KUNDUZ — Days after the Taliban captured a remote district in Afghanistan’s north, they issued their first orders in the form of a letter to the local imam. The insurgents also banned smoking, he added, and warned that anybody violating the rules “will be seriously dealt with”. The Taliban are making huge advances across the […]
Asia
More than 1,000 Afghan troops flee Taliban into Tajikistan
DUSHANBE — More than 1,000 Afghan troops fled into neighbouring Tajikistan in the early hours of Monday after clashes with the Taliban, the Central Asian country’s national security committee said. Taliban militants have launched several major offensives in northern Afghanistan in recent weeks as US and international troops withdraw from the country, including seizing its […]
Philippine military plane crashes, 45 dead, 49 rescued
MANILA — A Philippine air force C-130 aircraft carrying combat troops assigned to fight Muslim militants crashed and exploded while landing in the south Sunday, killing at least 42 army soldiers on board and three civilians on the ground in one of worst disasters in the air force’s history. At least 49 other soldiers were […]
Pakistan says India was behind June bomb blast in Lahore
KARACHI — Pakistan’s national security advisor has accused India of orchestrating last month’s deadly car bombing in the eastern city of Lahore, saying Sunday that an investigation has shown it was organized by an Indian intelligence operative. In a news conference in Islamabad, Moeed Yousuf said the probe showed that the man was an Indian […]
Pakistan’s Kashmir policy has weakened over course of time: Abdul Basit
KARACHI — Pakistan’s former ambassador Abdul Basit on Saturday said that he is not optimistic about the prospects of Pak-India relations, calling India a difficult country especially under the Modi regime. Also, he was of the view that the incumbent Pakistani government perceives no clear policy towards the long-standing Kashmir dispute at the moment. At […]
Pakistan gets 2.5 million doses of Moderna Covid-19 vaccine from US
ISLAMABAD — Pakistan received 2.5 million doses of the Moderna vaccine from the United States on Friday, easing pressure on Islamabad in overcoming the shortage of COVID-19 vaccines. According to a US embassy statement, the vaccines were delivered to the Pakistani people in partnership with the COVAX global vaccine initiative, UNICEF, and the government of Pakistan. It says […]
Pakistanis overwhelmingly prayed for India at COVID-19 peak: Study
ISLAMABAD — Most Pakistanis expressed supportive sentiments towards their Indian neighbours when the latter was reeling under a severe second Covid-19 wave, said an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven study. The research focused on tweets expressing kindness, empathy and solidarity. It found out that most tweets that were posted by Pakistani citizens between 21 April and 4 […]
Pakistan not to give its bases to US after its troops exit Afghanistan
ISLAMABAD — In a bold decision, Pakistan has decided and announced that it will not provide any bases on its soil to the US to operate from, after its troops exit Afghanistan. The decision came after the briefing of the National Security Committee, which was attended by senior members of the Parliament from both the […]
Pakistan accepts Chinese version on Uighur Muslims, says Imran Khan
ISLAMABAD — Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday said that Pakistan accepted Beijing’s version regarding the treatment of Uighurs in China’s Xinjiang province. Speaking to Chinese journalists on Thursday as Beijing marked the centenary of the ruling Communist Party, the cricketer turned politician said that the Chinese version was completely different from what was […]
Pakistan would not restore ties with India until New Delhi reverses its decision on Kashmir: Imran Khan
ISLAMABAD — Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Wednesday that Pakistan would not restore diplomatic ties with India until New Delhi revokes its decision of scrapping the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. India abrogated the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 on August 5, 2019 and bifurcated it into two Union […]








