Editorial

Following month-long rifts, the Wolesi Jirga finally approved the draft national budget for the current fiscal year on Jan 22, only to spark fierce reactions from disgruntled Afghans in different provinces – including Ghor and Wardak among others – due to what they call ‘unfairness and imbalance’ in allocated resources to the …

You have the right to speak. It’s not what you say—it’s the way that you say it. Your right to express your opinion is protected no matter what beliefs you hold. What matters is how you use that right. If you organize a protest that causes serious disruption, the government …

President Ashraf Ghani’s administration always boasts of disbanding parallel and similar organizations in order to strengthen efficiency and cost-effectiveness when it comes to bureaucratic affairs. But the current dilemma of having two peace bodies with the same mission proves otherwise. While the High Peace Council (HPC) – which was established …

The abrupt arrest of Manzoor Pashteen, leader of the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM), along with his six colleagues stoked political howls of protest both inside and outside of Pakistan. Pashteen has been accused of “hate speech” and sedition and remanded to judicial custody for 14-days. Surprisingly, the reason cited for …

While efforts for inking a peace agreement and observing a ceasefire with the Taliban by the US are on, the constant victimization of Afghan mere mortals is still raging on. A recent horrible incident that happened in northern Balkh province has resulted in the killing of seven people from a …

Afghanistan already has a host of viruses to battle against – ranging from the Polio to the Congo virus – and its deficient and scanty healthcare system cannot afford new infections at a time when a new strain of coronavirus is making headlines and spreading panic around the world. According …

While Afghanistan has been bedeviled by uncertainty due to political wrangling and the long-drawn-out peace process, a recent World Bank report warned against tough times in 2020 in terms of economic resilience. The World Bank cautioned Afghanistan against an upward trend of poverty and sought acceleration of reforms to steer …

Afghanistan has been jumbling with the adversities that have been posed by war since ages. The Afghans have suffered a lot and the country’s infrastructures trashed in the most rebellious way, taking years to rebuild. But hopes have emerged for a possible end to this deadly phenomenon after engagement of …

President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has decreed the appointment of his deputy chief of staff, Mohammad Haroon Chakhansuri, as the deputy minister for political affairs and Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs. The same presidential decree has further ordered that the deputy for political affairs who replaced Idrees Zaman shall also lead …

The transit trade between Afghanistan and Pakistan have been perennially on-again, off-again. Although there is a bilateral agreement between the countries, the constant closure of crossings triggered by strained ties has multiple times led to the suspension of trade. Recent contradictory happenings paint a perplexing picture of the current trade …