Page 9 - Afghanistan

Tourists trickling into Afghanistan, Taliban govt eager to welcome them

By plane, motorbike, camper van and even on bicycles, tourists are beginning to discover Afghanistan, with solo travellers and tour groups gradually venturing into a country that until recently was wracked by war. And the country's Taliban government, which seized power more than three years ago but has yet to be formally recognised by any other nation, is more than happy to welcome them. The Afghan people are warm and welcoming and wish to host tourists from other countries and engage with them, Deputy Minister of Tourism Qudratullah Jamal told The Associated Press in an early June interview. Tourism brings many benefits to a country. We have considered those benefits and aim for our nation to take full advantage of them. A potentially lucrative industry Tourism is a vital, multi-billion-dollar industry for many countries. Afghanistan's isolation on the international stage, largely because of the Taliban's restrictions on women and girls, has left much of its 41 million people m

At least 1.2 mn Afghans forced to return from Iran, Pakistan this year: UN

At least 1.2 million Afghans have been forced to return from Iran and Pakistan this year, the UN refugee agency said Saturday, warning that repatriations on a massive scale have the potential to destabilise the fragile situation in Afghanistan. Iran and Pakistan in 2023 launched separate campaigns to expel foreigners they said were living in the country illegally. They set deadlines and threatened them with deportation if they didn't leave. The two governments deny targeting Afghans, who have fled their homeland to escape war, poverty or Taliban rule. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees said that of the 1.2 million returning Afghans, more than half had come from Iran following a March 20 government deadline for them to leave voluntarily or face expulsion. Iran has deported more than 366,000 Afghans this year, including refugees and people in refugee-like situations, according to the agency. Iran's 12-day war war with Israel also has driven departures. The highest number of return

India backs Afghan peace, remains top regional partner: Rajnath at SCO meet

Underscoring India's civilisational values and global vision, Singh highlighted the country's efforts to build consensus in tackling global challenges through cooperation

Donald Trump's new travel ban takes effect: Here's what we know so far

Trump's travel ban targeting 12 nations takes effect today; administration cites national security threats, sparking legal battles and criticism over immigration enforcement

Earthquake of magnitude 3.8 jolts Afghanistan, no damage reported yet

Afghanistan has a history of powerful earthquakes, and the Hindu Kush Mountain range is a geologically active area where quakes occur every year, according to the Red Cross

Taliban offers amnesty, urges Afghans in exile to return home safely

A top Taliban official said on Saturday that all Afghans who fled the country after the collapse of the former Western-backed government are free to return home, promising they would not be harmed if they come back. Taliban Prime Minister Mohammad Hassan Akhund made the amnesty offer in his message for the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha, also known as the Feast of Sacrifice. The offer comes days after US President Donald Trump announced a sweeping travel ban on 12 countries, including Afghanistan. The measure largely bars Afghans hoping to resettle in the United States permanently as well as those hoping to go to the US temporarily, such as for university study. Trump also suspended a core refugee programme in January, all but ending support for Afghans who had allied with the US and leaving tens of thousands of them stranded. Afghans in neighbouring Pakistan who are awaiting resettlement are also dealing with a deportation drive. Almost a million have left Pakistan since October

Why is India reopening doors to the Taliban, and what does it really mean

Opening up to the Taliban is tough for New Delhi, which backed Afghanistan's democratic state. Many here resent West for withdrawing support in 2021 and ignoring Pakistan's role in sustaining Taliban

India resumes issuing visas to Afghan nationals after 5-year freeze

New visa portal open for Afghan businesspeople, artists, and dependents; move follows diplomatic engagement with the Taliban

China, Pakistan to expand CPEC to Afghanistan for development, stability

According to Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the three foreign ministers "reaffirmed" that their trilateral cooperation seeks to enhance regional security and economic connectivity.

Hegseth orders review of Afghanistan withdrawal, Kabul airport bombing

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered another review of the U.S. military's chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, and of the suicide bombing at the Kabul airport that killed American troops and Afghans. President Donald Trump and Hegseth have repeatedly blasted the Biden administration for the withdrawal, which Hegseth said Tuesday was disastrous and embarrassing. He said the new review will interview witnesses, analyze the decision-making and get the truth. There have already been multiple reviews of the withdrawal by the Pentagon, U.S. Central Command, the State Department and Congress, which have involved hundreds of interviews and studies of videos, photographs and other footage and data. It's unclear what specific new information the new review is seeking. The Abbey Gate bombing during the final days of the Afghanistan withdrawal killed 13 U.S. service members and 170 Afghans, and wounded scores more. It triggered widespread debate and congressional criticism, fuele

S Jaishankar holds first-ever call with Afghan FM

For the first time since Taliban took charge of Afghanistan, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held talks with Afghanistan’s Taliban-appointed Foreign Minister.

Jaishankar speaks to Afghan FM, thanks him for condemning Pahalgam attack

India on Thursday welcomed Kabul's firm rejection of attempts to create distrust between India and Afghanistan during a phone conversation between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. In the first publicly acknowledged phone conversation, Jaishankar also "deeply" appreciated Muttaqi's condemnation of the Pahalgam terror attack. "Welcomed his firm rejection of recent attempts to create distrust between India and Afghanistan through false and baseless reports," Jaishankar said, in an apparent reference to a report in a section of the Pakistani media that claimed India had "hired" the Taliban to carry out a "false flag" operation at Pahalgam. "Underlined our traditional friendship with the Afghan people and continuing support for their development needs. Discussed ways and means of taking cooperation forward," he added. The external affairs minister described the conversation as "good". India has not yet recognised the Taliban .

4.6 magnitude earthquake strikes Pakistan; third seismic event in 3 days

A 4.6 magnitude earthquake strikes Pakistan days after twin weekend tremors; no damage reported, but experts flag rising seismic activity in the region

Afghan defence ministry rejects Pak claims about Indian missile strikes

Afghanistan and India reject Pakistan's claims of Indian missile strikes on Afghan territory, calling them baseless and part of a broader misinformation campaign by Pakistani state agencies

Pakistan losing Rs 3.4 trn due to misuse of Afghan Transit Trade facility

Pakistan is losing Rs 3.4 trillion, including a nearly 30 per cent loss because of misuse of the Afghan Transit Trade facility due to illicit trade, according to a report. The losses estimated by the Policy Research Institute of Market Economy (PRIME) in its report titled "Combatting Illicit Trade in Pakistan" are equal to 26 per cent of this fiscal year's annual tax target, reported The Express Tribune newspaper. The report estimates an annual tax revenue loss of Rs 3.4 trillion on account of an estimated USD 123 billion informal economy, according to the report released on Thursday. It underlined that the illicit trade has emerged as a critical challenge for Pakistan's economy, undermining formal businesses, eroding government revenues, and jeopardising consumer safety. From smuggled petroleum and counterfeit pharmaceuticals to non-tax-paid cigarettes and under-invoiced consumer goods, illicit trade has entrenched itself across key sectors, it added. The country's intelligence a

Senior Indian diplomat holds talks with Taliban's acting foreign minister

India's point-person on Afghanistan Anand Prakash held talks with Taliban's acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and discussed political and trade issues, Afghan media reported on Sunday. In the meeting held in Kabul, the acting foreign minister emphasised the expansion of political and economic relations with India, Tolo news reported. Muttaqi emphasised the increase in diplomatic and economic relations between the two countries and added Indian investors should take advantage of opportunities to invest in Afghanistan, the media outlet said quoting an Afghan spokesperson. The visit by Prakash, the joint secretary heading the division for Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran in the Ministry of External Affairs, comes amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan over the Pahalgam terror attack. It is not known whether the issue figured in Prakash-Muttaqi talks. India has not yet recognised the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and has been pitching for the formation of a truly inclus

Pakistan, Afghanistan vow to prevent terror attacks from their territories

Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed on Saturday to not allow the use of their territories for any terror attacks against each other as the leaders of the two nations met in Kabul to rebuild ties unsettled due to militancy and expulsion of Afghan refugees. The agreement was reached during the daylong visit of the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar to Afghanistan where he met Afghanistan's top leadership and discussed key topics of mutual interest. Dar called on Acting Afghan Prime Minister Mullah Muhammad Hassan Akhund and also held delegation-level talks with Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, who had invited him for the visit. Dar's day-long visit comes amid an intensified drive against illegal Afghan refugees, with Pakistan making it clear that the only way for Afghans to stay in the country was to have entered legally with a visa, and growing tensions rooted in Islamabad's security concerns. Addressing a press conference after the talks, Dar said that the .

5.8-magnitude quake in Afghanistan shakes J-K, no casualties reported

A moderate-intensity earthquake with its epicentre in Afghanistan shook Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, officials said and added there were no reports of any loss of life or damage to property. A 5.8-magnitude quake hit the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border region, with the epicentre at a longitude of 71.20 degrees east and a latitude of 36.10 degrees north, at a depth of 130 kilometres, the officials said. The National Center for Seismology said the epicentre was 396 kilometres northwest of Srinagar. The tremors were felt in Jammu and Kashmir as well, sparking panic among the public, the officials said.

Pak deputy PM visits Kabul as crackdown on Afghan refugees intensifies

Pakistan announced to further tighten the noose around Afghan refugees as Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Saturday began his day-long maiden trip to Kabul to reset the frayed ties. Dar, who is also the foreign minister, would hold delegation-level talks with Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi after he was invited by his counterpart for the visit. According to the Foreign Office, Dar would also call on Acting Prime Minister Mullah Hassan Akhund and meet Acting Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. A high-level delegation accompanied Dar and his parleys would cover the entire gamut of Pak-Afghan relationship, focusing on ways and means to deepen cooperation in all areas of mutual interests, including security, trade, connectivity, and people-to-people ties. The trip came as a drive against illegal Afghan refugees intensified, with Pakistan making it clear that the only way for Afghans to stay in the country was to have entered legally with a

Imran Khan lambasts Pak govt for mistreatment of Afghan nationals

Pakistan's jailed former prime minister Imran Khan has lambasted the Shehbaz Sharif-government for mistreatment of Afghan nationals saying, the current anti-Afghanistan policy will only breed more resentment and escalate terrorism in the country. The ongoing treatment of Afghan refugees is nothing short of disgraceful. The ruling mafia, desperate to cling to power, will stop at nothing. The current anti-Afghanistan policy will only breed more resentment and escalate terrorism, Khan, 72, said in a post on X on Thursday. The Pakistan government is currently deporting illegal and undocumented Afghans. Around 15,000 Afghan nationals have been deported from the Punjab province alone since March 31 deadline for them to return voluntarily.