Afghan generation knows only conflict as war turns 18
Afghanistan's war cost 13-year-old shoe shiner Hameedullah his education. Poverty forced Sabir, 11, to flee home and sell dried fruits on Kabul's streets. Niyamathullah, 9, hangs out in a park,…
Afghanistan: US leaving behind a raging conflict
One ergonomic office chair, heaters that don't work and some maps are the only signs that US troops once battled daily with the Taliban at Siah Choy, a small combat…
The Afghanistan challenge
Contrary to Pakistan’s hopes that Taliban 2.0 would prove to be a friendly government, they have turned out to be very unfriendly, indeed hostile. Pakistan-Afghanistan relations have shown marked deterioration…
The Afghan conundrum
The failure of talks between Islamabad and Kabul in Istanbul, mediated by Turkiye and Qatar, has once again highlighted the complexity of Pakistan-Afghanistan relations. At the bilateral level, there is…
Afghanistan’s turn
For over four decades, Pakistan and Afghanistan have shared a troubled border marked by conflict, displacement and unfulfilled promises. In recent months, this fragile frontier has once again become tense.…
Pakistan’s Afghan policy
For decades, Afghanistan has remained a theatre of competing ambitions, interventions, and tragedies. Yet amid the churn of global powers, Pakistan stands out for its distinct approach, history and resilience.…
Afghan challenge
What will be achieved in Istanbul, and with what intention will Kabul move? Pakistan’s intentions are now out in the open: right behind dialogue and diplomacy, the kinetic will be…
Afghanistan’s choice
For Pakistan, the ceasefire along the Afghan border feels less like a breakthrough and more like the end of an illusion. The pause in fighting came at Afghanistan’s request, yet…
Afghans both hopeful, disappointed after Russia’s Taliban recognition
Russia’s decision to formally recognise the Taliban government has been seen as an opening for a stronger economy by some Afghans, while others were sceptical that it would improve their…
Pak-Afghan thaw
IN a dramatic development, Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to upgrade their diplomatic relations to ambassador level, signalling a major shift in bilateral ties that had become extremely tense since…
