Author: admin
Pakistan’s decision to halt the attempted import of Afghan-origin fresh fruits through Iran has thrown a fresh spotlight on the fragility of regional trade and the growing strain placed on Afghanistan’s already overstretched logistics. The episode, though technical on paper, speaks to a much larger story unfolding along Pakistan’s western borders: a region where political mistrust, security anxieties and administrative bottlenecks now shape the daily reality of trade more than any formal agreement ever could. For Afghanistan, a landlocked nation whose farms produce some of the region’s finest fruits and perishables, these disruptions are not abstract policy disputes; they threaten…
When Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Afghanistan’s Deputy Prime Minister, directed Afghan traders to reduce their dependence on Pakistan and seek alternative routes for trade, it was more than just an economic instruction. It was a political statement — a calculated response to the growing chill between Kabul and Islamabad. The order to shift imports, particularly medicines, to suppliers in other countries was framed as an economic realignment, yet it revealed something deeper: a fracture in a relationship that once seemed unbreakable, forged by geography, religion and shared history but now corroded by mistrust and competing interests. For decades, Pakistan served…
For decades, Pakistan has carried a burden that few nations could bear: the protection, shelter, and often the very survival of its Afghan neighbors. From the deserts of Balochistan to the mountains of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, generations of Pakistanis—both civilians and members of the armed forces—have offered sacrifices in life and limb, defending not only their own territory but also shielding Afghanistan from regional pressures, global conflicts, and the shifting ambitions of superpowers. Yet history demonstrates that gratitude is rarely forthcoming. The Afghan Taliban, emboldened by new patrons and embattled ambitions, seem intent on reminding the world that Pakistan’s generosity is…
There are moments in diplomacy when timing matters more than intent. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s decision to send a high-level delegation to Islamabad comes at such a moment — a time when the fragile peace between Pakistan and Afghanistan is unravelling under the weight of mistrust, border clashes and conflicting priorities. The mission, led by Turkiye’s foreign minister, defence minister and intelligence chief, is expected to arrive in the coming days, carrying a mandate that is both ambitious and uncertain: to nudge Islamabad and Kabul back to the table and salvage what little remains of dialogue. For months, talks…
By Amjad Qaimkhani UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan issued a stern warning to the international community over the growing threat posed by terrorist groups operating from Afghan soil, highlighting concerns that their access to illegal weapons could destabilize the wider region. Speaking at the United Nations Security Council, Pakistan’s permanent representative, Asim Iftikhar Ahmed, said that these organizations were not only openly operating from Afghanistan but were also receiving both financial and operational support, allowing them to carry out destructive activities far beyond their immediate borders. Ahmed expressed deep alarm over reports that advanced weaponry and stockpiles of munitions were being amassed…
By Abdul Rehman Patel “When the first window breaks and no one repairs it — the entire building eventually collapses.” Civilizations do not crumble overnight. They decay quietly, one ignored fracture at a time. The philosopher Michael Zapato once demonstrated this truth through an experiment that would become a metaphor for moral and political decline. He parked two identical old cars in two very different places: one in The Bronx — a rough, crime-prone district of New York — and the other in Palo Alto, an affluent, orderly city in California. Within a day, the car in The Bronx was…