The former Afghan interior minister and ex-Ambassador to Pakistan Mohammad Omar Daudzai has questioned Pakistan’s sincerity in Afghan peace process, saying Islamabad is approaching its own interests in the process. Daudzai was speaking during an event marking the 5th anniversary of the assassination of Mawlana Syed Kheli, the former police chief of northern Kunduz province of Afghanistan. Recalling his message ...

The Commander of US Central Command General Lloyd J Austin has said Pakistan should “take decisive action” against the Haqqani terrorist network, calling the network as the greatest threat to the US forces in Afghanistan. During a congressional hearing with the Senate Armed Service Committee, Gen. Austin said “We need Pakistan to take decisive actions against the Haqqani Network (HQN). ...

LJUBLJANA : The Balkan trail from Greece to northern Europe used by floods of migrants was blocked on Wednesday after a string of nations slammed shut their borders, hiking pressure on the EU and Turkey to nail down a “game-changing” grand bargain. Slovenia and Croatia, two of the countries along the well-trodden route, said late on Tuesday that no migrants ...

KABUL: US President Barack Obama has asked Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah not to interfere in President Ashraf Ghani’s constitutional powers, a government source claimed on Wednesday. Obama held a video conference meeting with President Ghani and CEO Abdullah on Friday last and they discussed a wide range of issues, including the peace process, security, regional situation and the upcoming ...

The growing cross-border violations by Pakistan was agenda as President Mohammad Ashraf chaired National Security Council (NSC) meeting today, the Office of the President said. This comes as numerous cross-border violations have been reported during the past one week, including an attack by Pakistan forces which led to a clash with the Afghan border police forces in eastern Nangarhar province. ...

PESHAWAR: Men sporting earthy shalwar kameez and pakol caps are accompanied by women in colourful dresses laden with mirrors; they gather on the open floor, making a loose square, then fall into rhythm as they sync their steps to dance the Bragai, or what is known as the combined Attan. The dance is incomplete without the dhol: a double-headed wooden ...

China has offered the Afghanistan army expanded military aid to combat the Taliban, according to the Afghan Defense Ministry, a move that reflects Beijing’s readiness to deepen its engagement with the war-torn country, The Wall Street Journal reports. The offer was made during a rare, high-level visit at the end of February by a Chinese military delegation headed by General ...

Maria Sharapova’s failed drugs test was “reckless beyond description”, according to former World Anti-Doping Agency president Dick Pound. Sharapova, 28, revealed on Monday that she tested positive for the banned substance meldonium in January. A number of sponsors have already distanced themselves from the Russian. Pound cannot understand how Sharapova found herself in this situation, given the high stakes involved, ...

Pakistani choppers have reportedly entered about two kilometers inside eastern Kunar province of Afghanistan and bombed areas there, Azadi Radio quoting a local official reported on Wednesday. When officials say Pakistani choppers they usually mean the military ones. According to the report, the choppers entered into Dangam district two times on Tuesday and threw bombs. Inayatullah, governor of Dangam district ...

KABUL – President Ashraf Ghani has said the violence against women in Afghanistan stemmed from the ongoing war and the migration of large number of Afghans to foreign countries. The president was addressing a programme titled “Afghan Women’s Skills Development from Islamic Perspective” at the Presidential Palace on Monday evening. According to a statement from the Presidential Palace, the programme ...