A mysterious flurry of so-called jirgas (a traditional people’s assembly of tribal areas) has been witnessed during the last few weeks. The agenda of these activities seems to create confusion at a time when Pashtuns living in Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA) appear to be at the verge of taking steps out of the colonial system of governance. The aforementioned ...

The government of India has announced a new visa regime for the Afghan nationals wishing to visit the country for tourism and investments. The new visa regime include tourist visa having a period of one year and up to 5 years for the entrepreneurs. According to the Indian Embassy, the new visa regime is effective from 1st of February. A ...

Protests in Romania: Alice Strete discusses with Angelina Merisi:  Alice, you are a young Romanian freelancer. You have been very much involved in the recent protests taking place throughout Romania. Could you firstly tell us a little about yourself. Alice Strete: My name is Alice Strete, I’m 25 and I’m currently a freelancer. I’ve lived in Romania for most of ...

TEHRAN: Iran confirmed on Wednesday that it had tested a ballistic missile, but denied that was a breach of its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. The comments from Defence Minister Hossein Dehghan came after the UN Security Council met on Tuesday to discuss the weekend test, which Washington described as “absolutely unacceptable”. “The action was in line with boosting ...

KABUL: The former West Indies cricketer Phillip Simmons has been appointed as a consultant with Afghanistan National Cricket team. The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) in a statement said “Phillip Simmons, the former West Indies National Cricket team player appointed as a consult coach with Afghanistan National Cricket team.” The statement further added that Simmons would be assisting the current head ...

KABUL: A contract worth €92 million was signed in the presence of President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani for the construction of 155 kilometers road in western Herat province of Afghanistan. The contract was signed by the Minister of Finance Eklil Hakimi and the Italian Ambassador to Afghanistan Roberto Cantone. A ceremony was organized in ARG Presidential Palace on Wednesday afternoon and ...

The former Al-Qaeda terrorist network chief Osama bin Laden granted permission to the militants in a secret letter for stimulation in a bid to release sexual tensions the network’s fighters, according to the last batch of documents seized by US forces in raid on his compound in Abbottabad of Pakistan. The US government recently released the 49 documents which include ...

Director General of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor on Tuesday stated that the decision to put Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed under house arrest “is a policy decision”. When questioned about the move during a media briefing, the DG ISPR said, “This is a policy decision that the state took in [the] national interest. Lots of ...

Self-policing: The colonial system of Frontier Management through “traditions” and “jirgas” (1) In 1799 the Afghan emperor Zaman Shah executed his powerful vazir Painda Khan Barakzai, who Zaman thought was a party to the recent coup of his half-brother Mahmud against him. A bloody civil war ensued in the wake of Painda Khan’s execution in the Afghan heartlands. This civil ...

KABUL: At least 6,785 personnel of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) lost their lives until mid-November last year, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) John Sopko said in his latest report. Citing the Afghan government figures provided to US Forces for Afghanistan (USFOR-A), Sopko said at least 11,777 ANDSF personnel were also wounded during the ...