Rashid Khan
Ariana: Gujarat Titans’ stand-in skipper Rashid Khan was thrilled with his team’s performance on Sunday after they thrashed Chennai Super Kings in their Indian Premier League (IPL) clash. Click here to read more (external link).
Other Cricket News
8am: Taliban fighters force the residents of Helmand province to provide them with food supply under the pretext of Tithes and Zakat. The Taliban is the first self-proclaimed and weapon oriented government who consider the people being responsible to feed their fighters, using the logic of baseless religious decrees. Click here to read more (external link).
Ariana: The Deputy Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Defense, Mali Khan, visited families of victims of Pakistani airstrikes in Khost on Monday and said they have strengthened Afghanistan’s borders with more troops, weapons and equipment. During the visit Khan urged the families of victims to be patient but said no military order has been given in terms of responding to the airstrikes. Click here to read more (external link).
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By RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal
April 17, 2022
Islamabad has urged the Taliban-led government in Kabul to take “stern actions” against militants launching cross-border attacks on Pakistan, a day after the Taliban accused Pakistan of carrying out deadly air strikes inside Afghanistan.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on April 17 that its security forces are being increasingly targeted by “terrorist” attacks launched from Afghanistan.
“Pakistan, once again, strongly condemns terrorists operating with impunity from Afghan soil to carry out activities in Pakistan,” the statement said.
On April 16, Taliban officials summoned Pakistan’s ambassador to Kabul to protest over air strikes purportedly carried out by Pakistan in Afghanistan’s southeastern Khost and eastern Kunar provinces.
Tribal elders and eyewitnesses said more than 30 people, mostly civilians, were killed in the air strikes.
On April 17, Shabir Ahmad Osmani, director of information and culture in Khost, told AFP that “41 civilians, mainly women and children, were killed and 22 others were wounded in air strikes by Pakistani forces near the Durand line in Khost Province.”
The death toll cannot be independently verified.
The Afghan news channel TOLOnews showed images of children’s bodies it said were killed in the air strikes. TOLOnews also showed protests by hundreds of Khost residents condemning Pakistan and shouting anti-Pakistan slogans.
Islamabad has so far refused to comment on the Afghan allegations. Earlier, the Pakistani Embassy in Kabul denied Pakistan was behind the attack.
On April 14, seven Pakistani soldiers were killed in the border area of North Waziristan, the Foreign Ministry statement said. North Waziristan borders Khost, where the air strikes are said to have taken place the following day.
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) expressed concern over the incident.
“UNAMA is deeply concerned by reports of civilian casualties, including women and children, as a result of airstrikes in Khost & Kunar provinces,” it said, adding that it was working to establish the facts and verify losses.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid warned Islamabad of “bad consequences” if there was a repeat. But he did not elaborate on the consequences, or the numbers of people killed.
“The Pakistani side should know that if a war starts it will not be in the interest of any side,” Mujahid said.
The Taliban denies harboring Pakistani militant groups such as the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, also known as the Pakistani Taliban, which operates across the porous border with Afghanistan.
Militant attacks in Pakistan have been on the rise since the Taliban took power in Afghanistan in August 2021. The attacks have been claimed either by the Pakistani Taliban or by an Islamic State group affiliate, which has strongholds in Afghanistan, but against whom the Taliban has been fighting.
In the first three months of this year, Pakistan saw 52 attacks by militants, compared with 35 in the same period last year, said Amir Rana, executive director of the Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies, an independent think tank that monitors militant activity in Pakistan.
So far this year, 155 people have been killed in such attacks in Pakistan, compared with 68 last year.
With reporting by AFP and Reuters
8am: A number of Qaim’s relatives have confirmed that he was killed by the Taliban on charges of being Andrabi, and there are signs of torture on his body. Based on the recent report published by The New York Times with the help of Hasht-e Subh, around 500 security forces of the former government are detained, tortured, and killed by the Taliban rebels throughout the country. Click here to read more (external link).
Pakistan’s invasion of Afghanistan is a direct consequence of a proxy & terrorist group hijacking a country & lacking the will & aim to protect Afg’s territorial integrity & national sovereignty. All of Afg’s citizens must join the @nrfafg’s struggle for independence & freedom!
— Ali Maisam Nazary (@alinazary) April 17, 2022
8am: Following the widespread national and international reactions to the Pakistani military’s airstrikes on the eastern and southeastern provinces of Khost and Kunar, the National Resistance Front (NRF) has called the attacks a clear violation of Afghanistan’s sovereignty. Click here to read more (external link).
Ariana: Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB) officials said that $32 million in cash aid arrived in Kabul on Sunday. The central bank officials said that the cash was immediately transferred to the Afghanistan International Bank (AIB). Click here to read more (external link).
Shehbaz Sharif
Michael Hughes: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government is likely to push Islamabad toward a more Western-friendly posture, including alignment with U.S. counter-terrorism efforts in the region and within Afghanistan. In addition, Pakistan’s new regime, with Washington’s help, hopes to improve Islamabad’s ties with New Delhi.
However, it is impossible to predict if and to what extent Imran Khan could haunt and undermine Sharif’s designs given his influence among large swathes of the Pakistani populace. Even if he does not rise again to become prime minister, Khan’s voice will remain loud as the people’s defender against Western imperialism. He has also proven adept at fueling significant anti-government unrest.
8am: Taliban’s General Amnesty is nothing more than a trap to trace the former security forces, misusing it as a measure for gaining political favors. They have failed to respect this and have been violating human rights since they have gained power. Click here to read more (external link).
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