Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has condemned the burning of the Holy Quran in Sweden and called on Swedish authorities to “severely punish perpetrators”. In a statement issued by the ministry of foreign affairs, the IEA said Swedish authorities must “severely punish perpetrators of this act and … prevent such incidents that desecrate Islamic sanctities from occuring”. The IEA stated: […]

The United States is working with Pakistan to bring about a more stable, secure and prosperous Afghanistan that respects the fundamental rights of all Afghans, including minorities and women, US State Department spokesman Ned Price said on Monday. Addressing a news briefing in Washington, Price said: “We view Pakistan as an important stakeholder, an important partner, with whom we are […]

The Ministry of Defense said that an Afghan air force pilot who fled to the United States returned to the country on Tuesday in order to serve his homeland. Suhrabuddin Sahak, the pilot who returned home, says he fled to the US after recent developments but has since decided to return home. Sahak also called on his former colleagues to […]

Pakistan fired off a sharp warning Sunday to Afghanistan’s hard-line religious rulers to stop sheltering homegrown Pakistani Taliban militants who have staged increasingly deadly attacks against the country’s military. The warning followed Afghan reports that Pakistani aircraft late Friday carried out bombing raids in Afghanistan’s eastern Khost and Kunar provinces, killing civilians. Pakistan has so far refused to comment on […]

Militants ambushed a Pakistani military convoy in a former stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban near the Afghan border, triggering an intense shootout in which seven soldiers and four insurgents were killed, the military said Friday. A statement from the military said the ambush took place on Thursday in North Waziristan, a district in the volatile northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. There […]

Whether or not China plans to invade Taiwan now, it is time for the United States to ditch decades of misguided policy. Among other things, Washington should, on an emergency basis, begin arming the island with the weapons it urgently needs. Unfortunately, Xi Jinping, the extraordinarily ambitious and bold Chinese ruler, may feel encouraged by recent events in Eastern Europe. […]

Pakistan has decided to grant a two month extension to India for the transportation overland of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. In a statement on Sunday, the Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman said the extension was granted “as a manifestation of their sincere efforts towards addressing the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan”. This comes after India recently requested an extension to transport the […]

Afghanistan’s Passport Directorate said Monday it hopes to reduce overcrowding at its offices and will issue passports from now on that are valid for ten years. In the past, applicants could apply for a passport valid for either five or ten years. According to the directorate, this applies to all passport holders over the age of 15. However, minors, under […]

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. The Ministry of Defense says that Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) forces are ready to defend their country against any threat and that there […]

Since I am originally from Pakistan and have been teaching interdisciplinary studies (including political science) at City College of San Francisco, I have been following the developments there with great interest and concern, both from professional and personal points of view. For brevity and clarity, I am itemizing my impressions as follows: From the reports available so far, it seems […]