Ariana: Former U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad has questioned whether Pakistan pursued a “double game” during the war in Afghanistan, following recent remarks by Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif about Islamabad’s role after the September 11 attacks. Speaking in Pakistan’s parliament, Asif said the country had effectively “rented itself to the United
Amu: Speaking during a session of Pakistan’s National Assembly on Monday, Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said Pakistan’s participation in wars linked to Afghanistan, beginning during the Cold War and continuing after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, was a strategic choice made to secure international support, particularly from the United States. “We did not enter
Amu: Pakistan’s defense minister said internal divisions within the Taliban have contributed to Pakistan’s deteriorating security situation and regional instability, adding that the Taliban have failed to provide Islamabad with concrete assurances on curbing militancy. Khawaja Muhammad Asif said the Taliban were split into rival factions based in Kabul and Kandahar, with differing approaches to
Amu: Afghanistan’s former vice president Amrullah Saleh said on Tuesday that the United States transferred tens of millions of dollars in cash to the Taliban this month, an allegation that neither US nor Taliban officials have publicly confirmed. Saleh said in a post on X that the United States handed over $45 million in cash
Afghanistan International: In a statement issued Sunday, January 25, the council said it does not consider the Taliban administration’s penal code to be consistent with Islamic principles, adding that parts of it resemble what it described as Hindu teachings. The council also criticised what it described as the division of society into “slaves” and “free
Amu: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Friday that Islamabad has “complete evidence” of close ties between the Tehreek-e-Taliban Afghanistan (TTA) and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). “There is a close relationship between the TTP and the TTA. You say there is no link, but we have complete evidence,” Sharif told a meeting of religious
Ariana: Pakistan has emerged as the country most affected by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s return to power in 2021, according to a new report by the International Crisis Group (ICG), as cited by Pakistani daily Dawn. The Brussels-based independent think tank warns that relations between Kabul and Islamabad have sharply deteriorated, raising the risk
The Diplomat: Last week, as the Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid triumphantly declared 2025 “a year of diplomatic success,” the claim was received with predictable laud from the movement’s echo chambers. But to anyone observing Afghanistan with even minimal distance from the Taliban’s propaganda, the opposite is true. Far from consolidating power or gaining legitimacy, the
Amu: Pakistan’s defense minister warned that Islamabad is fully prepared to confront both the Taliban and India at the same time, saying the Taliban were no longer trustworthy due to their ties with India and militant groups. Khawaja Asif said in an interview that his earlier optimism about the Taliban after they returned to power
Amu: Taliban chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has accused Pakistan of seeking to destabilise Afghanistan in coordination with major powers, including the United States, as relations between the two sides remain strained despite multiple rounds of talks. He linked the allegation to renewed US statements about Afghanistan’s former Bagram air base, adding: “When the United States