Aparna Pande and Vinay Kaura: While Afghanistan recognizes that Pakistan cannot be the anchor of its post-U.S. exit foreign and strategic policies, Kabul is equally aware that it needs support from Islamabad (and, more importantly, Rawalpindi) to ensure a durable settlement. The path ahead to secure a negotiated end to the Afghan conflict is difficult
Ariana: Eleven Afghan Sikhs are expected to leave Kabul on Sunday for India, after being granted visas by the Indian government. Chhabol Singh, a community leader in Kabul, told India’s Sunday Express that among those leaving Sunday was Nidan Singh Sachdeva, who was kidnapped in Paktia last month before being freed, and the 15-year-old girl
Tribune News Service: India has thanked the Afghan government for the safe return of kidnapped Sikh Nidan Singh Sachdeva and has decided to facilitate the return of Afghan Hindu and Sikh community members facing security threats in Afghanistan to India, said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in a statement. There are about 1,000 Sikh
The Hindu: Traders in Punjab’s Amritsar are upbeat about resuming their business after Pakistan recently allowed Afghanistan to send goods to India using the Attari-Wagah border under the Pakistan-Afghanistan Transit Trade Agreement. “Movement of trucks through the Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Attari has been allowed, and we are expecting the first consignment of goods,
ANI: Pakistan continues to focus on countering Indian influence in Afghanistan and harbours the Taliban and groups such as the Haqqani Network, which have the ability to engage in violence on Afghan soil, according to a new Pentagon report. Click here to read more (external link).
1TV: The chief minister of an Indian state on Saturday called for evacuation of stranded Sikh families from Afghanistan, following a deadly attack on a temple in Kabul. “Dear @DrSJaishankar, there are a large number of Sikh families who want to be flown out of Afghanistan. Request you to get them airlifted at the earliest.
1TV: India congratulated Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on his reelection victory expressing commitment to work with the new administration. Click here to read more (external link). Related UN, EU ready to work with new Afghan administration
Press TV February 2, 2020 India’s finance ministry has announced that budget earmarked for the country’s development work at an Iranian ocean port would double in 2020-2021 to reach nearly $14 million. Reports in the Indian media on Sunday suggested that the budget announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman a day earlier had allocated Rs100
1TV: India and Iran have agreed to accelerate Chabahar port project, Indian foreign minister has said. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said that the agreement was reached during a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif who was visiting India. The Indian-backed Chabahar port complex on Iran’s coast along the Gulf of Oman is being developed as a transportation
Tolo News: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during a joint news conference in Washington with India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said that he hopes that a reduction of violence in Afghanistan will lead to a ceasefire.” “We are hopeful that all of the relevant political participants in Afghanistan, the Afghan government, non-Afghan government