Latest news with #AfghanTaliban
The Diplomat
16-07-2025
- Business
- The Diplomat
Pakistan-Afghanistan Trade Grows Amid Security Challenges
Political and security hurdles, particularly TTP-related violence, continue to prevent the two countries from realizing the full potential of bilateral trade. Trucks carrying goods on the road from Jamrud in Pakistan to the Torkham Border Crossing on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. In an encouraging development, bilateral trade volume between Pakistan and Afghanistan reached nearly $1 billion in the first half of 2025, according to a report from the Afghan Ministry of Industry and Commerce. The growth was driven by strong Pakistani exports to Afghanistan, which mainly included medical supplies, parboiled rice, sugar, cotton textiles, and raw materials. While this marks an increase in trade between the two neighbors, it is not the first time that bilateral trade has reached this level in recent years. Besides, the current trade relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan is way below potential. It is estimated that the trade could grow to $8 to 10 billion annually if obstacles could be overcome. While recent trade growth shows mutual demand from both sides, the persistent militant attacks by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have become a significant obstacle to strengthening trade and economic relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The issue of terror remains a central concern for Pakistan when it comes to its relationship with Afghanistan, including trade talks. According to a Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies report, Pakistan faced 521 terror attacks in 2024 — a 70 percent increase over the previous year. These attacks claimed nearly 1,000 lives across Pakistan. In the first six months of 2025, the TTP claimed responsibility for more than 1,300 terror attacks in Pakistan, which resulted in over 1,600 casualties. Arguably, terrorism is one of the major reasons why Pakistan and Afghanistan have not made significant progress in trade dealings. In a policy shift in 2023, Pakistan imposed a 10 percent fee on goods imported by Afghanistan using its ports. The move was seen as Pakistan using its economic leverage against the Afghan Taliban to push Kabul to act against terrorist groups operating from Afghanistan. The existing modest growth in bilateral trade also coincides with the cautious easing of tensions between the two countries. In recent months, there have been visible efforts to improve the bilateral relationship. Much of this is being facilitated by the Chinese mediation that appears to have created space for high-level diplomatic engagement between the two countries. For instance, in May, the Pakistani government announced that it would appoint an ambassador to Afghanistan. This is the first such appointment by Pakistan since the Afghan Taliban seized control of Kabul in 2021. A turning point in this regard occurred in April 2025, when Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar visited Afghanistan. This was the first high-level visit from Pakistan after more than two years. Last month, China, Pakistan, and Afghanistan signed an agreement to extend the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) into Afghanistan. It appears that Pakistan and China are focusing on trade discussions to motivate the Afghan Taliban to put pressure on the TTP and other militant groups. Such a course of action could potentially create economic space for the Afghan Taliban and pave the way for wider international recognition of their government. In recent days, the ongoing diplomatic thaw between Pakistan and Afghanistan has fueled speculation that Pakistan might be considering formally recognizing the Taliban government. This idea has gained attention, especially after Russia decided earlier this month to recognize the Taliban government in Afghanistan, becoming the first to do so. However, Pakistan has not issued any statement that could strengthen this speculation. From Pakistan's perspective, the country's security concerns, especially TTP activities, must be addressed before any such step is taken. Pakistan has consistently claimed that the Afghan Taliban provide logistical and operational support to TTP fighters. The latest report of the U.N. Security Council's sanctions monitoring team revealed the Afghan Taliban's continued support for the TTP in Pakistan. The report said that 'the status and strength of TTP in Afghanistan had not changed,' but its attacks on Pakistan have significantly increased. Afghan Taliban authorities recently announced plans to move thousands of Pakistani refugees away from border provinces. The Afghan Taliban usually refer to Pakistani refugees to describe those related to the TTP and their families. It is possible that during his recent visit to Afghanistan, Dar requested Afghanistan to relocate TTP elements. However, the implementation of these plans remains uncertain as the Afghan Taliban continue to deny and reject all reports and claims related to the TTP's presence in Afghanistan. The $1 billion in bilateral trade over the last six months reflects a shared economic interest and a lot of potential that needs to be tapped. However, the existing political hurdles, particularly TTP-related violence, continue to pose significant challenges to the true potential of bilateral trade. For now, the path to stability regarding the Afghanistan-Pakistan relationship depends on continued trade, ongoing dialogue, and TTP containment. This noticeable increase in bilateral trade, while encouraging, may not contribute to determining the future of bilateral relations so long as terrorism remains a major concern.
Express Tribune
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Widening diplomatic space for Taliban 2.0
Listen to article On July 3, Russia became the first country to formally recognise the Taliban regime as a legitimate government. China welcomed the Russian move but adopted a cautious approach of not going beyond maintaining contacts with Kabul. Other countries like Iran, Pakistan, Uzbekistan and India also possess ties with the Taliban regime short of granting diplomatic legitimacy. So far 17 countries have established embassies in Kabul but except Russia, none has formally granted diplomatic recognition to Taliban 2.0. For the Afghan Taliban, the Russian diplomatic recognition is a big victory because so far Kabul has no representation in the UN. Recently the UN General Assembly also passed a resolution against the Taliban regime which was supported by Pakistan but not endorsed by India. From a pariah state and a source of international condemnation because of its repressive policies against women and girls, Taliban 2.0 failed to comply with the Doha Accord of 2020 which called for forming an inclusive government in Kabul. Since seizing power in August 2021, the Taliban regime is able to widen diplomatic space and seeking full control of Afghanistan. The first Taliban regime which ruled from 1996 and 2001 controlled 90% of Afghan territory and its writ was effectively challenged by the Northern Alliance. Russia is a permanent member of the UN Security Council and its granting of diplomatic recognition to Kabul means that Afghan Taliban will now try to extend their legitimate status. Russia as a successor state of the Soviet Union is however carrying the baggage of 10 years of its military intervention from 1979 and 1989 which devastated Afghanistan. According to the July 4, 2025 report of Brussels-based International Crisis Group (ICG), "The normalisation of diplomatic ties with the Taliban since their 2021 takeover has come gradually. China became the first country to accredit a Taliban diplomat as an ambassador in December 2023. Beijing was nonetheless quick to claim that this did not amount to diplomatic recognition. Since then, several other countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Türkiye and Pakistan, have upgraded diplomatic relations to ambassadorial level. So far no Western country has granted legitimacy to Taliban regime despite the fact that the Trump administration is in contact with Kabul on security issues." Facing threats from IS (K), Russia considers Taliban regime as a lesser evil and its natural ally. The ICG report further states, "Although it has been critical of the presence of transnational jihadist groups in Afghanistan, Moscow has found a willing partner in the Taliban in addressing the threat posed by Islamic State's Khorasan Province (IS-KP), which was involved in the March 2024 Crocus City Hall attack that killed 145 people. Moscow went on to remove the Taliban from its list of designated terrorist organisations in April 2025. Russian special envoy Zamir Kabulov stated that Afghan authorities will participate as a full member in the upcoming Moscow Format meeting — a regional forum for addressing concerns around the country." How is the Taliban regime, despite condemnation from human rights organisations, able to widen its diplomatic space? When Taliban rule is highly authoritarian in nature and prevents any dissent, how has it maintained peace in Afghanistan and given the impression to the outside world that it is focusing on development? Certainly, it is the ambition of Kabul to get maximum legitimacy without reforming its mode of governance, but in view of its rigid approach vis-à-vis women and opposition, it may not be able to achieve its objective so easily. The widening diplomatic space for the Taliban regime needs to be examined from three ways. First, the Afghan Taliban seem to be confident that after Russia's diplomatic recognition, other countries will follow suit. According to a BBC report of July 4, "Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said he hoped it would serve as an example to other countries, which have been reluctant to recognise a regime which implements a version of Sharia law along with severe restrictions on women and girls. Others have decried the move, with former Afghan politician Fawzia Koofi saying 'any move by any country to normalise relations with the Taliban will not bring peace it will legitimise impunity'." For those countries which have established diplomatic contacts with the Taliban regime despite legitimacy issue, it doesn't matter who rules Afghanistan. What matters is that Taliban government, despite its repressive policies, is a reality and controls the country. Economic, security and strategic interests in Afghanistan are more important than human rights violations by the Taliban regime and denial of a democratic mode of governance by Kabul. Critics argue that compromising on Taliban's exclusive form of government is a violation of Doha Accord which will further encourage the Islamic Emirate to deny women and opposition parties their legitimate rights. Second, Russia's diplomatic recognition of the Taliban regime will certainly push other countries to follow suit. In that case, voices of dissent against Taliban's denial of fundamental rights to girls and women will be further suppressed. It will create a bad precedent and deprive the people of Afghanistan of their democratic rights. When political opportunism on the part of some countries leads to diplomatic recognition to the once outlawed Taliban regime, it means political repressive regimes of North Korea and Myanmar will also get diplomatic space. Finally, so far Taliban rulers have been able to convince the world that they different from those of their leaders who ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001. Although, the Taliban regime is trying to argue that it is fighting the terrorist organisation IS-K, it doesn't mean that its links with TTP don't exist. Islamabad has repeatedly blamed the Afghan Taliban rulers for looking the other way as the TTP carries out terrorist activities inside Pakistan with Indian involvement. Henceforth, the Afghan Taliban's contradictory policy vis-à-vis Pakistan must not lead to Islamabad granting formal diplomatic recognition to Kabul. The only plausible solution to the Afghan predicament is to launch a political process leading to an inclusive mode of governance instead of granting diplomatic space to a regime which has violated Doha Accord and is in no mood to grant girls, women and opposition their legitimate rights.
India.com
13-07-2025
- Politics
- India.com
Why are India and Pakistan wooing Afghan Taliban? Islamic ties or development? Kabul is likely to choose...
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri in a meeting with Afghan Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. (File) India-Afghanistan relations: The Afghan Taliban, who seized power in Afghanistan after the 2021 US exit, was once reviled as a hostile force by regional and global powers, but ironically, the group is now being wooed by both India and Pakistan, and even China. Notably, neither India, nor Pakistan has formally recognized the Afghan Taliban regime, yet both New Delhi and Islamabad are making extensive efforts to enhance bilateral ties with Kabul, especially after the recent India-Pakistan conflict. Why India and Pakistan seek closer ties with Afghanistan? Afghanistan is strategically important for both India and Pakistan, and Kabul's importance has increased manifold after the recent India-Pakistan conflict, with both Islamabad and New Delhi now making moves to build closer relations with the ruling Afghan Taliban. Earlier this year, the Afghan Taliban issued an open condemnation of the heinous April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, and to the surprise of many geopolitical experts, did not come out in support of Pakistan when India launched Operation Sindoor. Kabul's silence and condemnation of Pahalgam attack was viewed by many as a pro-India stance. A few days after India-Pakistan ceasefire, India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar spoke to Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and thanked him for condemning the attack, marking the first instance of an Indian Foreign Minister directly speaking to an Afghan Taliban leader since the group came to power in 2021. The growing ties between India and Afghanistan rattled Pakistan, and Islamabad soon started making its own moves, such as holding China-mediated bilateral meetings to resolve issues with Kabul in an effort to sideline India. How New Delhi is developing closer India-Afghanistan relations? Over the past two years, New Delhi has been cautiously building closer ties with Kabul, bolstering the efforts by sending humanitarian supplies like food, medicines and vaccines to Afghanistan. The Afghan Taliban, which stands largely isolated on the global platforms, has appreciated India's gestures. Earlier this year, in January, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri held talks with Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Dubai on trade and regional security, a diplomatic move which was seen as New Delhi's recognition of changing geopolitical realities in South Asia. Notably, after the Taliban seized power in 2021, India feared that the country would once more become a haven for Pakistani terrorists, but to New Delhi's delight, Kabul has moved away from Islamabad due to a multitude of reasons. What makes Afghanistan important for India? Afghanistan is strategically-placed, which makes it highly important for regional players like India, Pakistan, China, and even Iran, for several reasons, including trade. 'Afghanistan is important to India for creating a common front against Pakistan as well as for trade opportunities, including mineral reserves,' Uday Chandra, an assistant professor at Georgetown University, told the South China Morning Post (SCMP). On the other hand, Pakistan has had turbulent relationship with the Afghan Taliban after they came to power. Islamabad is concerned about the illegal immigration of Afghan refugees across the Durand Line– a colonial-era border that separates Afghanistan from Pakistan, but has not been recognized by any Afghan government. Where does China stand? China, the undisputed economic power in South Asia, has filled the power vacuum that was created after the US troops withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021. Beijing has made several strategic moves to bring Kabul under its influence, including developing the ambitious China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which will link the Muslim-dominated Xinjiang province to Pakistan's Gwadar port, and is crucial for its proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). However, China's mega projects in the region mandate cordial ties between Pakistan and Kabul, which has prompted Beijing to act as mediator between the two neighbors as it pushes to extend the CPEC to Afghanistan. Who will Kabul choose? Now the big question is who will Kabul actually choose to build closer ties with? India, which offers peaceful-co-existence and development; or Pakistan, a neighbor with whom Afghanistan shares cultural, economic, and religious similarities, and is backed by a powerful China, who also offers economic benefits. Experts believe that Kabul will maintain a neutral stance as it needs both countries in different ways. The Afghan Taliban has tensions with Islamabad due to the Afghan refugee crisis and the resurgence of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)– a terror group responsible for some of the deadliest terrorist attacks in Pakistan. Pakistan accuses the Afghan Taliban of backing the TTP but Kabul has refuted the accusations. However, despite the tensions, Pakistan and Afghanistan share close people-to-people ties, which makes it difficult for Kabul to entirely shift to India's side. Thus, its expected that Afghanistan will try to balance its relations with India and Pakistan, and reap benefits its badly needs from both regional players.
Time of India
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Under-construction girls' school bombed in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Representative image PESHAWAR: An under-construction government primary school for girls in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province was damaged in an IED blast by unknown militants, police said on Friday. No casualties were reported as the building was unoccupied at the time of the explosion. Militants had planted an explosive material inside the premises of the Azaan Javed Primary School in Baka Khel police jurisdiction of Bannu district. The device was detonated with a powerful blast, causing substantial structural damage to the building. An FIR has been registered and forensic teams have been deployed to collect evidence from the blast site, police said. Authorities have condemned the attack as an attempt to derail educational development in the region. According to a report by the Lowy Institute, an Australian think tank, more than 1,100 girls' schools have been destroyed in the tribal areas between 2007 to 2017, with teachers and young students also targeted. Before an all-out military operation launched by Pakistan's security forces in 2014, the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) carried out hundreds of attacks on girls' schools in the tribal areas and settled districts of the northwestern province from its stronghold in Swat district. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like So sánh mức trượt giá: Hợp đồng tương lai (CFD) Bitcoin vs Ethereum IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo After the crackdown, TTP militants fled to Afghanistan and began to orchestrate cross border attacks from their new sanctuaries. The Taliban takeover of Kabul has emboldened the TTP, which is fighting to regain control of its strongholds in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Since the takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban has banned girls from attending school beyond the sixth grade and banned women from universities. Pakistani Taliban, who are ideologically closer to Afghan Taliban, are trying to enforce a similar anti-education and theocratic agenda in Pakistan's tribal areas by force. The youngest Nobel Prize laureate, Malala Yousafzai, who is from Swat district, was shot in the face when she was 14 by TTP gunmen in 2012 as she wanted to pursue her education.
Memri
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Memri
In Open Letter, Afghan Civil Society Groups Demand International Prosecution Of Former U.S. Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad 'For Complicity In Crimes Against Humanity'
At least 76 civil society groups and human rights organizations fighting against the Afghan Taliban's theocratic rule have published an open letter calling for international prosecution of former U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad for enabling the Taliban jihadi group to seize power in Afghanistan in 2021. According to a June 18, 2025 Dari-language report on Amu TV, the open letter, the text of which is given below, stated: "Khalilzad is accused of directly interfering in the fall of the former Afghan government, whitewashing the Taliban, and facilitating their return to power. The signatories also accuse him of promoting immunity for perpetrators of crimes."[1] The report continues: "The letter calls for Khalilzad's case to be referred to the International Criminal Court (ICC). It also calls for his political and advisory activities in Afghan affairs to be banned and his affiliated media and financial networks to be investigated."[2] Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan from September 2018-October 2019, and Afghan Taliban deputy leader Mullah Baradar led multiple rounds of talks in Doha, resulting in the 2020 Doha agreement, which allegedly undermined the democratically elected government of President Ashraf Ghani and paved the way for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA, i.e., the Afghan Taliban) to return to power in August 2021.[3] February 29, 2020: U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad (left) and Afghan Taliban negotiator Mullah Baradar shake hands after signing the 2020 Doha accord. Following is the original English text of the letter: "Open Letter And Initial Complaint Against Zalmay Khalilzad "From: A Collection of Human Rights Institutions, Civil Society Organizations, And Protest Movements in Afghanistan "Subject: Request to Initiate International Prosecution of Zalmay Khalilzad for Direct Role in Collapse of The Afghan Legal System And Whitewashing of The Taliban "We, a group of human rights, women's, justice, and civil society organizations and activists in Afghanistan, are publishing this letter, based on official documents and evidence, as part of the process of legal prosecution and political disclosure of Zalmay Khalilzad's role in the Afghan crisis. "Zalmay Khalilzad, as the U.S. envoy to the Doha talks [leading to the signing of U.S.-Taliban pact in 2020], has played a direct role in the collapse of the legitimate Afghan system, the exclusion of people from the political equation, the facilitation of the Taliban's return, and their subsequent whitewashing. His actions are considered, from a legal and political perspective, to be an example of cooperation with a group that violates human rights and disrupts international peace and security. A copy of the open letter signed by the civil society groups. "Cited Legal Cases: "1. Facilitating the illegal transfer of power to the Taliban without the will of the people and outside the framework of international law and the Afghan constitution "2. Violating the principle of impartiality in diplomatic mediation missions in accordance with the UN Charter and the principles of mediation "3. Indirectly contributing to the implementation of systematic discrimination, gender apartheid, and ethnic cleansing by the Taliban from 2021 onwards "4. Continuing the media and political purification of the Taliban in academic, diplomatic, and media circles, despite extensive reports by international organizations about their crimes "5. Violating the rights of victims by promoting impunity for perpetrators and preventing transparent judicial proceedings "Demands: "Initiation of a formal international investigation into Zalmay Khalilzad's role in facilitating Taliban crimes "Referring his case to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for complicity in crimes against humanity "Banning Khalilzad from any decision-making structure regarding the future of Afghanistan "Investigating the role of his financial, advisory, and media networks in purification of the Taliban and disrupting the transitional justice process "We announce that this letter is part of a broader legal process that will be pursued in international organizations by collecting documentation, testimonies, and documents." Afghan civil society groups that signed the open letter.
