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Thousands of Pakistanis launched their “long march” from the eastern city of Lahore toward Pakistan’s capital on Friday, demanding that the government release the leader of their outlawed party. The rallygoers want to go to Islamabad to pressure the government to release Saad Rizvi, the head of the Tehreek-e-Labiak Pakistan party. Rizvi was arrested last year amid demonstrations against France over publishing caricatures of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad. Pakistan has deployed police and paramilitary personnel to prevent the demonstrators from leaving Lahore. Authorities also suspended cellular serv… Continue reading “Supporters rally in eastern Pakistan for release of leader”

KABUL – Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi gave Afghanistan’s new Taliban rulers advice Thursday on how to gain international recognition, during a visit to the neighbouring capital. The high-level talks came as the Taliban were confronted with a new crisis just over nine weeks into their rule, as an explosion brought down electric lines and cut off power to the capital Kabul, home to 4.6 million. The Taliban overthrew Afghanistan’s former US-backed government in August and have since been trying to win backing and financial support for their Islamist regime. But there has also bee… Continue reading “Pakistan coaches Taliban on winning international recognition”

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi arrived in Kabul on Thursday for his first visit to the Afghan capital since the Taliban victory in August, following weeks of tension over transport links between the two neighbouring countries. Qureshi will focus in his talks with Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and other Taliban leaders “on ways and means to deepen cooperation in diverse areas”, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said in a statement. The delegation included the head of the ISI intelligence service, Faiz Hameed, who visited Kabul in the immediate aftermath of the fall of th… Continue reading “Pakistan foreign minister makes first trip to Kabul since Taliban takeover”

(In second paragraph corrects timescale to up to 2040) By Mark Hosenball WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Afghanistan, India and Pakistan were among 11 countries singled out by U.S. intelligence agencies on Thursday as being “highly vulnerable” in terms of their ability to prepare for and respond to environmental and societal crises caused by climate change. In a new National Intelligence Estimate, the Office of Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) predicts that global warming will increase geopolitical tensions and risks to U.S. national security up to 2040, a senior intelligence official involved i… Continue reading “India among 11 ‘countries of concern’ on climate change for U.S. spy agencies”

In a final showing of character, Abdul Qadeer (AQ) Khan made sure his funeral was planned out with meticulous detail. Handwritten on time-stamped, headed paper, the Indian Subcontinent’s own “Dr Strangelove” contacted Professor Dr Muhammad Al-Ghazali – a sitting judge on Pakistan’s Supreme Court – with instructions of how he wished his Salat Al-Janazah, or funeral prayer, to be performed: “You are required to lead my funeral prayers (at H.8 graveyard). If it is a holiday, then preferably after Zuhr prayer at Faisal Mosque. If it is a working day, then preferably after Asr prayer at Faisal Mosq… Continue reading “Patriot, pariah, Pakistani: The legend of AQ Khan”

By Maria Tsvetkova MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia increased pressure on the Taliban on Wednesday to create an inclusive government representing a broad spectrum of Afghan society, as it hosted their new administration at a major conference for the first time since they took power. Pakistan, China, Iran, India and former Soviet Central Asian states joined Taliban officials at the Moscow meeting. The United States stayed away, citing technical reasons. With Afghanistan facing economic collapse and a humanitarian catastrophe, Moscow called for international aid to support Kabul, conscious that any spil… Continue reading “Russia presses Taliban to open up government, calls for Afghan aid”

Russia on Wednesday recognised Taliban efforts to try and stabilise the situation in Afghanistan but expressed concern that “terrorist” groups threatened the stability of the entire region. Russia is hosting the Taliban for talks as the Kremlin seeks to assert its influence on Central Asia and push for action against Islamic State fighters which it says have massed in the perennially volatile country. The talks are one of the Taliban’s most high-profile international meetings since seizing power in mid-August. “A new administration is in power now,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told … Continue reading “Russia ‘notes’ Taliban ‘efforts to stabilise’ Afghanistan”

When Greta Thunberg began to skip school to strike for climate action three years ago, no-one would have predicted the movement would grow the way that it did. With the likes of Kherann Yao, Alexandra Villasenor, and Satvhiga ‘Sona’ Sridhar leading conversations around climate action in each corner of the world, the climate action movement is being led by young people in a way that other social justice movements have rarely seen. But with this fast growing participation of young people in protesting for climate action and demanding change, comes the question – what is the role global youth pla… Continue reading “The Last Earthlings: Cleaning up Karachi’s beaches”