Page 10 - Afghanistan

Pak decides not to back Taliban after it fails to rein in TTP group: Report

In a major policy shift, Pakistan has decided not to support the Afghan Taliban's case at the international level or extend any other assistance following Kabul's failure to neutralise the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terror group, according to a media report on Thursday. At the same time, Islamabad will no longer extend any special privileges to the interim Afghan Taliban government in a move that suggests a deterioration in relations between the two neighbours, The Express Tribune newspaper reported. The TTP, which has ideological linkages with the Afghan Taliban and is also known as the Pakistan Taliban, was set up as an umbrella group of several militant outfits in 2007. Its main aim is to impose its strict brand of Islam across Pakistan. Pakistan had hoped that the Afghan Taliban after coming to power would stop the use of their soil against Pakistan by expelling the TTP operatives, but they have apparently refused to do so at the cost of straining ties with ...

World Cup 2023: Mad Max Miracle as one-legged Glenn' puts up 'Big Show'

Batting on one leg, Glenn Maxwell used his bat like a butcher's blade and produced an astonishing double century to singlehandedly lift Australia into another World Cup semi-final with a three-wicket win over Afghanistan here on Tuesday. Chasing a target of 292, everyone at the Wankhede Stadium rubbed their eyes in disbelief as Australia slumped to 91 for 7 in 18.3 overs and staring at an annihilation. But Maxwell had other ideas. With some slice of luck, he launched into an over-eager Afghan attack, smashing an unbeaten 201 off 128 balls with the help of 21 fours and 10 sixes to end the game in 46.5 overs. With 12 points and a match left, Australia joined India (16 points) and South Africa (12 points) in the last four stage while 11 incredibly talented Afghanistan cricketers, who had almost ensured that their fairy tale story don't reach its epilogue, found themselves on the wrong side of the result. History will judge if the knock at Wankhede, in terms of match situation, could b

Terror cases in Pak up 60% since Taliban took over Afghanistan: PM Kakar

Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar said on Wednesday that terror attacks in Pakistan rose 60 per cent and suicide bombings by 500 per cent after the Taliban came to power in neighbouring Afghanistan, lamenting at Kabul's failure to stop the use of its soil for terrorism. The hardline Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021 bringing to an end the government in Kabul when the army, trained and equipped by the US and allies, melted away with a speed that surprised even the rebels. "After the establishment of the interim Afghan government in August 2021, we had a strong hope that there would be long-term peace in Afghanistan. [] Strict action would be taken against Pakistan-opposing groups, especially the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and they would absolutely not be allowed to use Afghan soil against Pakistan," Kakar said at a press conference in Islamabad. "But unfortunately, after the establishment of the interim Afghan govt, there has been a 60 per cent ...

Pak deports over 6,500 more Afghans; total toll reaches 170,000: Official

More than 6,500 Afghan nationals left Pakistan through the Torkham border on Sunday, taking the total number of repatriated Afghans to over 1,70,000, border officials said on Monday. The voluntary evacuation has been going on since the government gave an ultimatum to all unregistered foreign nationals to leave Pakistan by November 1 after which action would be taken against them according to law. A total of 1,74,358 Afghan nationals left for Afghanistan since September 17, adding that voluntary repatriation was still underway, but the number was dropping with each passing day, the Dawn newspaper reported, quoting officials. "There was a huge number of illegal immigrants at the border crossing soon after the deadline expired. It is now coming down, an official involved in processing voluntary repatriation of Afghan nationals said. According to official data, 6,584 Afghans, including women and children, exited Pakistan on Sunday. On Saturday, 209 deportees from different prisons acr

Afghan farmers lose income of more than $1 bn after Taliban banned poppy

Afghan farmers have lost income of more than USD 1 billion from opium sales after the Taliban outlawed poppy cultivation, according to a report from the UN drugs agency published on Sunday. Afghanistan was the world's biggest opium producer and a major source for heroin in Europe and Asia when the Taliban seized power in August 2021. They pledged to wipe out the country's drug cultivation industry and imposed a formal ban in April 2022, dealing a heavy blow to hundreds of thousands of farmers and day labourers who relied on proceeds from the crop to survive. Opium cultivation crashed by 95 per cent after the ban, the report from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime said. Until 2023, the value of Afghanistan's opiate exports frequently outstripped the value of its legal exports. UN officials said the strong contraction of the opium economy is expected to have far-reaching consequences for the country as opiate exports before the ban accounted for between 9-14 per cent of the national .

Afghan PM appeals Pakistan to not 'expel Afghans in an undignified manner'

"If their (Pakistan) reason is to expel undocumented migrants only, then why are they humiliating the refugees, stealing their property, and destroying their houses?" he added

World Cup: Afghanistan keep semis hopes alive with 7-wicket win over Dutch

Afghanistan captain Shahidi dedicated the win over the Dutch to refugees in Pakistan, saying There are a lot of our refugee people in struggle; we all are watching their videos and we feel their pain.

Taliban asks nations hosting Afghan refugees not to forcefully deport them

The Taliban spokesperson said Afghans have been forced to migrate to various countries due to the wars over the past 45 years in Afghanistan

UN, int'l community urged to condemn, halt Pakistan deportation of Afghans

The United States, the United Nations and the international community have urged by an Indian diaspora body to condemn and halt deportation of over a million Afghans from Pakistan, and appealed to the IMF to stop its financial aid to Islamabad. Condemning Pakistan's decision in this regard, the Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS) said this is illegal and the international norms. "The Islamic Republic of Pakistan's planned forced deportation of Afghan refugees, who had fled under duress from the brutal Taliban rule, is not only illegal under international law but could also trigger a massive humanitarian crisis," said Khanderao Kand, chief of policy and strategy at FIIDS. "It was always known since the times of Osama Bin Laden that Pakistan worked very closely with the Taliban as it's proxy to have a grip over Afghanistan. Now Pakistan seems frustrated at its weakening control over the Taliban, he said. FIIDS said that Pak is trying to do the exact things to Afg

Pakistan shuts Afghan schools as deadline for deportation approaches

The Pakistani government initiated an extensive crackdown on the estimated 1.7 million Afghans residing in the country without legal status, leaving them until October 31 to leave or face mass arrests

Over 8,000 Afghan refugees forced to return from Pak as deadline nears

The Taliban-led Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation of Afghanistan on Saturday announced that approximately 7,910 Afghan migrants have returned to their country from Pakistan

More than 5,000 Afghan migrants have returned from Pakistan, Iran: Taliban

According to the Taliban-appointed border official in Islam Qala Herat, among these migrants, 3591 people, including families have arrived in China, forcibly and voluntarily

ICC CWC: Why did Ibrahim Zadran dedicate his award to refugees in Pakistan?

ICC Cricket World Cup 2023: The remarks by Afghanistan batter Ibrahim Zadran come in the backdrop of Pakistan asking all undocumented Afghan refugees to leave the country by November 1

Former officials ask Pak not to deport Afghans seeking relocation to US

A group of former U.S. diplomats and representatives of resettlement organizations asked Pakistan not to deport thousands of Afghans who have been waiting for U.S. visas under an American programme that relocates at-risk Afghan refugees fleeing Taliban rule. The appeal in an open letter on Wednesday signed by 80 former U.S. officials, dignitaries and resettlement groups came weeks after Pakistan announced a crackdown on migrants living in the country illegally, including 1.7 million Afghans, telling them to return to their home countries by October 31 to avoid mass arrest and expulsion. Last week, the United Nations said such forced deportations of Afghans could lead to human rights violations including the separation of families. However, Pakistan denies targeting Afghans and says the focus is on people who are in the country illegally, regardless of their nationality. On Thursday, authorities in Pakistan said time was running out for migrants who are living in the country illegal

World Food Programme appeals for $19 mn for food in quake-hit Afghanistan

The United Nations' World Food Programme on Wednesday appealed for USD 19 million to provide emergency assistance to tens of thousands of people affected by a series of devastating earthquakes and aftershocks that has rocked western Afghanistan. Ana Maria Salhuana, deputy country director of the World Food Programme in Afghanistan, said it was helping survivors but it urgently needed more funding because "we are having to take this food from an already severely underfunded programme". The group said it is working to provide emergency food assistance to 100,000 people in the region. Disasters like these earthquakes pound communities who are already barely able to feed themselves back into utter destitution," the WFP said. A 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck part of western Afghanistan on Sunday, after thousands of people died and entire villages were flattened by major quakes a week earlier. It was the fourth quake the US Geological Survey has measured at 6.3 magnitude in the same are

UN appeals for $19 mn to provide emergency food in quake-hit Afghanistan

The United Nations' World Food Program on Wednesday appealed for USD 19 million to provide emergency assistance to tens of thousands of people affected by a series of devastating earthquakes and aftershocks that has rocked western Afghanistan. Ana Maria Salhuana, deputy country director of the World Food Program in Afghanistan, said it was helping survivors but it urgently needed more funding because we are having to take this food from an already severely underfunded program. The group said it is working to provide emergency food assistance to 100,000 people in the region. Disasters like these earthquakes pound communities who are already barely able to feed themselves back into utter destitution," the WFP said. A 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck part of western Afghanistan on Sunday, after thousands of people died and entire villages were flattened by major quakes a week earlier. It was the fourth quake the US Geological Survey has measured at 6.3 magnitude in the same area in ju

Afghanistan hit by 3rd earthquake in a week

Explosion rocks Takhar province in Afghanistan, investigation underway

Additionally, domestic media outlets have reported hearing ambulances in the area, although more details are awaited about the explosion

LIVE: Earthquake of magnitude 3.1 strikes Faridabad in Haryana at 4.08 pm

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