Jerusalem Post: Pakistan has launched two new overland trade corridors through Iran and China, offering Central Asian countries alternative routes to Pakistani ports after Islamabad closed its main transit crossings with Afghanistan because of security concerns. Click here to read more (external link).
Taliban militants (file photo)
Afghanistan International: A new survey suggests around 75 per cent of respondents are dissatisfied with the Taliban. Some participants identifying themselves as lower-ranking Taliban members also criticised corruption, nepotism and appointments within the group. Zawia News published the survey on Tuesday under the title, How satisfied are you with the Taliban, and to what extent have your expectations of the group been met? The outlet said around 1.7 million people participated. According to the published results, 21 per cent of respondents said they were satisfied with the Taliban’s performance, while 3.6 per cent described themselves as neutral. Click here to read more (external link).
Other Taliban News
Afghanistan International: The UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan has urged the International Cricket Council (ICC) to recognise and support Afghanistan’s women’s cricket team. He warned that the players remain in exile and their funding is due to end in August. Click here to read more (external link).
Other Cricket News
8am: Several Kabul residents are complaining about the repeated release of thieves detained by the Taliban. They say that detained individuals are released after a short period and resume their criminal activities. According to residents, these individuals are released in exchange for payments made to the Taliban, and in some cases, individuals affiliated with the group are even directly or indirectly involved in the thefts. Residents add that they have repeatedly detained thieves and handed them over to Taliban forces, but these individuals have been released again shortly afterward. According to them, some thieves, after their release, have threatened those who played a role in their detention and have begun personal feuds with them. Click here to read more (external link).
Donald Trump
Afghanistan International: Taliban official Hayatullah Mohajer Farahi dismissed Donald Trump’s remarks about retaking Bagram Air Base, saying the former US president would regain the base “only in his dreams”. He said Bagram would remain under Taliban control. Hayatullah Mohajer Farahi, the Taliban’s deputy minister for publications at the Ministry of Information and Culture, made the remarks in an interview with the Indian news outlet India Today. Responding to Donald Trump’s comments about regaining control of Bagram Air Base, he said: “Trump will get Bagram Air Base only in his dreams,” Bagram Air Base, built by the Soviet Union north of Kabul, became the main base for US-led forces in Afghanistan after the 11 September 2001 attacks. Click here to read more (external link).
Shapoor Zadran
Amu: Shapoor Zadran, the former fast bowler who played a prominent role in Afghanistan’s rapid rise in international cricket, has died at age 38 after a period of serious illness. Zadran had been receiving treatment at a hospital in New Delhi after being diagnosed with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, or H.L.H., a rare and life-threatening immune disorder. He had been hospitalized in India since January and was readmitted after his condition worsened following an initial period of improvement. A tall left-arm fast bowler, Zadran was a central figure in the formative years of Afghanistan’s national cricket team. He made his international debut in 2009 and played his final match for Afghanistan in 2020, according to the Afghanistan Cricket Board. Click here to read more (external link).
AP: Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal, 41, suffered “an adverse drug reaction” to an unidentified substance, which triggered anaphylaxis and exacerbated his asthma, according to the document. His March 14 death at a Dallas hospital was ruled to be an accident. Click here to read more (external link).
Afghanistan International: Hassan Kazemi Qomi, Iran’s former presidential envoy for Afghanistan, defended the invitation extended to Ahmad Massoud, leader of Afghanistan’s National Resistance Front, and other Taliban opponents to Ali Khamenei’s funeral. The former Iranian presidential envoy, who is also a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said Iran’s policy is to engage with the people of Afghanistan regardless of which political faction is in power. Qomi said the Afghan people have different representatives. According to him, those currently in power represent only part of the population, while other sections of Afghan society remain outside government. Click here to read more (external link).
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