The Independent (UK): A large number of Pashtun politicians, tribal chiefs and intellectuals are against the Taliban, which is one of its biggest weaknesses… The central, conservative ideology of the Taliban is also responsible for its failure, as it is unacceptable for most Afghans, particularly the literate population…The media has played a key role in highlighting the
Eisa Khan Ayoobi via Al Jazeera: The NUG is struggling with containing the Taliban and addressing internal divisions – [Ghani’s] intra-Pashtun clan politics seems to have made reaching out to the Taliban more difficult. The Taliban leadership are Durrani Pashtun from Kandahar who take pride in being the descendants of “conventional” Afghan rulers like Ahmad Shah Durrani.
Associated Press: In the past, Khalilzad has called on the U.S. to declare Pakistan a terrorist state, saying it harbors insurgents. The Trump administration has embraced a similar position, recently suspending $300 million in aid to Pakistan, saying it isn’t doing enough to eliminate Taliban safe havens on its territory. Click here to read more (external
IANS: The moment is laden with irony for President Ashraf Ghani in Kabul. The emergence of a Pathan in Islamabad should have provided him with comfort. Instead he is having kittens: the Pathan on the other side has an agenda which is totally at cross purposes with Ghani’s. Imran’s agenda would boost his popularity in the
Tolo News: Former Minister of Communications and Information Technology Abdul Razaq Wahidi on Monday appeared before a special tribunal after being accused of corruption and misuse of authority. The special tribunal is expected to determine its findings soon but no date has been set for its final verdict. Monday’s hearing was however adjourned to Friday. Wahidi
Ariana: The Afghan lower house of parliament session on Wednesday ended without any result after some parliamentarians verbally and physically attacked Abdul Latif Pedram, a member of parliament representing Badakhshan province. The confrontation erupted after MP Pedram criticized the government for dividing Ghazni province into three electoral constituencies, saying the government is acting biased in order to
Press TV June 6, 2018 Authorities in Pakistan’s northwestern tribal region have expanded a 24-hour curfew to avert further clashes between tribesmen and militants. An unnamed senior government official in the city of Peshawar said on Wednesday that the curfew had been “tightened and extended” to the entire South Waziristan region along the Afghan border.
Press TV June 4, 2018 Several Pashtun ethnic activists have been killed in an attack by the Taliban and a following police operation in Pakistan’s border region of South Waziristan. Local sources in Wana, the main administrative center for South Waziristan, said two Pashtuns had been killed and 25 others injured on Sunday after the
Ariana: “Some individuals shamelessly say we don’t accept the name of Afghanistan and want to change it to Khorasan. Khorasan is a province in Iran. There is no one to hold them accountable and give them a lesson,” Hekmatyar said while speaking at a mosque in Kabul. Recently, Abdul Latif Pedram, leader of the National
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty May 31, 2018 Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain has signed legislation that merges the country’s tribal regions with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province and therefore grants some 5 million people in the regions the same rights as other Pakistanis. Hussain signed the law in Islamabad on May 31. The bill had previously been