For Iran, potential irredentist claims by sections of Azerbaijan’s population on Iran’s northern provinces constituted a major threat.

The recent rise in “Turkic nationalism” and close cooperation between Ankara and Baku, which helped cement Azerbaijan’s victory in its war with Armenia last year, as well as give NATO member Turkey a strategic foothold in the South Caucasus, has not gone down well in Iran.

Though it tried to keep equidistance, given its excellent relations with Armenia, Iran had to bat for Azerbaijan as ethnic and cultural sentiments engulfed its Azeri population. Tehran is worried that the newly stirred up nationalism witnessed in Azerbaijan during the war and especially following its victory may stir up similar sentiments and provoke secessionist tendencies among its Azeri population. The war victory has also meant that some bordering regions with friendly Armenia have now become part of its border with Azerbaijan.

But yet another angle in bilateral tensions is Azerbaijan’s close relations with Iran’s arch-enemy Israel. At least since 2012 Azerbaijan is widely believed to be hosting an Israeli military base on its territory. It also has a $1.6 billion arms deal with Azerbaijan, committing to sell drones and anti-aircraft missile defence systems to Baku. Along with Turkey’s unpiloted aerial vehicles it was drones purchased from Israel that helped Azerbaijan suppress Armenian air defences.

Following the war, Azerbaijan opened its first trade and tourism office in Israel in July this year. It also allows Israel intelligence gathering on its territory. Given that Iran’s traditional rivals in the region — the UAE and Saudi Arabia have been trying to mend fences with it recently, and given the recent statement by Israeli Chief of General Staff Aviv Koha that preparations for possible action against Iran are being intensified

Tehran fears that Azerbaijan’s territory could be used as a launchpad against it.

Finally, Iran’s strained relations with Pakistan are poised to get worse because of the Afghan crisis. Iran has slammed Pakistan for its role in the fall of Panjshir valley to the Taliban and demanded a probe. Alongside this, Pakistan’s protege — the Taliban are continuing with their persecution of Shiite Hazaras inside Afghanistan.

Therefore, the trilateral military show of strength and camaraderie between Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Pakistan may have just triggered yet another regional flashpoint — this time in the South Caucuses.

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

ALSO READ: Taliban claim Kunduz schools open for girls

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-Top News Afghanistan PAKISTAN

Next country on Taliban list is Pakistan

Taliban fighters believe that the current government set-up in Pakistan is un-Islamic and vow to lay their lives for its ouster and impose Shariah law…reports Hamza Ameer

It is widely believed by the international community and global powers that the swift and shockingly fast takeover of the Taliban in Afghanistan has been possible due to the support of Pakistan, which is said to have been a major beneficiary of gains as a result.

However, the reality on ground in Afghanistan seems to be entirely different as many Taliban fighters see Pakistan as their next target of attack.

The Taliban-led government in Afghanistan has been formed on the basis Islamic values and teachings, which has been the prime demand of the group even during their two-year-long negotiations with the US, which led to the 2020 Doha Agreement.

While the Taliban leadership strives to claim their success story in Afghanistan, many fighters believe that the takeover of Afghanistan and imposition of the Islamic Shariah law is not the end to their struggle, but is the beginning of the spread of their jihad in the rest of the world.

Speaking to many Taliban fighters deputed and positioned as security personnel in different parts of Kabul, it was witnessed that the next country for jihad and imposition of Islamic rule of law, in the eye and views of the Taliban fighters, is Pakistan.

Taliban fighters believe that the current government set-up in Pakistan is un-Islamic and vow to lay their lives for its ouster and impose Shariah law, through suicide terror attacks and other means.

“Alhamdullilah we have brought the Islamic Shariah law in Afghanistan. Now, we will do the same in Pakistan. We will attack Pakistan and impose Islamic Shariah law in that country also soon Insha Allah,” said one of the Taliban fighters.

“The current setup in Pakistan is un-Islamic and is wrong. We will wage jihad on Pakistan and spread our Islamic laws, applied in Afghanistan, into Pakistan soon,” another Taliban fighter stated.

During the conversation, the Taliban fighters lashed out at the Pakistan government for providing bases to US forces and allowing them to be used to kill them through drone strikes. The fighters also slammed Pakistan for providing logistics and routes for NATO supplies to Afghanistan.

“Pakistan’s government has been a puppet government. They gave bases to the US. Provided their land routes for NATO supplies and even worked with them against us. This is not right and we will make sure that Pakistan’s current puppet set-up is changed and Islamic laws are implemented there also,” he said.

The Taliban leadership may claim that it will not allow its soil to be used against any country including Pakistan, but the sentiments among the Taliban fighters certainly raise major concerns over the tendency and vulnerability of fighters, who may be used by others groups to not only target Pakistan but also push the Taliban leadership under criticism.

(Hamza Ameer reporting from Ground Zero)

ALSO READ: ‘Afghanistan once again becoming safe haven for terrorists’

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PAKISTAN World World News

Pak bats for Taliban, even as tensions rock across Durand Line

Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi

The Taliban are struggling to accommodate other senior and influential commanders in the ruling setup who have not yet found any place…reports Asian Lite News

“The good news…the Taliban are listening, and they are not insensitive to what is being said by neighbours and the international community,” claims the Pakistani foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, one of the biggest backers of the insurgent group.

But “how does he know they (Taliban) are listening?” asked the AP correspondent who interviewed Qureshi on the side-lines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session in New York on Wednesday. Qureshi has all the details of the future planning of the Taliban after all it is the Pakistani military establishment’s ISI that is running the show and right from the top- the Pakistani Prime Minister to radical extremists organisations are heaping praises over the Taliban and its regime.

In defence of the Taliban, Qureshi said the group has included a few members of minority ethnic Shia community – Tajiks, Uzbeks and Hazaras in their government to show the world their promise of an inclusive government. But changes are cosmetics and there is no woman in the Taliban regime.

“Yes, there are no women yet,” but let us let the situation evolve,” Qureshi told AP.

Interestingly, the Taliban had previously scoffed at Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s call for making change in the present “interim” government for an inclusive government, Reacting sharply, Mohammad Mobeen, a Taliban leader said that the group does not “give anyone the right to call for an inclusive government”.

ALSO READ: Pakistan wants strong ties with US: FM Qureshi

“Our system is inclusive even if someone likes it or not. Like Pakistan to decide its own system. Does the inclusive government mean that the neighbours have their representatives and spies in the system? Like Pakistan, we reserve the right to have our own system,” Mobeen told Afghanistan’s Ariana TV.

But according to multiple sources, the group is under internal pressure. The Taliban are struggling to accommodate other senior and influential commanders in the ruling setup who have not yet found any place. According to an estimate, 13 members of the Taliban’s powerful Rahbari Shura also known as Quetta Shura are waiting to be included.

Pakistan is also waiting. Despite being the “patron” of the Taliban, it has not recognised their regime yet, unlike in 1996 where it was first to do so.

On Tuesday, the UN said that the Taliban had sacked the Ghani appointed permanent rep, and , instead nominated Suhail as the new Afghan representative. The group asked the world body to allow their foreign minister to address the current session of the UNGA but since the Taliban regime is yet to get recognition, it was not possible. The Taliban’s deputy information minister Zabihullah Mujahid made it clear that the group would address international human rights concerns only after formal recognition by those countries.

“As long as we are not recognised, and they make criticisms over rights violations, we think it is a one-sided approach. It would be good for them to treat us responsibly and recognise our current government as a responsible administration,” Mujahid told the TOLO news.

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-Top News Afghanistan Asia News

‘The Punjabi Guest Played A key Role in Putting Haqqanis At Key Posts’

An audio file attributed to a senior Taliban official, in which he told other Taliban commanders that Pakistan had tarnished the group’s reputation internationally….reports Sanjeev Sharma

An audio file attributed to a Taliban official, said to be Mullah Fazel, the Taliban’s Deputy Defence Minister surfaced in which he says that the “Punjabi guest” (referring to Pakistani intelligence chief Gen Faiz Hameed) had created a major problem for the group and prevented the formation of an inclusive government.

The audio file also mentions an armed clash between General Faiz Hameed’s bodyguards and Taliban commanders at the Kabul presidential palace.

An audio file attributed to a senior Taliban official was released in which he criticized the presence of a Punjabi guest in the country and said that he did not allow the Taliban to form an inclusive government, Raha Press reported.

In the audio file, the Taliban official told other Taliban commanders that Pakistan had tarnished the group’s reputation internationally.

The differences between Pakistan and the Taliban are likely over how the cabinet was recently introduced by the Taliban.

Pakistan has reportedly nominated Haqqani and some members of the Quetta Taliban council to join the cabinet.

The Taliban had previously announced that they would form an inclusive government, but before the group announced its new government, Pakistani intelligence chief Gen Faiz Hameed arrived in Kabul and met with some senior Taliban officials.

ALSO READ: Poverty looms large over Afghanistan amid funding freeze

The Taliban announced its new interim government last Tuesday (September 7), which does not include any non-Taliban or female members on its cabinet; However, Mohammad Naeem, a Taliban spokesman, said the government was inclusive because it included representatives from different ethnic groups in Afghanistan.

Earlier reports suggested Faiz Hameed, the head of Pakista’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency had rushed to Kabul before the government formation after a clash between Baradar and Haqqani-supported groups in which Baradar sustained injuries.

The Haqqani and many other Taliban factions simply do not accept Haibatullah Akhundzada as their leader, as per Michael Rubin in 1945 website.

Whereas the Taliban had said that they would unveil their new government on September 3, the day passed without any official word of the appointment of Akhundzada whom the group’s representatives earlier signaled would be the Islamic Emirate’s supreme leader based in Kandahar, Rubin said.

That delay also postponed Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar’s efforts to become political leader in Kabul. The delay may signal a much greater crisis within the Taliban, hence Hameed’s emergency trip, he said.

Some Afghan factions seek a more inclusive government and are not enthusiastic about efforts to fight the Panjshiris. The Taliban largely conquered Afghanistan on the back of political deals rather than military victories and are unenthusiastic about the losses they now sustain in ground fighting in the Valley and its approaches. It is Hameed and the factions to which he directly dictates that want to finish off Ahmad Massoud and Amrullah Saleh, the two main leaders of the resistance, he added.

ALSO READ: Women worst sufferers in Afghanistan: Experts

ALSO READ: Beijing, Islamabad Target Hostile Militant Groups in Afghanistan

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-Top News Afghanistan PAKISTAN

Pak leaders, organisations voice support for Taliban

The Ummat goes on to mention that “The Taliban will have to gradually introduce Sharia Law in Afghanistan and a government based on true Islamic teachings of Fair practices and Justice”….reports Asian Lite News

The developments in Afghanistan continue to receive favourable comments from various religious leaders and Islamic organisations in Pakistan in support of the Taliban.

The daily Ummat (an Urdu daily) reported that “Afghan Taliban’s victory is undoubtedly a victory of the entire Muslim Ummah which is overwhelmed by the success of Taliban over infidels”. Interestingly the paper goes on to mention that “Muslims from Kashmir to Gaza are celebrating Taliban’s victory by distributing sweets and greeting each other to express their happiness”. The daily further mentions “There is no doubt that defeating superpowers and their forty allies besides compelling them to kneel down and beg for negotiations was not possible without the support of Almighty and his angels. Taliban have made it clear that they do not want to hurt anyone and are urging everyone to stay calm and continue with their daily routine”.

The Ummat goes on to mention that “The Taliban will have to gradually introduce Sharia Law in Afghanistan and a government based on true Islamic teachings of Fair practices and Justice”.

Meanwhile, JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, in his greetings to the Afghan Taliban on their victory in Afghanistan, has assured every kind of cooperation. He said that the “Afghan people and Muslim Ummah in particular deserve big kudos for the way Taliban have got their country freed from global forces with Almighty’s help and after putting in colossal sacrifices in the process”.

He further mentioned that “We view Taliban’s new system in Afghanistan with high esteem”.

Former provincial Minister and Senior Vice President of the ruling Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) Mir Abdul Karim Nausherwani welcomed the establishment of the Taliban government in Afghanistan and said that “Victory of Taliban is the victory of Islam. At last, truth won the war which was started 200 years ago by the tyrant king of Afghanistan Abdul Rahman and now ended with the fall of Ashraf Ghani, who was an agent and friend of Modi”.

He added that “The Taliban brushed aside the conspiracies of both Modi and Ashraf Ghani. We hope that the Taliban will run the country according to Islamic rules and maintain good relations with Pakistan, Turkey, Iran, Arab Emirates and China”.

Stay engaged with Taliban: PM

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan who has publically endorsed the recent Taliban takeover of Afghanistan said that his country is reaching out to all “Afghan leaders” and urged other countries to “stay engaged”, to economically support people in the war-ravaged country

Khan who on Tuesday received telephone calls from his British counterpart, Boris Johnson and German Chancellor Angela Merkel highlighted the positive role that Pakistan played in facilitating the evacuation of diplomatic personnel and staff of international organisations and others from Afghanistan, Dawn reported.

He also underlined that an inclusive political settlement was the best way forward, during his conversation, it further reported.

Apart from the Afghanistan issue, Khan also highlighted the extensive measures taken by Pakistan to contain COVID-19 and said relevant data had been shared with the UK and called for the removal of Pakistan from the red list of the United Kingdom.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari took a jibe at Khan over the current situation in Afghanistan and said that country could not afford any more U-turns regarding the neighbouring country.

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that EU will cooperate with any future Afghan government only if it respects the fundamental rights of all Afghans and prevents the use of Afghanistan’s territory by “terrorist organisations”.

Pakistan has been globally accused of sheltering the Taliban in the country. (IANS/ANI)

ALSO READ: Pakistan takes Taliban on board over TTP issue

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-Top News Afghanistan Asia News

Powerful blast near Quetta’s Serena Hotel leaves 2 cops dead

The bomb was fitted into a motorcycle. The injured were shifted to hospital, where an emergency was imposed….reports Asian Lite News

At least two policemen were killed and 13 others injured in an explosion near Quetta’s Serena Hotel, a luxury hotel, on Sunday evening.

Pakistan media reports said four passers-by were also wounded in the blast that targeted a police mobile near Tanzeem Chowk, Balochistan government spokesperson Liaquat Shahwani said in a statement.

He said the bomb was fitted into a motorcycle. The injured were shifted to hospital, where an emergency was imposed.

He condemned the attack, saying “terrorists want to disturb Balochistan’s peace and spread fear.”

“[We] will bring to justice the elements trying to create disturbance in peaceful Balochistan,” he added.

The incident comes more than three months after a powerful bomb exploded in the parking lot of the Quetta Serena Hotel, killing five people and wounding a dozen others.

Pakistan Taliban had claimed responsibility of blast at Serena Hotel in Balochistan’s Quetta in April.

Police said that the explosion took place at Zarghoon Road, near the city’s University Chowk, adding that the explosives were planted on a motorcycle. The explosion took place near a police van.

The injured, including two policemen, have been shifted to the city’s Civil Hospital, Deputy Inspector General Quetta said, adding that the windows of nearby buildings were shattered due to the explosion. Chief Minister of Balochistan Jam Kamal Khan has condemned the incident.

Cylinder blast kills 9

At least nine people were killed and seven others sustained burn injuries on late Sunday night in a cylinder blast in a passenger van in Gujranwala near Shah Kot area of Cantt police station.

According to rescue sources, the cylinder exploded, setting the van on fire, killing nine passengers and seriously injuring seven others, reported Dunya News.

After the gruesome incident, rescue teams rushed to the spot and started rescue operations to put out the fire in the passenger van.

The injured were rushed to the hospital, where the condition of several injured is said to be critical, reported Dunya News.

Pakistan’s Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has expressed sorrow over the loss of precious human lives due to van fire in Gujranwala and demanded a report from Commissioner Gujranwala Division and RPO.

According to Dunya News, he ordered an inquiry into the incident and asked authorities to immediately conduct a comprehensive investigation and submit a report. (ANI)

ALSO READ: Two major Afghan cities fall to Taliban

ALSO READ: Taliban kidnap and forcibly marry teenage girls

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-Top News PAKISTAN Woman

Outcry over beheading of former envoy’s daughter in Pakistan

Noor Mukaddam’s murder reignited a debate on violence against women as thousands of people took to social media to demand justice…reports Asian Lite News

The “barbaric” murder of Noor Mukaddam, the daughter of a former ambassador has triggered outrage across Pakistan and raised questions over the safety and security of women in the country.

Noor Mukaddam’s murder reignited a debate on violence against women as thousands of people took to social media to demand justice, recalling other femicide victims whose deaths sparked less furore, including at least two killed in the recent past.

The victim’s father, Shaukat Mukaddam, has served as Pakistan’s ambassador to South Korea and Kazakhstan.

TRT World reported that Mukaddam, 27, was found murdered in a house in an upscale neighbourhood in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad on July 20. Police, however, arrested a suspect, Zahir Jaffer, a friend of the victim, at the scene later that day.

Police said she was stabbed and beheaded with a sharp instrument after firing, while another person was injured in the incident, the according to Bol News report.

“Another day. Another woman brutally killed. Another hashtag. Another trauma. Another (likely) unsolved case. Another trigger. Another fear fest. Another rage roar. Another eid. ‘Protection of women’ bill oppose kernay walon ko mubarik,” a netizen wrote on Twitter.

ALSO READ: US, EU, NATO jointly call for end to fighting in Afghanistan

“Flagbearers of change, this is your acid test – do what it takes to ensure that no other Saima, Quratulain or Noor is the victim of our collective apathy, again,” tweeted a journalist.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri condemned the incident and expressed his condolences.

“Deeply saddened by the murder of the daughter of a senior colleague and former ambassador of Pakistan. Heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family and I hope the perpetrator of this heinous crime will be brought to justice,” the spokesperson wrote on Twitter, adding the hashtag #JusticeForNoor.

Taking to Twitter, Pakistan Human Rights Minister, Shireen Mazari said: “The barbaric murder of young woman, Noor, in Islamabad is yet another horrifying reminder that women have been and are brutalized and killed with impunity.”

“This must end. We are committed to ensuring no one is above the law & culprits having influence & power cannot simply ‘get away’,” she said.

On Saturday, Islamabad police arrested the parents and household staff of suspect Zahir Zakir Jaffer — accused of torturing and brutally killing Noor Mukadam — for “hiding evidence and being complicit in the crime”, Dawn reported. (ANI)

ALSO READ: Afghanistan calls on int’l community to prevent Taliban’s atrocities