Khaama: The Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation of Afghanistan has announced that 470 Afghan migrants, including freed prisoners from Pakistani jails, have returned to the country. These migrants entered the country through the Torkham border, according to the Ministry on Tuesday. Among the returning migrants, 85 were prisoners released from Pakistani custody and returned to
Ayaz Gul VOA News September 17, 2023 ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s caretaker prime minister, Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, has written a letter to his Taliban counterpart in Afghanistan, stressing the need to address the security and economic challenges facing both countries. Kakar’s letter to Taliban Prime Minister Mullah Hasan Akhund comes amid persistent tensions over Islamabad’s complaints that Kabul
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty September 16, 2023 Abubakar Siddique Majeed Babar A middle-aged lawyer, Nia Beg, is anxious after a large incursion by Islamist militants rattled his homeland in northwestern Pakistan this month. Beg is Kalash, and he follows the ancient pagan religion practiced in Bumburet and other remote valleys collectively called Kalash in
Khaama: The main Afghanistan-Pakistan land crossing border reopened on Friday after a nine-day closure, as Nangarhar’s Department of Information and Culture confirmed. On Friday, the Nangarhar Information and Culture Directorate reported that the Torkham border crossing was reopened for all types of traffic around 7:00 AM local time today. A series of talks between Pakistani
Ayaz Gul VOA News September 14, 2023 ISLAMABAD — Pakistan is set to reopen the main Torkham border crossing with landlocked Afghanistan on Friday following a nine-day closure because of terrorism and other security concerns, according to officials in both countries. The development came after the Taliban’s foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, promised during a meeting
Ariana: Over the past five days, 120 Afghan refugees have been released from Pakistani prisons due to the efforts of the Ministry of Refugee Affairs in Quetta, the ministry of Refugees said. According to a statement, more than 500 documented and undocumented Afghan refugees have been arrested and imprisoned by Pakistan’s security agencies in the
Ayaz Gul VOA News September 13, 2023 ISLAMABAD — The Taliban’s “successful” offensive against the Islamic State branch in Afghanistan, IS-Khorasan, has “significantly degraded” its capability and steadily decreased large-scale attacks against civilians, according to a senior US envoy. Tom West, the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan, shared the assessment during a Tuesday seminar at the
RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi September 12, 2023 Police in the southern Pakistani province of Sindh have arrested more than 250 Afghan refugees and migrants as part of a new crackdown aimed at repatriating undocumented Afghans. Most of the arrests and detentions have occurred in Karachi since September 11. The seaport is the capital
Ayaz Gul VOA News September 11, 2023 ISLAMABAD — Pakistan on Monday defended its decision to close the main border crossing with landlocked Afghanistan, saying Taliban authorities were trying to build “unlawful structures” on its territory and “resorted to indiscriminate firing” when challenged. Traffic through the busy historic Torkham transit point for trade and travelers was
Ariana: Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI) says the closure of Torkham crossing into Pakistan has cost the economy millions of afghanis (AFN) over the past three days. The closure of the border came at a crucial time specifically for exporters of fresh produce, especially fruit. The ACCI said the longer the trucks sit