8am: Local sources in Kandahar say that Pakistani forces have detained 244 Afghan citizens, including women and children, in Baluchistan province. According to the source, these people have been arrested on charges of illegal entry into Pakistan. Click here to read more (external link). Related Pakistan Says Seven Killed In Military Operation In Balochistan
NPR: The Taliban are hoping that the Indians would increase their supplies of wheat to the country. And over the medium term, the Taliban seem to be interested in India reviving its development projects in Afghanistan. India built a lot of hospitals, so the Taliban appear to be interested in India reviving some of those
Ariana: Pakistan said on Friday it would recognize the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) government through a regional and consensual approach, rather than taking a solo decision on the matter. In March this year, some countries, including Pakistan, were close to legitimizing the IEA [Taliban] rule but withheld their decisions at the last moment, citing
8am: After launching a Twitter campaign by Afghan users to block accounts related to the Taliban regime on Twitter, this group has now launched a campaign with the help of Pakistani users.This campaign to support the Taliban in Pakistan has been at the top of the trending hashtags on Twitter in this country on Saturday.
Ayaz Gul VOA News July 16, 2022 ISLAMABAD — Afghanistan’s cash-strapped Taliban government has tripled prices for coal in less than a month to raise revenue from its mining sector amid a lack of direct foreign funding and booming coal exports to neighboring Pakistan. The spokesman for the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum in Kabul, Esmatullah
Abubakar Siddique Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty July 15, 2022 Cash-strapped and cut off from international aid, the Taliban-led government is tapping into Afghanistan’s natural resources to boost revenue. Since the Taliban toppled the Western-backed government in Kabul and seized power in August 2021, the export of and custom duties from coal have become a key
The Guardian (UK): Musicians had hoped to keep their art alive after fleeing Taliban but now face crackdown on refugees. Ajmal Haikalzada, 44, first became a refugee when his artist father left Afghanistan for Pakistan during the Soviet-Afghan war in the 1980s. In 2001, then a musician, he returned, singing and performing across the country
Tolo News: Owners of coal factories in Afghanistan said the Afghan coal is being sold to three Pakistani companies: Fauji Fertilizer Power Station, Cherat Cement Factory and Lucky Cement and Coal. Economists said these companies are connected with the Pakistan Army. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News: Hundreds of tonnes of coal from mines across the country are being exported on a daily basis to Pakistan. The industrial companies working in the coal business said that the majority of coal is from Dara-e-Soof of Samangan and Balkhab district of Sar-e-Pul province. Click here to read more (external link).
Ariana: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has approved the import of coal from Afghanistan in rupees instead of US dollars, saying the move will help the country save precious foreign exchange. Sharif on Monday chaired a meeting on improving the transportation system of coal imported from Afghanistan in the country, the Express Tribune reported. “The