The UK says thousands of Afghans have been brought to Britain under a secret resettlement program
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Arab News
44 minutes ago
- Arab News
UK to hold inquiry into miners strike ‘Battle of Orgreave' four decades on
LONDON: Britain said on Monday it would hold an inquiry into the 'Battle of Orgreave,' a violent confrontation between police and striking coal miners in 1984 at the height of a year-long industrial dispute with Margaret Thatcher's government. More than 5,000 striking miners clashed with a similar number of riot police who had been drafted in from across the country at the Orgreave coking plant near Sheffield in northern England. It was one of the most violent scenes witnessed during a British industrial dispute, and also a pivotal moment in the strike, launched against Thatcher's moves to close money-losing pits. The miners ultimately lost the broader fight to save their industry. The police have long faced accusations of brutality and using excessive violence at Orgreave on June 18, 1984. TV footage showed charges by officers on horseback and one miner being repeatedly struck on the head with a baton. More than 120 people were injured and 95 miners initially arrested and charged with riot and violent disorder. Those charges were all later dropped after the evidence was dismissed. Campaigners have for years demanded to know who was responsible for the deployment of the large number of police and their tactics, as well as what happened to some official documents. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper — Britain's interior minister whose Labour party was in opposition at the time of the strike — said an inquiry headed by Pete Wilcox, the Bishop of Sheffield, would be held to find out the truth. 'The violent scenes and subsequent prosecutions raised concerns that have been left unanswered for decades, and we must now establish what happened,' she said. Kate Flannery, the Orgreave Truth & Justice Campaign Secretary, said they needed to be sure that the inquiry had the powers to have unrestricted access to all government and police papers. 'We have waited a long time for this day and this is really positive news,' she said.
Arab News
7 hours ago
- Arab News
Islamabad, Kabul vow closer cooperation to tackle militancy, improve border management — FO
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Afghanistan have reaffirmed their commitment to countering militancy and improving border management, the Pakistani interior ministry said on Sunday, following a meeting between the two interior ministers in Kabul. Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived in Kabul on Sunday for a day-long visit to hold talks with Sirajuddin Haqqani, his counterpart in the Afghan interim government, days after top Pakistani officials visited Kabul to sign a framework agreement for a joint feasibility study on the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (UAP) Railway Project. Naqvi's visit also followed the inaugural additional secretary-level talks between both sides in Islamabad to discuss trade, visas, security, connectivity and refugee issues as well as a meeting of the Pakistani, Afghan and Chinese foreign ministers in Beijing, which resulted in the upgradation of Pakistan-Afghanistan diplomatic relations to the ambassador's rank. During their meeting, the Pakistani and Afghan interior ministers discussed bilateral relations and matters relating to the Pakistani Taliban and counter-terrorism, border management, narcotics control and the process of repatriation of Afghan citizens illegally residing in Pakistan, according to the Pakistani interior ministry. 'Both interior ministers emphasized the need for peaceful coexistence, stability, and cooperation,' the Pakistani ministry said in a statement. 'They agreed to strengthen mutual cooperation to eliminate the scourge of terrorism and Pak-Afghan border management.' The TTP, which mainly operates in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that borders Afghanistan, has stepped up its attacks against Pakistani security forces and law enforcers in recent months. Islamabad has often said the group has sanctuaries in Afghanistan, an allegation denied by Kabul. Naqvi said militant groups were causing chaos and instability in the region, and that Pakistan wishes brotherly and lasting relations with Afghanistan, according to the statement. 'We have to stop it [militancy] together,' he was quoted as saying. 'Pakistan has selflessly hosted millions of Afghan refugees for decades, and its doors are open for the legal entry of Afghan citizens.' Pakistan this year said it wanted 3 million Afghans to leave the country, including 1.4 million people with Proof of Registration cards and some 800,000 with Afghan Citizen Cards. There are a further 1 million Afghans in the country illegally because they have no paperwork, according to officials. Analysts link the recent high-level engagements between Pakistan and Afghanistan to a growing effort toward regional peace, suggesting that the process should continue to address militancy, refugee resettlement, and broader bilateral cooperation. 'These continued high-level engagements are crucial for promoting peace in our surrounding, but they should not be one-off efforts, instead, a sustained and continuous process of engagement is needed,' former Pakistan foreign office spokesperson Dr. Nafees Zakaria told Arab News. 'Constructive engagement with Afghanistan is important to help stabilize the [security] situation, which is ultimately in Pakistan's interest,' he said, adding that it was essential for Kabul to not provide space to 'inferior elements' for bilateral relations to have a stable trajectory. Zakaria said both countries needed to consider all other aspects of their relationship, including cultural cooperation and refugee issues. 'They (Afghan refugees) are now returning to their country... their proper resettlement is crucial, otherwise, it could become a humanitarian catastrophe,' he said. Qamar Cheema, executive director of the Sanober Institute think tank that focuses on South Asia issues, said these continued engagements were essential to fill 'gaps' in bilateral relations between the two countries. 'Pakistan wants the Afghan Taliban to hold the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan accountable and for this matter, multiple means are being used, including the multilateral and or trilateral forum like Pakistan, Afghanistan and China,' he told Arab News. 'Pakistan is seeking further assurances and aims to persuade the Afghan Taliban to continue summoning the TTP leadership and issuing clear political statements in order to prevent the TTP from launching attacks or crossing the border into Pakistan.' Syed Muhammad Ali, an Islamabad-based analyst, said the visit follows a trilateral push for a trans-regional rail link that offers major benefits for war-torn Afghanistan. 'Sino-Pakistan offer to include Afghanistan in the multi-billion-dollar worth of CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor) reflects Islamabad's intent to offer lucrative geo-economic incentives to the Kabul administration,' he said. 'These incentives aim to encourage recognition of Pakistan's security concerns regarding terrorist organizations operating from Afghan soil and to reduce their space and capacity.'
Arab News
12 hours ago
- Arab News
UN warns British couple held by Taliban could die in custody as health deteriorates
LONDON: A panel of UN experts has warned that two elderly British citizens held by the Taliban without charge in Afghanistan are in such poor health they could die in custody, The Sunday Times reported. Peter Reynolds, 80, and his wife Barbie, 76, were arrested on Feb. 1 after disembarking from a domestic flight in Bamian province, where they had lived since 2009. No reason for their detention has been given. 'We see no reason why this elderly couple should be detained at all, and have requested an immediate review of the grounds of their detention,' said Alice Edwards, UN special rapporteur on torture. 'It is inhumane to keep them locked up in such degrading conditions and more worrying when their health is so fragile,' she added. The couple, who previously ran training programs and had remained in Afghanistan after the Taliban took power in 2021, have spent months in appalling conditions, first in the notorious Pul-e-Charki prison and later in an underground cell at the intelligence services headquarters. They now sleep on mats, without beds or furniture, and have limited access to phones. Peter, who suffered a mini-stroke in 2023, is believed to have had another stroke or silent heart attack in custody. Barbie is suffering dizzy spells and numbness linked to anemia. A UK Foreign Office official who visited last week saw Peter's face red and peeling, possibly due to a recurrence of skin cancer. 'Their physical and mental health is deteriorating rapidly,' Edwards said. 'Without access to adequate medical care they are at risk of irreparable harm or even death,' she added. 'We have been told we are guests of the government but this is no way to treat a guest,' Barbie told the visiting UK official. Peter said in a phone message to The Sunday Times that he was being kept in chains alongside serious offenders, calling it 'the nearest thing to Hell I can imagine.' He added: 'I've been joined up with rapists and murderers by handcuffs and ankle-cuffs, including a man who killed his wife and three children, shouting away.' Their daughter, Sarah Entwistle, said: 'Mum described dad's rapidly deteriorating health. It's incredibly worrying.' She added: 'They need urgent medical attention. Dad desperately needs to be seen by a hospital. Surely the Taliban don't want his death on their hands. It's a ticking time bomb.' The UN statement said: 'Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds were reportedly detained without formal charges, have had no access to effective legal assistance and only have very limited contact with their family by telephone.' Their children, who had planned a party in the US for Barbie's 80th birthday, have sent private letters and launched multiple appeals for their release. 'Enough is enough,' said Entwistle. 'It's been five months now.' The Taliban have offered no formal explanation, though theories include suspicion over religious books, Barbie's teaching work or potential leverage to pressure the UK to reopen its Kabul embassy. Interrogations of 30 staff and friends reportedly found no wrongdoing, and Peter said he and Barbie were asked to thumbprint a nine-page CID report stating no crime had been identified. Edwards also expressed concern that a recent data leak involving Afghan nationals who worked with the British military could complicate the couple's situation. 'The Taliban may try to use them as a bargaining chip,' she said. Despite visits from a UK envoy and some medical aid, efforts to secure the Reynolds' release are complicated by the lack of a British diplomatic presence in Afghanistan. Qatar, which maintains relations with the Taliban, is reportedly attempting to mediate.
