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☆ Army Chief Congratulates Pakistan on 'Successful Conduct' of Elections
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's army chief congratulated the country on Saturday for the "successful conduct" of its national elections, saying the nation needed "stable hands" to move on from the politics of "anarchy and polarisation". The United States, Britain and the European Union on Friday each expressed concerns about Pakistan's electoral process in the wake of Thursday's vote, urging a probe into reported irregularities. The parties of former Prime Ministers Nawaz Sharif and the jailed Imran Khan, also a former premier, both claimed victory. (Reporting by Charlotte Greenfield; Editing by William Mallard)

Persons: Nawaz Sharif, Imran Khan, Charlotte Greenfield, William Mallard Organizations: European Union Locations: ISLAMABAD, United States, Britain

☆ Factbox-Who Are the Key Players in Pakistan's General Elections?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan holds its national elections on Thursday as the country grapples with an economic crisis and political uncertainty following the ouster of former Prime Minister Imran Khan in 2022. Here are some facts about the main political figures trying to lead the nuclear-armed nation of 241 million people. NAWAZ SHARIFFormer prime minister Nawaz Sharif is considered a front-runner to lead the country, having buried a long-running feud with the country's powerful military, analysts say. Maryam, 50, was jailed along with her father shortly before the 2018 elections on corruption charges, which were later overturned. Nevertheless, Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party has tried to wage an unorthodox election campaign using social media and covert canvassing.

Persons: Imran Khan, NAWAZ SHARIF, Nawaz Sharif, MARYAM NAWAZ SHARIF, Nawaz, Maryam, SHEHBAZ SHARIF, Shehbaz Sharif, IMRAN KHAN, BILAWAL BHUTTO ZARDARI Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Benazir Bhutto, Bhutto Zardari, Asif Ali Zardari, Charlotte Greenfield, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Pakistan Muslim League, Nawaz, International Monetary Fund, Khan's Locations: ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, United Kingdom, Punjab, Pakistan's, Khan's Pakistan, Sindh province

☆ Local Taliban Officials Say Two Dead, Four Survivors in Afghanistan Plane Crash
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-21 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

KABUL (Reuters) - Two Taliban officials in the northern Afghan province of Badakhshan said on Sunday that two passengers were killed in a plane crash involving a charter aircraft in the province but they said four others had survived. Khan Mohammad, head of the provincial governor's office, said the four surviving passengers were now with Taliban administration representatives. Earlier, Afghan officials had said they were sending a team to the remote, mountainous area where police had received reports of a crash. Russian aviation authorities said on Sunday a Russian-registered plane with six people thought to be on board had disappeared from radar screens over Afghanistan the previous night. (Reporting by Mohammad Yunus Yawar; Writing by Charlotte Greenfield; Editing by Hugh Lawson)

Persons: Khan Mohammad, Zabihullah Amiri, Mohammad Yunus Yawar, Charlotte Greenfield, Hugh Lawson Locations: KABUL, Afghan, Badakhshan, Badakhshan's, Russian, Afghanistan

☆ Factbox-Who Are the Separatists Targeted by Pakistan's Strikes in Iran?
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

Here are some facts on the group Pakistan targeted and the restive province at the heart of the tension. WHICH GROUP DID PAKISTAN TARGET IN IRAN? The Baloch Liberation Front (BLF), which an intelligence official called the target of Pakistan's strikes in Iran, seeks independence for Pakistan's western province of Balochistan. They also attack Chinese projects, and occasionally kill Chinese workers despite Pakistan's assurances that it is doing all it can to protect the Chinese projects. It borders Iran's Sistan-Baluchestan province where Pakistan carried out its strikes.

Persons: Xi, Charlotte Greenfield, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Ethnic Baloch, China Pakistan Economic, Barrick Gold, Barrick Locations: ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Iran, Balochistan, restive, PAKISTAN, IRAN, Baloch, Balochistan province, Afghanistan, Iran's Sistan, Baluchestan, Islamabad, China Pakistan, China, Gwadar, province's, Chagai

☆ New Zealand's central bank defends Maori language use
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) Governor Adrian Orr is pictured during an interview at the bank in Wellington, New Zealand, April 16, 2019. REUTERS/Charlotte Greenfield/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWELLINGTON, Nov 29 (Reuters) - New Zealand’s central bank chief defended its use of the Maori language in official communications on Wednesday, as the country’s new centre-right government looks to roll back the use of the Indigenous language in the public sector. Central bank governor Adrian Orr said at a media conference following the bank’s monetary policy meeting that it was proud of its Maori name "Te Putea Matua" and would continue to use it in addition to the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ). Over the past few years, the RBNZ has undergone an overhaul that puts the country's Maori heritage and language at the centre of its operations. The government has not released specific details on the policies and it is unclear whether they would directly impact the central bank.

Persons: Adrian Orr, Charlotte Greenfield, Orr, Christopher Luxon's, Luxon, Lucy Craymer, Sam Holmes Organizations: Bank of New Zealand, REUTERS, Rights, Reserve Bank of New Zealand, Labour, New Zealand, prudential, Thomson Locations: Wellington , New Zealand, Central, Te Ao

☆ At least nine people killed in Pakistan shopping mall fire
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

ISLAMABAD, Nov 25 (Reuters) - A fire tore through a shopping mall in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi, killing at least nine people, officials and local media said on Saturday. Local broadcaster Geo News said the blaze started early in the morning at the multi-storey RJ shopping mall in Pakistan's most populous city, and that the fire brigade had rescued around 50 people but more remained inside the building. Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab Siddiqui confirmed in a post on social media platform X that at least nine bodies had been transferred to local hospitals after the fire. Geo reported several people injured in the fire were also being treated in hospital. Reporting by Charlotte Greenfield in Islamabad; Editing by Jacqueline WongOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Murtaza Wahab Siddiqui, Geo, Charlotte Greenfield, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: Local, Geo News, Thomson Locations: ISLAMABAD, Pakistani, Karachi, Pakistan's, Islamabad

☆ At Least Nine People Killed in Pakistan Shopping Mall Fire
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - A fire tore through a shopping mall in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi, killing at least nine people, officials and local media said on Saturday. Local broadcaster Geo News said the blaze started early in the morning at the multi-storey RJ shopping mall in Pakistan's most populous city, and that the fire brigade had rescued around 50 people but more remained inside the building. Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab Siddiqui confirmed in a post on social media platform X that at least nine bodies had been transferred to local hospitals after the fire. Geo reported several people injured in the fire were also being treated in hospital. (Reporting by Charlotte Greenfield in Islamabad; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)

Persons: Murtaza Wahab Siddiqui, Geo, Charlotte Greenfield, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: Local, Geo News Locations: ISLAMABAD, Pakistani, Karachi, Pakistan's, Islamabad

☆ Taliban Minister Raises Return of Deported Afghans' Assets in Pakistan Visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

By Charlotte GreenfieldISLAMABAD (Reuters) - The Taliban's acting commerce minister said he had asked Pakistan to help return the assets of expelled Afghans and discussed ways to overcome Afghanistan's stalled banking sector transactions during a four-day visit to Islamabad this week. Acting minister Nooruddin Azizi's arrival in the Pakistani capital marked the first public visit by a senior Taliban official since Pakistan announced its policy to deport thousands of undocumented Afghans and other foreign citizens after Nov. 1. The Taliban have said the security issues are a domestic matter for Islamabad and called on Pakistan to stop deportations. Azizi said a major focus of the visit had been raising the problem of Afghan deportees being unable to return their assets from Pakistan. Pakistan's commerce minister and a spokesman for the commerce ministry did not respond to request for comment.

Persons: Charlotte Greenfield, Nooruddin, Azizi, Asif Shahzad, Mohammad Yunus Yawar, William Maclean Organizations: Taliban, Pakistan, Reuters Locations: Charlotte Greenfield ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Islamabad, Afghanistan, Islamic Emirate, Uzbekistan, China, Kabul

☆ Taliban minister raises issue of refugee assets during Pakistan visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Charlotte Greenfield | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Naseer Ahmed/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsISLAMABAD, Nov 14 (Reuters) - The Taliban's acting commerce minister met Pakistan's foreign minister in Islamabad this week, an Afghan embassy statement said on Tuesday, discussing trade and how the thousands of Afghan citizens Pakistan is expelling could take cash and other assets back to their homeland. Taliban officials say militancy is an internal matter for Pakistan and have called on Islamabad to halt its deportation of Afghan citizens. Afghan citizens returning to Afghanistan have said there are restrictions on the transfer of cash and property to Afghanistan from Pakistan, where many had built businesses and homes for decades. Last month, Pakistan set a Nov. 1 start date for the expulsion of all undocumented immigrants, including hundreds of thousands of Afghans. Pakistan's foreign office said the Taliban acting commerce minister would also undertake a trilateral meeting with representatives from Pakistan and Uzbekistan on Tuesday.

Persons: Naseer Ahmed, Haji Nooruddin Azizi's, Jalil Abbas Jilani, Jilani, Charlotte Greenfield, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Balochistan Province, Chaman, Rights ISLAMABAD, Islamabad, Afghan, Karachi, Western, Uzbekistan, South, Central Asia

☆ Pollution Forces City-Wide Closures of Businesses, Schools in Eastern Pakistan
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Mubasher BukhariLAHORE (Reuters) - Heavy pollution-fuelled smog forced authorities to close schools and markets this week in Pakistan's most populous province, including the eastern city of Lahore which has risen to one of the world's worst cities for hazardous air quality. Schools, offices, restaurants and businesses, aside from priority services like pharmacies, hospitals and courts, would all close to limit residents' movement outside, according to a directive from the provincial government. Heavy smog blanketed Lahore this week, reducing visibility and leading residents to complain of a threat to their health. In neighbouring India, authorities in Delhi have announced they would restrict use of vehicles next week to curb rising pollution as air quality in the capital remained dangerously unsafe despite mitigation efforts. (Reporting by Mubasher Bukhari in Lahore; Writing by Charlotte Greenfield; Editing by Michael Perry)

Persons: Mubasher Bukhari, Amir Mir, Mohammad Salahuddin, Charlotte Greenfield, Michael Perry Organizations: Schools Locations: Mubasher, Mubasher Bukhari LAHORE, Pakistan's, Lahore, Punjab, Swiss, Delhi, Karachi, South Asia, India

☆ Afghanistan opium poppy supply plummets 95% after Taliban ban, U.N. says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( Charlotte Greenfield | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] An Afghan man walks through a poppy field in the Gereshk district of Helmand province, Afghanistan April 8, 2016. REUTERS/Abdul Malik/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 5 (Reuters) - Opium poppy production in Afghanistan, previously the world's top supplier, has plummeted since the Taliban administration banned the cultivation of narcotics last year, a United Nations report said on Sunday. During their previous rule, the Taliban in 2000 banned poppy cultivation as they sought international legitimacy but faced popular a backlash, according to experts. Many of the provinces where the Taliban has historically had high levels of support, such as southern Helmand, have a large concentration of opium poppy cultivation. The UNODC said many farmers had switched to growing wheat but that this earned significantly less than poppy.

Persons: Abdul Malik, UNODC, Charlotte Greenfield, William Mallard Organizations: REUTERS, United, Drugs, Thomson Locations: Afghan, Gereshk, Helmand province, Afghanistan, United Nations, Helmand

Pakistan is home to over 4 million Afghan migrants and refugees, about 1.7 million of whom are undocumented, according to Islamabad. Cash-strapped Pakistan, navigating record inflation and a tough International Monetary Fund bailout program, also said undocumented migrants have drained its resources for decades. The information minister for Balochistan province, which borders Afghanistan, told Reuters it is opening three more border crossings. Pakistani citizens who help undocumented migrants obtain false identities or employment will face legal action, Bugti warned. There are more than 2.2 million Afghan migrants in Pakistan with some form of documentation recognized by the government that conveys temporary residence rights.

Persons: Akhtar Soomro, Muhammad Rahim, Abdul Mutaleb Haqqani, Azizullah, Sohrab Goth, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, Cash, Samar Abbas, Sarfaraz Bugti, Bugti, Abbas, Uzair Ahmed, Majida, we've, Muhammad, Ariba Shahid, Charlotte, Mohammad Yunus Yawar, Saleem Shahid, Katerina Ang Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Pakistani Interior Ministry, Foreign, Monetary Fund, Sindh Human Rights Defenders Network, Islamabad, Federal, UNHCR, International Organization for Migration, Karachi East Police, Afghan Ministry, Refugees, World Bank, U.N, Thomson Locations: Pakistan, Karachi, Rights KARACHI, Pakistani, Afghanistan, Islamabad, Sindh, Balochistan, AFGHANISTAN, Charlotte Greenfield, Kabul, Quetta

☆ Afghans Return to Taliban Rule as Pakistan Moves to Expel 1.7 Million
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +9 min

Persons: Shahid, Muhammad Rahim, Abdul Mutaleb Haqqani, Azizullah, Sohrab Goth, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, Cash, Samar Abbas, Sarfaraz Bugti, Bugti, Abbas, Uzair Ahmed, Majida, we've, Muhammad, Ariba Shahid, Charlotte, Mohammad Yunus Yawar, Saleem Shahid, Katerina Ang Organizations: Reuters, Pakistani Interior Ministry, Foreign, Monetary Fund, Sindh Human Rights Defenders Network, Islamabad, Federal, UNHCR, International Organization for Migration, Karachi East Police, Afghan Ministry, Refugees, World Bank, U.N Locations: Shahid KARACHI, Pakistan, Karachi, Pakistani, Afghanistan, Islamabad, Sindh, Balochistan, AFGHANISTAN, Charlotte Greenfield, Kabul, Quetta

"We requested China to allow us to be a part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and Belt and Road Initiative... (and) are discussing technical issues today," acting Commerce Minister Haji Nooruddin Azizi told Reuters in an interview a day after the Belt and Road Forum ended in Beijing. The Pakistan "economic corridor" refers to the huge flagship section of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Afghanistan's neighbour. Asked about the MCC talks, Azizi said discussions had been delayed because the mine was near a historical site, but they were still ongoing. Afghanistan and 34 other countries agreed to work together on the digital economy and green development on the sidelines of the Belt and Road Forum on Wednesday. Additional reporting by Ahmad Masih Noori and Charlotte Greenfield in Kabul; editing by Miral FahmyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Haji Nooruddin Azizi, Tingshu Wang, Xi Jinping's, Azizi, Ahmad Masih Noori, Charlotte, Miral Organizations: Reuters, Embassy, REUTERS, Metallurgical Corp, Pakistan Economic, Initiative, China Ltd, MCC, Islamic State, Taliban, Thomson Locations: Afghanistan, Beijing, China, Taliban, BEIJING, Kabul, Pakistan, Afghanistan's, Charlotte Greenfield

REUTERS/Ali Khara/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsKABUL, Oct 14 (Reuters) - The Taliban will attend China's Belt and Road Forum next week, a spokesman said on Saturday, underscoring Beijing's growing official ties with the administration, despite its lack of formal recognition by any government. Taliban officials and ministers have at times travelled to regional meetings, mostly those focussed on Afghanistan, but the Belt and Road Forum is among the highest-profile multilateral summits it has been invited to attend. China has been in talks with the Taliban over plans, begun under the previous foreign-backed government, over a possible huge copper mine in eastern Afghanistan. Officials from China, the Taliban and neighbouring Pakistan said in May they would like Belt and Road to include Afghanistan and for the flagship China Pakistan Economic Corridor to be extended across the border to Afghanistan. China has boosted engagement with the Taliban, becoming the first country to appoint an ambassador to Kabul since the Taliban took power, and invested in mining projects.

Persons: Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Wang Yu, Ali Khara, Xi, Haji Nooruddin Azizi, Akhundzada Abdul Salam Jawad, Azizi, Akhundzada, Mohammad Yunus Yawar, Charlotte, Joe Cash, William Mallard Organizations: Afghan, REUTERS, Rights, China Pakistan Economic, Taliban, Thomson Locations: China, Islamic Emirate, Afghanistan, Kabul, Rights KABUL, Beijing, Pakistan, China Pakistan, Charlotte Greenfield, Islamabad

☆ Death toll from Pakistan blast rises to 59 as minister blames India
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( Saleem Ahmed | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Rescue workers clear the rubble from a damaged mosque, after a suicide blast in Hangu, Pakistan September 29, 2023. Pakistani officials have long claimed that India sponsors violent groups in Pakistan - claims India has always denied. "Civil, military and all other institutions will jointly strike against the elements involved in the Mastung suicide bombing," interior minister Sarfaraz Bugti told media in Balochistan's capital, Quetta. "RAW is involved in the suicide attack," he added, referring to India's Research & Analysis Wing (RAW) intelligence agency. The Pakistani Taliban (TTP), responsible for some of the bloodiest attacks in Pakistan since the group's formation in 2007, denied responsibility for Friday's blasts.

Persons: Stringer, Prophet Mohammad, Sarfaraz Bugti, Wasim Baig, Saleem Ahmed, Saud Mehsud, Charlotte Greenfield, Giles Elgood Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Research, Analysis, Police, Pakistani, Thomson Locations: Hangu, Pakistan, Mastung, Balochistan, India, Quetta, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan's

☆ Death Toll From Pakistan Blast Rises to 59 as Minister Blames India
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Saleem AhmedQUETTA (Reuters) - The death toll from a large blast at a mosque in Pakistan rose to 59 on Saturday as the government vowed to find the perpetrators and accused India's intelligence agency of being involved. Pakistani officials have long claimed that India sponsors violent groups in Pakistan - claims India has always denied. "Civil, military and all other institutions will jointly strike against the elements involved in the Mastung suicide bombing," interior minister Sarfaraz Bugti told media in Balochistan's capital, Quetta. "RAW is involved in the suicide attack," he added, referring to India's Research & Analysis Wing (RAW) intelligence agency. The Pakistani Taliban (TTP), responsible for some of the bloodiest attacks in Pakistan since the group's formation in 2007, denied responsibility for Friday's blasts.

Persons: Saleem Ahmed QUETTA, Prophet Mohammad, Sarfaraz Bugti, Wasim Baig, Saleem Ahmed, Saud Mehsud, Charlotte Greenfield, Giles Elgood Organizations: Research, Analysis, Police, Pakistani Locations: Pakistan, Mastung, Balochistan, India, Quetta, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan's

☆ Pakistani vocational school helps Afghan women refugees build businesses
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Mushtaq Ali | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] An Afghan girl attends painting and art class at the Skills Academy for Needy Aspirants (SANA) in Peshawar, Pakistan July 12, 2023. REUTERS/Fayaz Aziz Acquire Licensing RightsPESHAWAR, Pakistan, Sept 28 (Reuters) - In a small workshop in the bustling northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar, a dozen Afghan women sit watching a teacher show them how to make clothes on a sewing machine. Officials say hundreds of thousands of Afghans have travelled to Pakistan since foreign forces left and the Taliban took over in 2021. Basheer said that her main focus was expanding operations for Afghan women and she has also included some Pakistani women in the program to boost their opportunities in the conservative area. Once graduating from the three-month course, the women are focused on earning a modest but meaningful income, often starting their own businesses.

Persons: SANA, Fayaz Aziz, Mahra Basheer, Basheer, Fatima, Mushtaq Ali, Charlotte Greenfield, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: Skills Academy, REUTERS, Rights, Taliban, United Nations, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: Afghan, Peshawar, Pakistan, Rights PESHAWAR, Afghanistan, Peshawar –

Details of how the Taliban intend to expand and manage mass surveillance, including obtaining the U.S. plan, have not been previously reported. "At the present we are working on a Kabul security map, which is (being completed) by security experts and (is taking) lots of time," he said. The Taliban strongly denies that an upgraded surveillance system would breach the rights of Afghans. A July U.N. monitoring report said there were up to 6,000 Islamic State fighters and their family members in Afghanistan. The Afghan "home base" locations of Islamic State fighters are in the eastern mountainous areas, said Schroden.

Persons: Ali Khara, Abdul Mateen Qani, Washington, didn't, Qani, Amrullah Saleh, Saleh, Jonathan Schroden, Matt Mahmoudi, ETIM, ETIM couldn't, Afghanistan Thomas West, Mohammad Yunus Yawar, Charlotte, Jonathan Landay, David Kirton, Liz Lee, Katerina Ang Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Islamic, Huawei, U.S, of Interior, Reuters, U.S.A, U.S State Department, RIC, Bloomberg News, Foreign Ministry, NATO, Center for Naval, Protect Journalists, Taliban, Amnesty International, East Turkestan Islamic, Security, Special, State, Ece Toksabay, Thomson Locations: China, Kabul, Afghanistan, Rights KABUL, Islamic State, —, Turkey, Turkish, Pakistan, United States, East Turkestan, Xinjiang, State, Russian, Charlotte Greenfield, Islamabad, Washington, Shenzhen, Beijing, Ankara

☆ UN records torture, deaths of detainees in Taliban custody
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Taliban soldiers stand guard at the second-anniversary ceremony of the takeover of Kabul by the Taliban in Kabul, Afghanistan, August 15, 2023. The U.N. Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA) said 18 people had also died in prisons and in the custody of police and intelligence in the 19 months ending July 2023. The Taliban have staffed and controlled the police and the intelligence agency since they took over the country as foreign forces withdrew in 2021. Other violations included not being informed of the reason for arrest, not being able to access a lawyer and inadequate medical care in custody. "There is a pressing need to consider more engagement with the de facto authorities to end these practices."

Persons: Ali Khara, UNAMA, Roza Otunbayeva, Charlotte Greenfield, Miral Organizations: REUTERS, United Nations, Journalists, Thomson Locations: Kabul, Afghanistan, Mission

☆ Pakistan says Taliban forces building 'unlawful' structure in border dispute
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Trucks loaded with supplies to leave for Afghanistan are seen stranded at the Michni checkpost, after the main Pakistan-Afghan border crossing closed after clashes, in Torkham, Pakistan September 7, 2023. The Torkham border crossing between the neighbouring nations has been closed since Wednesday after forces from both sides exchanged fire, stranding hundreds of trucks laden with goods and thousands of travellers. The Taliban administration foreign ministry at the weekend criticised the closure of the border and said Pakistan security forces had fired on its troops when they were fixing an old security outpost near the border. Disputes linked to the 2,600 km (1,615 mile) border have been a bone of contention between the neighbours for decades. The Taliban administration denies it allows the use of Afghan soil for militancy and says Pakistan's security is an internal matter for the Pakistani government.

Persons: Fayaz Aziz, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, Charlotte Greenfield, William Maclean Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Afghan, Torkham, Rights ISLAMABAD, Taliban

☆ Afghanistan meth trade surges as Taliban clamps down on heroin, UN report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Taliban soldiers celebrate on the second anniversary of the fall of Kabul on a street near the US embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, August 15, 2023. REUTERS/Ali Khara/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 10 (Reuters) - Methamphetamine trafficking in and around Afghanistan has surged in recent years, even as the Taliban has curbed heroin trafficking since taking power, a United Nations report said on Sunday. The Taliban, which regained power in August 2021, announced a ban the following April on the production of narcotics in Afghanistan, the world's main opium producer. While heroin trafficking has slowed, the UNODC said in a statement, meth trafficking "has intensified since the ban". Countries as far away as France and Australia have reported seizing methamphetamine that likely originated in Afghanistan it said.

Persons: Ali Khara, Ghada Waly, Charlotte Greenfield, William Mallard Organizations: REUTERS, United, Drugs, Thomson Locations: Kabul, Afghanistan, United Nations, Iran, Pakistan, France, Australia

☆ Afghan Taliban criticises closure of main border crossing with Pakistan
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Trucks loaded with supplies to leave for Afghanistan are seen stranded at the Michni checkpost, after the main Pakistan-Afghan border crossing closed after clashes, in Torkham, Pakistan September 7, 2023. REUTERS/Fayaz Aziz/file photo Acquire Licensing RightsKABUL, Sept 10 (Reuters) - The Afghan Taliban criticised the closure of its main border crossing with Pakistan this week after clashes between security forces, saying the halt in trade would see heavy losses for businesses. The busy Torkham border crossing closed on Wednesday after Pakistani and Afghan Taliban forces started firing at each other, according to local officials. The statement said the incident had started after Pakistani security forces fired at Afghan Taliban forces fixing an old security outpost near the border. Disputes linked to the 2,600 km (1,615 mile) border have been a bone of contention between the neighbours for decades.

Persons: Fayaz Aziz, Mohammad Yunus Yawar, Charlotte Greenfield, Michael Perry Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Afghan Taliban, Taliban administration's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thomson Locations: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Afghan, Torkham, Rights KABUL, Islamic Emirate

☆ Taliban stopped 100 women flying to Dubai for university scholarships, UAE billionaire says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Charlotte Greenfield | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Afghan women shout slogans during a rally to protest against what the protesters say is Taliban restrictions on women, in Kabul, Afghanistan, December 28, 2021. REUTERS/Ali Khara/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 23 (Reuters) - The head of a Dubai-based conglomerate on Wednesday said Afghanistan's Taliban authorities had stopped around 100 women from travelling to the United Arab Emirates where he was to sponsor their university education. Spokespeople for the Taliban administration and Afghan foreign affairs ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. They allow Afghans to leave the country but usually require Afghan women travelling long distances and abroad to be accompanied by a male chaperone, such as their husband, father or brother. Reporting by Charlotte Greenfield and Maha El Dahan Editing by Bill BerkrotOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ali Khara, Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor, Al Habtoor, Charlotte Greenfield, Maha El, Bill Berkrot Organizations: REUTERS, United, United Arab Emirates, Al, UAE, Thomson Locations: Kabul, Afghanistan, Dubai, United Arab, Maha

☆ 'The fear is not going away': Christians in Pakistan afraid to return home
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Charlotte Greenfield | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"Today was the first day of school after summer vacations but I did not send them because of fear," said their mother, Kiran. But community members and advocates say the trauma and fear will be tough to heal and their safety is not assured. Many are afraid to return home but, still in shock, do not know where to rebuild their lives. A few streets away about 240 people live in the makeshift shelter in the school along with Kanwal's family. The fear that has got embedded in my heart and my children's minds is just not going away."

Persons: Samuel, Kanwal, cradling Samuel, Kiran, Haq Kakar, Naseem Anthony, Anthony, Akmal Bhatti, Charlotte Greenfield, Mubasher Bukhari, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Pakistan's, Police, Thomson Locations: Kanwal, Jaranwala, Faisalabad, Pakistan, Punjab, Provincial

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