-
ALSO READ
US tells Taliban not to hinder military's evacuation from Kabul
Will Kerala Cabinet formation be a bother for Pinarayi Vijayan?
India vs Afghanistan highlights: India 1 | 1 Afghanistan at full time
The Taliban: what could its return to power mean for Afghanistan?
In Kabul, a fearful wait for United States to deliver on evacuation vow
-
The Taliban have appointed a new finance minister, an intelligence chief, and an acting interior minister in Afghanistan, the Pajhwok news agency reported on Tuesday.
It said Gul Agha would be the finance minister and Sadr Ibrahim would be the acting interior minister. Najibullah would be intelligence chief, while Mullah Shirin would be Kabul governor and Hamdullah Nomani the mayor of the capital. The Taliban appointed an obscure official as acting central bank governor as signs emerge of a financial crunch in Afghanistan, with ATMs running out of cash and prices of essential goods spiraling.
Mohammad Idris, who headed the Taliban’s economic commission, will “address the looming banking issues and the problems of the people” as head of Da Afghanistan Bank, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed said on Twitter.
‘No evacuation extension’
Afghanistan's new Taliban rulers said on Tuesday they wanted all foreign evacuations from the country completed by an August 31 deadline and they would not agree to an extension.
The Taliban's Mujahid said the group had not agreed to an extension of the deadline and it wanted all foreign evacuations to be completed by August 31.
He also called on the United States not to encourage Afghan people to leave their homeland.
Taliban also added that the group is no longer allowing Afghan nationals to go to Kabul airport and called on crowds at the airport to go home.
News agency AFP also reported that the Taliban have asked the US to stop evacuating skilled Afghans.
CIA director meets Taliban leader
US President Joe Biden sent CIA Director William Burns to meet Taliban leader Abdul Ghani Baradar in Kabul on Monday in the highest-level official encounter since the militant group took over the Afghan capital, a US official and a source familiar with government activity told Reuters on Tuesday.
Pak urges ‘inclusive’ deal with Taliban
Pakistan's foreign minister said on Tuesday that an inclusive political settlement is the best way forward for peace and stability in Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover. Pakistan fully supports efforts in that direction, he added.
UK to discuss criminalising entering Afghanistan: Report
The British government will discuss proposals to blacklist Afghanistan, which would allow its authorities to jail people for up to 10 years if they were proven to have visited the outlawed territory, The Telegraph newspaper reported.
“We're looking at every option available at this stage about how we proceed in the future. This is one of the options”, the newspaper quoted a source as saying. The proposals will be discussed later this week.
Dear Reader,
Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.
We, however, have a request.
As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.
Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.
Digital Editor
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU