Latest news with #Balkhi
Ya Biladi
06-05-2025
- Health
- Ya Biladi
Morocco and WHO strengthen partnership for health system reform and regional cooperation
On Monday in Rabat, Minister of Health and Social Protection Amine Tahraoui met with Hanane Hassan Balkhi, the World Health Organization's Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, who is on a working visit to Morocco. The meeting is part of the ongoing cooperation between the Kingdom and the WHO, a key partner in the implementation of health programs and joint projects at both local and regional levels. Speaking to the press, Minister Tahraoui emphasized that Morocco is undergoing a profound and comprehensive reform of its health system. This includes structural reorganization and efforts to strengthen social justice in access to healthcare, particularly through the rollout of universal health coverage and the gradual expansion of the social protection system. He also reaffirmed Morocco's strong commitment to supporting regional and international initiatives aimed at advancing public health, achieving sustainable social development, and fostering innovation for the benefit of populations in the region and beyond. For her part, Balkhi reiterated the WHO's support for Morocco's health reform, commending the Kingdom's forward-looking royal vision, which seeks to enhance health outcomes and promote health sovereignty across the African continent. She stressed the importance of deepening cooperation and partnerships between Morocco and the WHO to advance shared public health objectives and strengthen health systems across the region, in line with the overarching goal of «health for all». In this context, Balkhi called for increased collaboration to launch new initiatives, highlighting Morocco's role as a vital link between the WHO and African countries, as well as a model in both public health and international cooperation.
Mint
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Taliban condemns terror attack in Pahalgam, says it ‘weakens regional security efforts'
Afghanistan's Taliban government on Wednesday condemned the terror attack on tourists in Jammu and Kashmir, saying such incidents undermine efforts to ensure regional security and stability. In a statement, the Taliban-ruled Afghanistan's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi said, 'The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan categorically condemns the recent attack on tourists in the Pahalgam region of Jammu and Kashmir, and expresses condolences to the bereaved families.' Balkhi said 'such incidents undermine efforts to ensure regional security and stability.' This is a breaking news report, more details are being added First Published: 24 Apr 2025, 06:24 AM IST
Time of India
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Taliban condemns Pahalgam massacre, calls attack a blow to regional security
Abdul Qahar Balkhi NEW DELHI: Afghanistan's Taliban government on Thursday condemned the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, in which 28 civilians were killed, stating that such incidents undermine regional security and stability. In a statement issued on Wednesday, Abdul Qahar Balkhi , the spokesman for the Taliban-run Afghan ministry of foreign affairs, expressed condolences to the families of the victims. 'The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan categorically condemns the recent attack on tourists in the Pahalgam region, and expresses condolences to the bereaved families,' Balkhi said. This comes at a time of strained relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan, which have worsened since the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021. However, Kabul has continued to maintain that India is an "important" regional power. In January of this year, a meeting took place between Afghanistan's acting foreign minister, Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi, and Indian foreign secretary, Vikram Misri, in Dubai. During this meeting, the Afghan delegation assured India that Afghanistan posed no threat to any nation.
The Print
23-04-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Afghan Taliban govt condemns J-K attack, says such incidents undermine regional security
'The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan categorically condemns the recent attack on tourists in the Pahalgam region of Jammu and Kashmir, and expresses condolences to the bereaved families,' he said. In a statement, the Taliban-ruled Afghanistan's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi also expressed condolences to the bereaved families. Islamabad, Apr 23 (PTI) Afghanistan's Taliban government on Wednesday condemned the terror attack on tourists in Jammu and Kashmir, saying such incidents undermine efforts to ensure regional security and stability. Balkhi said 'such incidents undermine efforts to ensure regional security and stability.' Terrorists killed 26 people, mostly tourists, in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on Tuesday, in the deadliest attack in the Valley since the Pulwama strike in 2019. The Resistance Front (TRF), a shadow outfit of the banned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba terror group, claimed responsibility for the attack. According to sketches released by the security agencies, three men – identified as Pakistanis – are believed to be involved in the attack. Pakistan's Foreign Office has said it was 'concerned at the loss of tourists' lives in an attack' in Pahalgam and extended condolences to the near ones of the deceased and wished the injured a speedy recovery. While Pakistan and Afghanistan relations have deteriorated since August 2021 after the hasty withdrawal of the US from Afghanistan and Taliban taking the control there, Kabul has described India as an 'important' regional and economic power. In January, Afghanistan's acting Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met in Dubai. During the meeting, the Afghan side assured India that it does not pose a threat to any nation and expressed hope for raising the level of diplomatic relations with India. India has not yet recognised the Taliban set-up and has been pitching for the formation of a truly inclusive government in Kabul. New Delhi has also been insisting that Afghan soil must not be used for any terrorist activities against any country. PTI ZH ZH This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Express Tribune
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Greater Qandahar, Loya Paktia and the US
Listen to article Winston Churchill famously described Soviet Russia as "a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma". This characterisation also fits modern Afghanistan, as amply demonstrated by repeated failures of the modern world in dealing with Afghans and Afghanistan. My research indicates that the root cause is lack of socio-anthropological understanding on the part of the relevant policymakers and most of the Afghanologists in dealing with Afghan affairs. The present-day political dispensation in the IEA runs along Qandahar (I prefer Qandahar to Kandahar) – Paktia fault lines. Qandahar, or the Greater Qandahar, is where the Taliban Tehreek (movement) under Mulla Umer was born. A seminary student who was unable to finish his formal education, since he took up armed resistance against warlords and strongmen in the early 1990s, the venerable Umer would refer decisions as critical as handing over Osama Bin Laden to the US forces for alleged complicity in the 9/11 attacks, to the ulema. That strand persists in the Movement under the venerable Moulvi Haibatullah Akhundzada (the lineage of holy men, the Akhund) to this day. The fact that Qandahar, the mover and shaker of the Taliban movement, sees everything including foreign presence and girls' education strictly through a religious lens is important; hence my persistent advice to conduct 'religious diplomacy' with Qandahar. The recent media interview of the IEA Foreign Ministry spokesperson, the suave English-speaking Abdul Qahar Balkhi substantiates this assertion. Eager to engage with the US (there were repeated requests previously to Pakistan/ISI to facilitate this engagement), Balkhi was categorical about presence of intelligence-sharing cooperation with the US; ISIK threat as overblown; and the non-handing over of the abandoned US military equipment, as demanded by the Trump Administration. Balkhi was evasive about human especially the women rights to education and work, citing this as Afghanistan's domestic affair. The puritanical Qandahar takes a long religious view, guided by the early days of Islam, conveniently sidestepping Islam's revolutionary credentials in the Arab universe. IEA has an unsettling conviction about its invincibility, citing the humiliating retreat of two contemporary superpowers from Afghanistan. That hardline is not changing anytime soon. Loya Paktia (greater Paktia, roughly comprising the provinces of Paktia, Paktika, Khowst and Nangarhar), in the Zadran tribe dominated northern Afghanistan bordering our KP, is the fief of Haqqanis, the students of Darul Uloom Haqqania in Akora Khattak, hence the Haqqani nom-de-guerre. Jalaluddin Haqqani and presently Sirajuddin Haqqani, the venerable Khalifa, are also inextricably linked to North Waziristan District in KP through marital ties, military linkages and logistic basing. Haqqanis are, therefore, natural host to the TTP, who fought alongside Haqqani forces in the Afghan war of liberation, supported by Pakistan and its ISI. The West Plus still accuses Pakistan of playing the double game. Loya Paktia under Haqqani suzerainty was never incorporated through the force of arms into the Ahmadzai/Mohammadzai tribes' Qandahar-dominated IEA. Haqqanis instead partnered with and were coopted into the IEA, maintaining their status and relative independence within the Movement. Their worldview is diametrically different. From the days of US Congressman Charlie Wilson, during the war against the former USSR when Chalie was made to fire on a Soviet base inside Afghan territory by Haqqanis, Khalifas have a soft corner for Pakistan, ISI and the US. Therefore, TTP hosting is now an enigma for them, as it is becoming too costly for them, is a legacy issue, a logistic burden and a PR liability. Qandahar sees things differently. Sensitive to TTP's destructive potential in spoiling Kabul's relations with Muslim Pakistan, it remains unable and unwilling to prevail over TTP due to Haqqanis. Haqqanis, on the other hand, have started treating TTP as a 'force-in-being', if and when another round of internecine fighting erupts within IEA. They differ with Qandahar over a host of issues including denial of female education, relations with Pakistan and domestic policies. Sirajuddin Haqqani's recent absence from the scene and his overseas engagements indicate relative uneasiness with Qandahar. So, while eager to resolve the legacy TTP issue with Pakistan, Haqqanis do not want to give up TTP's potential military advantage. Therefore, TTP in my formulation is a bone stuck in the IEA's neck. So, my advice is to give the issue time to resolve itself, while responding decisively and unreservedly to any terrorist challenges. Khalifa et al would look the other way after some noise. For both Qandahar and Paktia, the existential challenge is unity among the IEA ranks, as without unity internecine squabbling is likely to unravel Afghanistan's clerical enterprise. Qandahar, during Khalifa's recent angry absence, asserted its authority by posting Qandahari troops in the Haqqani enclave along border with Pakistan. Khalifa also prefers independent validation by the West Plus, hence his UAE and Saudi junkets, perhaps at the cost of Qandahar. The above complexity of Greater Qandahar versus Loya Paktia, TTP versus IEA, TTP versus Haqqanis, IEA versus Pakistan, Haqqanis versus Islamabad, and IEA/Haqqani versus the US need wise handling by Pakistan. Our response should entail continued religious diplomacy with Qandahar, conduct of internation diplomacy under the remits of Doha Agreement, calibrated and relentless military response cis and trans-frontier without making noise, ruthless and resolute fight against terrorism at home, and giving a way out to Haqqanis from their self-created predicament. Patient pursuit of this policy without knee-jerk reactions like border closures should be the hallmark. Afghanistan's stability is in Pakistan's best and selfish national interest. But the TTP variable can tilt the fragile balance, if not restrained and resolved, as Pakistan's patience, understandably, can wear thin. Without TTP solution, Afghanistan despite its mineral/other resources stays embroiled, notwithstanding Mr Balkhi's claim that Afghanistan is open for business. Resource exploitation would continue to face impediments and delays. And one distant day, when the collective opposition of Northern Alliance, in cahoots with pragmatist Khalifas, bolstered by disenfranchised Pashtuns, and the vestiges of First Republic under the US/NATO-Combine, is strong enough, the tables can be turned against IEA. And Kabul may see another change of hands. And that unfortunate possibility, God forbid, may result into the resurgence of civil strife, or the unfortunate division of Afghanistan. Save this piece some place!
