KABUL: The United States Special Charge d’Affaires Ambassador Hugo Llorens greeted the Afghan nation on the occasion of the Afghan Independence Day as he reaffirmed continued support of Washington towards Afghanistan. “It’s an honor for me to congratulate all Afghans as you celebrate your country’s 98th year of independence. Like our own Independence Day, August 19 is an opportunity for ...

KABUL: The supreme court of Afghanistan confirmed Sunday, the 25th of June, as the first day of Eid-ul-Fitr in the country. The Qasim Ali Khan Mosque in Peshawar also announced Ed-ul-Fitr on Sunday. Shawwal moon sighted in Kabul, Peshawar and many parts across the Durand Line. The Saudi Arabia authorities earlier announced that Sunday will be the first day of ...

KABUL: Eid-ul-Fitr is a festival for many after one month of fasting, worship and prayers but orphan and homeless children are far to enjoy the celebration of these important religious days. Reyazuddin, 12, hailing from Badakhshan province, is among the children who lost his father and stays at the Alauddin Orphanage of capital Kabul from the past three years. When ...

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Religious Affairs on Wednesday unanimously approved the Ehtram-e-Ramazan (Amendment) Bill, 2017 under which fine for the hotel owners – violating the Ehtram-e-Ramazan Ordinance, 1981 – has been increased from Rs500 to Rs25,000. People who will smoke or eat openly during Ramazan will be fined Rs500 along with 3-month imprisonment. TV channels or cinema houses that ...

ISLAMABAD: Pashtun-Canadian Senator Salma Attaullah Jan was robbed of cash, a black pearl necklace and her ID cards in Islamabad’s F6 area on Tuesday night. The senator was reportedly approached by two men on a motorcycle as she was getting into her car near F6 Markaz. The men grabbed her handbag and fled, prompting Jan to register a First Investigation ...

BEIJING — The Chinese government, further tightening its grip on Muslims in western China, has prohibited parents from choosing names like “Muhammad,” “Arafat” and “Jihad” for their children. Officials described the ban, introduced this month, as part of an effort to “curb religious fervor” in the western region of Xinjiang, home to more than 10 million Uighurs, a mostly Muslim ...

So what is Attan? In one word it is a dance. It is the dance of the Pashtuns, a people who according to some are the largest tribal society in the world. Since the dance in some cases also serves as a form of tribal identity (although there are exceptions), the large number of tribes and sub-tribes is reflected in ...

The Turkish authorities have handed over a book written in Pashto language nearly 300 years ago and was kept in a library in Turkey, it has been reported. The book, Al-Tohfat Al-Qadrya on Sufism, was reportedly written between 1722 and 1723 by Ibn Munner. The book on Islamic mysticism was discovered two years ago by Sinan Ayhan, who was looking ...

ISLAMABAD: Decision makers should know that having more than one national language will not pose a threat to national security, and history shows that one language does not ensure a country will remain intact, said Punjabi writer Mushtaq Sufi. “A narrative is being constructed for the last 70 years that there should be one national language because that is the ...

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court in Pakistan’s capital issued an order Monday that banned the celebration of Valentine’s Day across the country ‘with immediate effect.’ The order prohibits the display of adverts on electronic and print media that reference Valentine’s Day, bans the sale of associated merchandise and states that the day cannot be celebrated in “any public space or government ...