Sharafat Parwani
Khaama: Popular Afghan singer Sharafat Parwani is at the center of a heated social media debate after confirming his second marriage while his first wife and children remain in Afghanistan. The controversy erupted after Parwani spoke with Nazira Karimi, a well-known Afghan-American journalist and social media activist, revealing that he had married an Afghan woman in the United States. Click here to read more (external link).
Amu: More than two years after the Taliban’s 2022 ban on narcotics, poppy cultivation levels in Afghanistan remain historically low, but opium continues to be grown, cultivated, and sold in some areas, according to a new report from the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR). SIGAR also noted that while Afghanistan has seen a reduction in opium production, the country continues to produce far more methamphetamine than what is seized by authorities downstream. Click here to read more (external link).
Afghanistan International: Ali Akbar Pourjamshidian, the Deputy Minister of Security and Police of the Islamic Republic of Iran announced that despite the Taliban’s ban on the cultivation of narcotics, the smuggling of these drugs to Iran continues. Pourjamshidian said that smugglers in Afghanistan continue to maintain their drug stockpiles. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News: US Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) has introduced a bill to prevent the Islamic Emirate from accessing American funds through the United Nations. According to this bill, US aid sent via the UN will be subject to the US State Department’s guarantee that Washington’s cash assistance will not be included in UN humanitarian shipments to Afghanistan. Click here to read more (external link).
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Shapoor Zadran
Ariana: Afghanistan left-arm fast bowler Shapoor Zadran has announced his retirement from international cricket. Zadran retires following a distinguished career that spanned for more than 10 years, with the veteran pacer playing a major role in the rise of Afghanistan cricket. A mainstay in the initial stages of Afghanistan’s cricketing journey, Zadran featured in three ICC Men’s T20 World Cup campaigns and was the hero of the side’s first-ever victory at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2015 when he hit the winning runs against Scotland in Dunedin. Click here to read more (external link).
Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai
Afghanistan International: Three reliable sources told Afghanistan International that they met Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, the Taliban’s deputy foreign minister, in the city of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE). He was supposed to be arrested and hence, left Kabul. Other sources had previously said that Stanekzai was supposed to be tried in a military court. According to information provided by these sources to Afghanistan International, Mullah Baradar, Sirajuddin Haqqani, and Mawlawi Yaqoob asked Hibatullah Akhundzada to pardon Stanekzai, but the Taliban leader strongly opposed this request and insisted that he should be imprisoned. Click here to read more (external link).
Taliban militants (file photo)
Amu: Public employees in Taliban-controlled institutions say they have not received their overdue salaries for nearly two months, compounding financial hardships amid economic uncertainty. With the suspension of U.S. aid, Afghanistan’s currency has fluctuated sharply, with the exchange rate exceeding 80 Afghanis per U.S. dollar in recent days. Meanwhile, public employees are raising concerns over mounting economic pressure as wages remain unpaid. Some employees told Amu TV that they were informed their salaries could be delayed for one to two months. However, nearly two months have already passed since their last paycheck. Click here to read more (external link).
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Amu: Afghanistan has unveiled a new jersey for the 2025 Champions Trophy, drawing inspiration from the country’s rich cultural heritage and historic landmarks. The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) described the jersey as a blend of Naskh calligraphy and geometric patterns from the Jam Minaret, an 800-year-old UNESCO World Heritage site in Ghor Province. Click here to read more (external link).
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