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A Weird Offer
April 30, 2012 | Dilawar Sherzai
n the sixth meeting of trilateral Core Group in Islamabad, Afghanistan, US and Pakistan have agreed to form a combined strategy regarding peace talks with Taliban. They have agreed to find out ways that could lead to safe passage for Taliban who wish to be a part of the reconciliation process. The meeting was held on Friday ...
Downsizing Afghan National Security Forces
April 30, 2012 | Abbas Daiyar
here are few weeks to the NATO Summit in Chicago from May 20 to 21. The alliance's involvement in Afghanistan beyond 2014 would be on top of the Summit's agenda. A concrete strategic plan of NATO's engagement in Afghanistan after 2014 and decisions on commitment to ...
Full Steam Ahead for Another Election Debacle in Afghanistan?
April 30, 2012 | Aleem Siddique
The lights are flashing red on the Afghan dashboard. With American and NATO forces heading for the door in 2014 and the next presidential election scheduled for the same year, time is running out to secure a peaceful and stable future for Afghanistan. Over ten years after the fall of the Taliban, many of the hopes ...
Wars, Their Vitality and Their Outcomes
April 29, 2012 | Dilawar Sherzai
Wars have always played a dominant role in human societies, if not positive all the times. There are many people in the world who consider that wars are necessary, though wars bring a lot of miseries with them. They even go to the extreme by calling them as a precondition to peace. But, on the other hand, there are many people ...
Celebration and Painful Sighs
April 29, 2012 | Masood Korosh
On Saturday, while driving with a friend towards central part of Kabul city, we were stopped for body-check up by police who browbeat me when I said, "Come on man, I am not that kind of guy to carry out suicidal attacks". His fellow police kept distance and was peeking while watching the crossing vehicles, having ...
Not to Underestimate the Taliban
April 29, 2012 | Muhammad Ahsan
The Taliban were underestimated by US and its allies ten years back and they came back as a strong force against NATO. They are being underestimated today by the Afghan government and the international community. Taliban will never embrace the current government structure in Afghanistan but are committed to destroy ...
Impoverishment Looms Large for Millions of Europeans
April 28, 2012 | Mehdi Rezaie
We are certainly living in strange times. We are at the crossroads of a global economic depression while the global financial system is being kept alive and running by unprecedented market intervention many of which border on and go beyond outright manipulation. The times, more than being ...
Change in Political System
April 28, 2012 | Masood Korosh
On Monday, April 23, the ministry of foreign affair strongly condemned the recent proposal for change in the current political structure, saying that it was tantamount to interference in the country's internal affairs. Janan Mosazai, the foreign ministry spokesman, expressed that foreigners had no right to propose changes to the ...
The Causes and Effects of Air Pollution in Kabul
April 28, 2012 | Abbas Ali Sultani
Air pollution in Kabul is the result of three decades civil war in Afghanistan. Civil war has completely demolished the infrastructure of the country. As a result, the nation is tolerating different sorts of problems such as pollution, security threats, unemployment, poverty and illiteracy. All the mentioned dilemmas are ...
Change in Setup, Necessary for Peace
Thursday April 26 | Dilawar Sherzai
With the rise of current controversy between Afghan Presidential Office and the opposition party, it should now be very much clear that Afghan and International authorities have to divert their attentions towards the issue of the future form of government apart from the transition period and reconciliation process. There are many ...
Iran-West Standoff Showing Signs of Softening
Thursday April 26 | Mehdi Rezaie
The long-drawn standoff between Iran and the West is finally showing some signs of softening. The Istanbul talks that were recently held in Turkey were largely hailed as a "step in the right direction". Curiously enough, inside Iran and in the lead-up to the Istanbul talks, there were growing signs of the leaders ...
Presidential or Parliamentary form of Government?
April 25, 2012 | Dilawar Sherzai
Currently, there is a debate going on in Afghanistan regarding the form of the political system in the country. There is a presidential form of government with most of the authorities lying with the president. The opposition party, Afghanistan National Front (ANF) and some of the national and ...
The Strategic Agreement and the Future of U.S.-Afghan Relations
April 25, 2012 | Mehdi Rezaie
The draft of the strategic agreement with the United States has been finalized after 18 months of heated discussions and a political tug of war that involved many issues and aspects of the two countries' relations. The strategic agreement will set the tune and contours of the relations between the two countries for at ...
“China Miracle” and China’s Political Systems
April 25, 2012 | Xu Feihong
Since the reform and opening-up policy kicked off in 1978, China's economy has enjoyed a rapid growth. In 2010, China became the world's second largest economy with an overall booming development of social works and continuous improvement of people's livelihood, which pulled off applauses from the international community and was ...
Our Brothers
April 24, 2012 | Abbas Daiyar
The recent Taliban attacks targeting Western embassies and parliament in Kabul, and government buildings in other provinces on April 15 has caused a revived confidence, support and pride of ordinary Afghans for our National Security Forces. The fact that Special Forces units and police ...
Cancerous Approach towards Peace Talks
April 24, 2012 | Masood Korosh
The approach of Mr. President Karzai has always been questioned by experts and civil society in regard to peace talks with Taliban-led militants. From the very start, Mr. President has upheld a kind of mild diplomacy towards his armed oppositions and strongly supported non-military steps to end the ongoing ...
The Earth Day
April 24, 2012 | Sajjad Urya
April 22 is celebrated as "Earth Day", internationally. The basic purpose of the celebration of this day is to promulgate awareness regarding sensitization towards the earth's natural environment. This day is celebrated in more than 175 countries of the world, through the arrangement of different efforts to ...
Addiction to Humanitarian Funds and Unsustainable Achievements
April 23, 2012 | Mehdi Rezaie
Afghanistan has seen massive inflow of humanitarian aid over the past one decade. Tens of billions of dollars have entered Afghanistan and have been spent on developmental projects across a wide spectrum of sectors including health, education ...
Who Could be behind Bannu Prison Break?
April 23, 2012 | Farman Nawaz
Bannu jail is situated at a distance of 8 kilometers from Bannu cantonment and 7 kilometers from FC camp. There are few police stations in the nearby area too. But it creates questions in the minds of many that why, after hearing sounds of explosions, the police and army refrained from reaching there in ...
Why Khorasan is Crucial?
April 23, 2012 | Rajinder Puri
Islamic fundamentalists including the leaders of Al-Qaeda seized upon the legend of Greater Khorasan to inspire followers to pursue their terrorist agenda. According to legend Prophet Mohammed had prophesied that one day a great power would rise in the east to demolish enemies and spread Islam across the world. That created the legend ...
Funding Afghan Troops
April 22, 2012 | Dilawar Sherzai
In the post-withdrawal Afghanistan, it is not just the security capability of Afghan forces that is a matter of concern; rather the funding of Afghan forces is also a matter of serious concern. Afghan economy is not stable enough to provide for the expenditures of its troops. The basic infra-structure within ...
Developing Afghanistan’s Small and Medium Enterprises
April 22, 2012 | Mehdi Rezaie
Afghanistan's economy deserves to occupy the top of the agenda of the international community. Afghanistan along with the security and military transition that is in the offing also needs an economic transition. Without giving due attention to this imperative, Afghanistan risks a descent into an economic abyss that would ...
Ending the Politicisation of Afghan Security Forces
April 22, 2012 | Amrullah Saleh
The aftermath of every deadly Taliban attack brings voices that condemn the Taliban and praise the Afghan security forces. And some muster up the courage to criticise the political leadership and the government of the country. Have the Afghan national security forces reached a level of competency where we can trust their ...
Hopes and Realities Regarding Post 2014 Afghanistan
Saturday April 21, 2012 | By Dilawar Sherzai
Concerns are mounting regarding the future in Afghanistan, mostly regarding the years after the withdrawal of international troops in 2014. At the same time the promises by international community that Afghanistan will not be left alone are also increasing. However, it is interesting to note that the steps that are being taken show that the intentions are not ...
Afghanistan and the Politics of Withdrawal
Saturday April 21, 2012 | By Abdul Khaliq FAZAL
The aim of the American troops when they entered Afghanistan on Oct 7, 2001 was not only to avenge the terrorist attacks of September/11 but also to topple the Taliban and clean out Afghanistan and the region from the activities of Al- Qaida organization. In addition, to make sure that America and its allies will be saved from future Al-Qaida attacks. Afghanistan, which at that ...
Afghans at the Crossroads
Saturday April 21, 2012 | By Hassan Bin Talal
Early this year, the Pentagon's strategic review signalled a shift in priorities for US foreign policy, suggesting that more attention would be paid to the Asia-Pacific region. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton spoke of this as a "pivot" towards Asia, signalling what for many analysts and ordinary Americans has been a long-overdue transition away from Iraq ...
Infrastructure and Economic Development for Afghanistan
Thursday April 19, 2012 | By Mehdi Rezaie
Afghanistan has come a long way over the past one decade. Much has been accomplished since then in the areas of reconstruction, state-building, poverty alleviation and relief and assistance delivery to impoverished masses with the help of the International community. Although fraught ...
Women in Afghan Education System
Thursday April 19, 2012 | By Dilawar Sherzai
The incidents violating women rights in Afghanistan have not been stopped though there have been comparative developments made in the last decade or so and billions of dollars spent. In fact the changes are prevalent only on the exterior while from within the Afghan society still lacks the modernity and development it needs in order to reach ...
Book Review: Descent into Repackaging
Thursday April 19, 2012 | By Dr Mohammad Taqi
Just as the transition of military responsibility, including special operations such as the controversial night raids, from the United States and allied forces to the Afghan security forces accelerates, a new book dealing with the Pak-Afghan region and US policy therein, hit the stands last month. Ahmed Rashid has come out with Pakistan on the ...
In Afghanistan, a Kind of Suicide
Thursday April 19, 2012 | By Praveen Swami
Late one June evening last year, as Taliban negotiators hopped between Islamabad, Doha and Munich for secret talks meant to bring peace in Afghanistan, a rocket arced over the east-central city of Ghazni. It ended its journey at Khatera Rezai's home in Tauheedabad, just as the nine-year-old was getting ready for supper. ...
Early Presidential Elections – A Crisis or an Opportunity?
April 18, 2012 | Mehdi Rezaie
President Hamid Karzai has proposed bringing forward the date for the next presidential elections from 2014 to 2013. The president announced this possibility in a joint press conference with the visiting Secretary General of NATO, Anders ...
Speedier Withdrawal
April 18, 2012 | Dilawar Sherzai
The weariness about the war in Afghanistan is really becoming evident with each passing day. The most can be seen within the attitude of decision makers and troops of international community engaged in Afghanistan. Most of them believe that earlier withdrawal would help their countries extract themselves out ...
Shocking Statistics on Drug Addicts
April 18, 2012 | Abbas Daiyar
A new report on drug addicts in Afghanistan has shocking statistics. The official recorded number has increased one million, of which about 60,000 are women! And even more shocking, over 70,000 of these addicts are from Herat province alone. If the main reason for this huge number could be the fact that Herat borders Iran and ...
Attacks in Kabul and the Future of Afghan Conflict
April 17, 2012 | Mehdi Rezaie
It was only on Saturday, one day before the tornado of attacks was unleashed across Afghanistan, that some friends of mine jokingly quipped Kabul has been too calm for too long time and something should be up sooner than later. The anticipation did not last long. On the following day, upwards of 10 armed men stormed into ...
Now, the Spring Offensive has Started!
April 17, 2012 | Dilawar Sherzai
After a large scale and daring attacks, Taliban seem to have started their "Spring Offensive". It has not been a long time since the NATO officials declared that Taliban's Spring Offensive is nowhere to be seen. Now, the offensive is quite evident and seems to be over-showing itself with its ugly manifestation. It ...