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Preparing for President Biden

“Pakistan is fifty times more important to the United States, than Afghanistan”, Joe Biden to former Afghan president Hamid Karzai, January 2009. How can Pakistan best prepare for a Biden…

The Afghan President

The Afghan president

No other topic is of interest for Kabul’s chattering classes these days than the upcoming presidential election. The making and breaking of political and electoral alliances, the likely candidates and…

Karzai And The Lost War

Karzai and the lost war

A lot has been said and written in the media in Pakistan about the recent visit of President Karzai to Islamabad. Efforts were made to pin responsibility for its failure…

The Unpredictable Hamid Karzai

The unpredictable Hamid Karzai

Hamid Karzai was welcomed in Islamabad on Monday with a 21-gun salute in accordance with the ceremonious and absurdly meaningless usages of protocol. But in a sense the booming of…

Karzai And Afghan Reality

Karzai and Afghan reality

President Karzai’s visit to Islamabad was intended primarily to seek Pakistan’s cooperation in getting the Afghan peace talks back on track but with a difference. The resistance must agree to…

The Karzai Visit

The Karzai visit

Sections of the Western media had been reporting that even though formally suspended talks on the US-Afghan bilateral security agreement had continued informally, agreement had been reached on a single…

Karzai On The Warpath

Karzai on the warpath

Perhaps of all the bizarre and grim developments in Afghanistan over the last few days the one that takes the cake is President Hamid Karzai’s press conference on Saturday. After…

Karzai’s Latest Charges

Karzai’s latest charges

In what was termed a routine meeting of the Afghan National Security Council on Sunday President Hamid Karzai instructed his ministers of defence, interior and foreign affairs to take “immediate…

Karzai In Washington

Karzai in Washington

As I write this on Tuesday morning the drama of the ‘long march’ of the Tehrik Minhaj-ul-Quran dominates the air waves. Whatever its outcome we must recognise that it reflects…