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Abdullah claims Taliban responsible for the stalled peace talks
Abdullah Abdullah, Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR) said Tuesday the Taliban has brought the intra-Afghan negotiations to a standstill in Doha, Qatar.
Addressing a meeting on the occasion of the inauguration of the HCNR’s Media and Public Awareness Commission, Abdullah stated that no negotiations have been held between the peace teams for about three weeks.
Abdullah also said no decision could be made behind the scenes, and “the Taliban can put whatever they want on the negotiating table with the I.R delegation.”
“If it is about speeding up the process [Peace process], it is our responsibility. But we are currently in a situation that although the negotiating party has not interrupted the negotiations, no negotiations are underway currently,” Abdullah pointed out.
Abdullah meanwhile also raised the issue of an interim government which has been proposed by some Afghan politicians as an alternative in order to kickstart the stalled peace talks.
He said that nowhere in the world has it been proven that peace can be maintained by merely establishing an interim government.
“Peace is not a personal issue for some people; the Taliban should sit around the negotiating table and raise their issues. A transitional government is not the goal of a desirable future that is acceptable to all,” Abdullah noted.
This comes after reports emerged about a week ago that the Taliban’s negotiating team has not fully returned to the talks tables since the three-week December break.
Some sources have stated that the Taliban is waiting to see whether the US goes through with the troops withdrawal by May 1 as per the Doha agreement before they return to the peace talks tables.
No decision has however been taken as yet regarding the troop withdrawal issue but Biden administration officials have confirmed the agreement is being reviewed.
High-ranking US officials have been briefed on the deal and on Thursday last week US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad.
“Great meeting with Ambassador Khalilzad to discuss the way forward in Afghanistan: continuing to protect the US against the threat of terrorism, achieving a just and durable political settlement there, and cementing a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire,” Blinken said in a tweet.
Biden’s Administration has retained Khalilzad, who has for the past two years been the driving force behind the Afghan peace process, to continue the Afghan peace mission.
In a series of tweets, Khalilzad stated that he has briefed Blinken on the Afghanistan peace process “in the context of our continuing policy review.”
“We discussed the focus on our conditions-based strategy, one that brings peace to Afghanistan, secures a stable future for its citizens, and prevents anyone from using Afghanistan to threaten the United States and our allies,” Khalilzad said.
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India sends over 63,000 vaccine doses to boost Afghanistan’s public health system
New Delhi has reiterated that it remains committed to supporting the Afghan people through sustained humanitarian and medical assistance.
India has reinforced its support for Afghanistan’s public health sector with the delivery of a new batch of essential vaccines to Kabul.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi has supplied 63,734 doses of influenza and meningitis vaccines to Afghan health authorities as part of its ongoing humanitarian assistance program.
Afghan health officials noted that the vaccines will be integrated into national preventive healthcare efforts and will help curb seasonal illnesses while reducing the risk of meningitis outbreaks, especially during periods of heightened vulnerability.
They said the shipment arrives at a time when Afghanistan’s medical resources remain under significant strain.
India has served as a key health partner to Afghanistan in recent years, providing medical supplies, essential medicines, and several rounds of vaccines to help strengthen the country’s healthcare infrastructure.
New Delhi has reiterated that it remains committed to supporting the Afghan people through sustained humanitarian and medical assistance.
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Deputy interior minister for counter-narcotics travels to Uzbekistan
Abdul Rahman Munir, the Deputy Minister for Counter-Narcotics at the Ministry of Interior, traveled to Uzbekistan this afternoon along with his accompanying delegation.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Interior, the purpose of the trip is to participate in a meeting of member countries of the Central Asian Regional Information and Coordination Centre for Combating Drugs (CARICC).
The statement added that the meeting will be held on December 5 of this year in the city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
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Imran Khan accuses Army Chief of ‘igniting’ Pakistan–Afghanistan tensions
In his post, written in Urdu, Khan said: “Asim Munir’s policies are disastrous for Pakistan. Because of his policies, terrorism has spiralled out of control, which grieves me deeply.”
Former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan has accused Army Chief Asim Munir of deliberately “igniting tensions” with Afghanistan, calling his policies “disastrous” for Pakistan.
The 73-year-old former cricketer, who has been imprisoned since 2023, issued the remarks through his official account on the social media platform X. His statement was shared a day after his sister, Uzma Khan, met him at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail following “special permission” granted by the government led by Shehbaz Sharif.
In his post, written in Urdu, Khan said: “Asim Munir’s policies are disastrous for Pakistan. Because of his policies, terrorism has spiralled out of control, which grieves me deeply.”
He further alleged that the army chief’s actions were motivated by a desire to please Western governments, saying Munir had “deliberately ignited tensions with Afghanistan so he could be seen internationally as a so-called ‘mujahid’.”
The founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf added that he had long opposed “drone attacks and military operations against our own people,” arguing such tactics would only worsen militancy. Khan claimed Munir first “threatened Afghans,” then oversaw the expulsion of refugees and the launching of drone strikes, the consequences of which he said were now visible in rising violence.
Khan also launched a personal attack on the army chief, calling him “mentally unstable” and accusing him of presiding over the “collapse of the Constitution and rule of law in Pakistan.”
He alleged that, on Munir’s orders, he and his wife had been imprisoned on fabricated charges and subjected to “the worst form of psychological torture.”
Khan said he had been held in solitary confinement for four weeks, with no human contact and without basic entitlements provided under the jail manual. He added that despite court directions, access to political colleagues, lawyers and family members had been blocked.
Referring to an incident involving another sister, Noreen Niazi, he said she was “dragged on the road” while trying to meet him.
Khan praised Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi for choosing “resistance over compromise” and urged him to “continue to play on the front foot.” He added that those threatening to impose governor’s rule in the province should “do it today rather than tomorrow and then watch what happens.”
An undeclared ban on meetings with Khan had fuelled speculation about his health. After visiting him, Uzma Khan said he was “perfectly fine” physically but was being subjected to “mental torture” in solitary confinement.
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