Afghanistan International: Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has urged former Afghan President Hamid Karzai to leave the country, according to sources familiar with the matter. The demand followed a secretly recorded conversation in which Karzai allegedly described himself as Akhundzada’s greatest political threat, saying his presence could mark the end of the Taliban chief’s rule. Click
Ariana: In an exclusive interview with Ariana News, Khalilzad said: “Pakistan tries to solve Afghanistan’s internal problems by first creating those problems, and then presenting itself to the world as a power capable of resolving them. This approach, which has been practiced over the past several decades, still continues. The root of Pakistan’s policy is
8am: Relations between Afghanistan’s Taliban and Pakistan, once described as those of “longstanding friends,” have entered a turbulent phase since the Taliban’s return to power in Kabul in August 2021. Pakistan, once a key sponsor of the Taliban, now faces a growing threat from Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). This militant group uses Afghan soil to stage
8am: Khalilzad, an Afghan-born American diplomat, has undoubtedly been influenced by this prevailing anti-Pakistan spirit in Afghan politics—especially since his formal involvement in Afghanistan’s conflict on behalf of the United States, where he closely followed Islamabad’s role. For Khalilzad, deploying anti-Pakistan rhetoric becomes particularly convenient when he confronts the depth of Afghan public discontent with
Afghanistan International: A planned gathering of Afghan anti-Taliban figures in Islamabad has been postponed following strong objections from the group, according to a report by the Pakistani daily The Nation. The newspaper said Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi raised concerns with his Pakistani counterpart, Ishaq Dar, during a meeting in Kabul on 20 August.
8am: Why is drawing closer to Pakistan a poor idea for Taliban opponents at this moment, and why could trusting this process trap them in a game of double standards? Click here to read more (external link).
Afghanistan International:.One participant said the meeting is now expected to take place in the last week of September. The two-day event, organised by Pakistan’s South Asian Strategic Stability Institute (SASSI), is set to bring together representatives of Afghan political groups, civil society, women’s rights activists and media, alongside Pakistani academics and policymakers. Organisers say the
Amu: Former US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad said Tuesday that Afghanistan continues to face severe economic struggles, restrictions on girls’ education and efforts by former political leaders to reclaim privileges they lost after the Taliban takeover. In a message on Afghanistan’s Independence Dya, Khalilzad said former Afghan elites and leaders, who he argued “failed to
Afghanistan International: A former Afghan army commander has accused the Taliban of driving Afghanistan toward collapse through forced displacement, land seizures and the resettlement of outsiders in the country’s north and west. General Farid Ahmadi, who once led Afghanistan’s special forces, said the Taliban’s policies have inflamed ethnic hostilities and placed national unity at risk.
Afghanistan International: Hezb-e-Islami leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar has accused the Taliban of pursuing a policy of hostility toward all political groups, warning that Afghanistan lacks national unity under their rule. In a series of posts on X on Monday, Hekmatyar questioned whether Afghans could agree on a “national covenant” that would provide a unified and inclusive