Author: Sudhir Ahmad Afridi

By Sudhir Ahmad Afridi PESHAWAR: The Zalmi Foundation, in collaboration with UN Women and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, marked the global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence with a youth-focused event that combined women’s cricket with a showcase on digital safety. Held under the theme “From the Field to the Feed: Standing Strong Against Digital Violence,” the initiative highlighted how sports, technology, and community engagement can work together to protect women and girls from online abuse. The campaign focused on combating digital forms of gender-based violence, including cyberstalking, harassment, doxxing, identity theft, misinformation, and AI-enabled harm, all of which…

By Sudhir Ahmad Afridi PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has unveiled a new initiative to provide free education to orphan students who pass the MD-CAT examination, along with launching internship programs for bachelor’s and master’s degree holders. Speaking at an event at Frontier Women College, Chief Minister Sohail Afridi outlined several key measures to promote higher education. He inaugurated the free higher education scheme for female students and orphans, while emphasizing that MD-CAT qualifying orphans would also benefit from fully funded education opportunities. Under the “Insaf Female Education Card” scheme, around 55,000 female students will gain access to free education.…

By Sudhir Ahmad Afridi TORKHAM: For a punishing fortnight, the vital artery of Torkham, the busiest trade crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan, fell silent, its gates sealed and its bustling yards transformed into a stagnant parking lot for hundreds of stranded cargo trucks. The closure brought the frenetic pulse of bilateral commerce to a grinding halt, casting a long shadow over the economies of both nations and leaving thousands of drivers in a state of anxious limbo. Customs officials on the ground reported a dispiriting scene, with long queues of freight trucks snaking back from the border post on both…

By Sudhir Ahmad Afridi KHYBER: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Suhail Afridi has vowed to protect the rights of tribal districts “to the very end,” declaring that no further military operations would be permitted. Speaking at a peace jirga in Badhra, Afridi stressed that decisions regarding the tribal areas would be made transparently, with full consultation of public representatives and local elders. He announced a series of step-by-step peace jirgas across all tribal districts, culminating in a grand jirga to develop a unified strategy for peace and development, warning that ignoring its resolutions could have serious consequences. Afridi praised the tribal…

The Torkham border closure has entered its ninth day, crippling Pakistan-Afghanistan trade, spoiling goods, and driving up essential commodity prices. By Sudhir Ahmad Afridi TORKHAM: The Torkham border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan remained sealed for a ninth consecutive day on Tuesday, deepening economic distress and leaving hundreds of vehicles stranded as diplomatic tensions between the two neighbors showed no sign of easing. The closure, enforced amid ongoing security and political frictions, has halted all pedestrian and trade movement through one of the busiest arteries linking South and Central Asia. The suspension has paralysed the flow of goods, with traders…

Police in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa repelled a militant attack on Baka Khel station, as a separate roadside blast caused no casualties nearby. By Sudhir Ahmad Afridi BANNU: Police in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province said they had foiled an overnight militant attack on a police station in Baka Khel, after an exchange of gunfire forced the assailants to flee. Officials said the attackers opened fire on the station late Monday, prompting a swift and coordinated response from officers on duty. The ensuing gun battle lasted several minutes before the militants retreated under the cover of darkness. Police later launched a search operation…

By Sudhir Ahmad Afridi PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi issued a firm warning on Tuesday, declaring that any attack on Pakistan, including those originating from Afghanistan, would be met with a definitive and forceful response. Speaking informally with journalists in Peshawar, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader struck a combative tone on national security. “Whoever attacks Pakistan, including Afghanistan, will get a full-force reply,” he said, signaling the provincial government’s readiness to support retaliatory measures against cross-border aggression. Afridi also addressed the sensitive issue of Afghan refugees residing in Pakistan, urging their honorable and dignified return to their homeland…

By Sudhir Ahmad Afridi KHYBER: The traders of Landi Kotal Market have announced a full-day shutdown in protest against what they describe as unlawful taxes imposed by the Assistant Commissioner Landi Kotal and the Tehsil Municipal Administration. Speaking at a packed emergency press conference at the District Press Club Khyber, Yad Wazir Shinwari, president of the Landi Kotal Traders Association, said the market’s business community is outraged by the so-called “conservancy fees” being levied on shopkeepers. He criticiaed the tehsil administration and municipal authorities, describing their performance as “almost zero” and highlighting the poor sanitation and lack of facilities in…

By Sudhir Ahmad Afridi KHYBER: Leaders and workers of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) from Jamrod held a packed press conference at the Jamrod Press Club to express gratitude to PTI Chairman and detained leader Imran Khan for nominating Mohsin Suhail Afridi, a tribal-area leader, as the next Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. PTI Jmerod representatives, including Ashfaq Afridi, Muhammad Sadiq Afridi, Kashif Iqbal Afridi, Nisbat Ali Afridi, Gul Habib Afridi, and Shahid Ali Afridi, called Imran Khan’s decision historic and farsighted. They said nominating a leader from the tribal district of Khyber not only acknowledges the long-neglected tribal populace but also…

By Sudhir Ahmad Afridi KHYBER: Demonstrations were held in the Khyber districts of Landi Kotal and Badr under the banner of Jamaat-e-Islami to protest against Israeli attacks and the assault on the Global Sumud Flotilla. The gatherings drew large numbers of both party activists and local residents. Protesters voiced strong opposition to the detention of former senator Mushtaq Ahmed Khan and other flotilla participants, holding banners and placards expressing solidarity with Palestine and denouncing Israel and the United States. Chants of “Down with Israel” and “Down with America” echoed through the streets. Speakers, including Murad Hussain Afridi, Shah Faisal Afridi,…