Latest News
Afghan peace plan outlines roadmap to future political system
The High Council for the National Reconciliation (HCNR) has drafted a unified peace plan for the upcoming Istanbul Summit.
A copy of the draft seen by Ariana News shows that the plan has four parts including a principle for the future of Afghanistan, a Peace roadmap/President Ashraf Ghani’s plan, a future political system, and an end to the ongoing conflict in the country.
According to the plan, two-thirds of the power is earmarked for the Islamic republic and one-third for the Taliban.
The first part of the plan calls for a number of stipulations including Islam to be the official religion of Afghanistan; civil rights to be preserved based on the Afghan Constitution; an amendment brought to parts of the Constitution, for International support to be preserved, and for a neutral foreign policy, elections, and an accountable government.
The second part includes Ghani’s three-phase roadmap to the restoration of peace in the country.
Ghani’s roadmap – from an unending war towards a just and lasting peace includes three phases, a political agreement; a peace government; and peacebuilding, state-building, and market-building.
In the first phase, Ghani proposed a political settlement, an internationally monitored ceasefire, a regional and international guarantee of peace as well as continued counter-terrorism efforts, and the convening of a Loya Jirga to approve the agreement.
The second phase will be to hold a presidential election and establish a “government of peace” and implement arrangements to move towards a new political system.
The third phase will involve building a “constitutional framework, security, reintegration of refugees and considering government priorities” for Afghanistan’s development.
In the third part of the draft, two political systems – a Presidential Structure with four Vice Presidents including a woman or a parliamentary system that could be implemented after a referendum for amending the Constitution – have been proposed for the future of Afghanistan
The fourth part is focused on ending the war in the country. In this part, a regular framework for the end of the conflict, and the implementation and monitoring of a ceasefire are highlighted.
This comes as US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad met with President Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR) on Saturday to discuss the peace process and the upcoming Istanbul summit.
“Khalilzad met with Ghani twice during the day and discussed the upcoming Istanbul summit, the timeframe, finalization of the list of participants, and the preparations for the conference,” the Presidential Palace said.
HCNR Chairman Abdullah stated in a tweet that he and Khalilzad discussed “the Afghan Peace Process, the Doha talks, internal consensus and preparations for the upcoming conference in Turkey.”
“We welcome the acceleration of the process & achieving a comprehensive political settlement,” Abdullah tweeted.
The Istanbul summit is expected to be held on April 16 in Turkey.
Latest News
UNESCO: 2.4 million Afghan girls denied education since 2021
UNESCO estimates that the ban could force around 600,000 Afghan women out of the workforce by 2066 and cause $9.6 billion in lost income. It could also increase the risk of early marriage.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said on Tuesday around 2.4 million Afghan girls have been denied secondary education since the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) returned to power in 2021.
In a statement on Tuesday, UNESCO said Afghanistan is the only country in the world where girls and women are officially barred from secondary and higher education.
The organization warned that the restrictions could increase poverty, reduce employment opportunities and cause long-term damage to Afghanistan’s future.
UNESCO estimates that the ban could force around 600,000 Afghan women out of the workforce by 2066 and cause $9.6 billion in lost income. It could also increase the risk of early marriage.
Girls’ secondary schools were closed in March 2022, followed by a ban on women attending universities in December of the same year. The IEA initially described the restrictions as temporary, but they remain in place.
UNESCO also warned that the restrictions could worsen Afghanistan’s shortage of female teachers. It estimates the country could face a shortage of more than 11,000 qualified female teachers by 2030.
The organization said more than 90% of 10-year-old children in Afghanistan cannot read a simple text, while the national literacy rate is around 37%.
Nearly half of the country’s schools also lack adequate access to water, sanitation or heating, UNESCO said.
According to the report, around three million people returned to Afghanistan in 2025, putting further pressure on the education system. Since 2021, earthquakes, floods and other natural disasters have also forced around 1,000 schools to close.
Russia’s Power Machines Company is interested in investing in the rehabilitation and modernization of Afghanistan’s power plants, Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) said on Tuesday.
DABS Chief Executive Officer Abdul Haq Hamkar discussed the potential investment with technical officials from Power Machines, with talks focusing on rehabilitating existing power plants, modernizing equipment and expanding power-generation capacity.
According to DABS, Hamkar said the company would cooperate in facilitating preliminary technical assessments of Afghanistan’s power plants and in exploring investment opportunities in the sector.
Denis Rudakov, head of Power Machines’ commercial department, said the Russian company plans to conduct preliminary technical assessments of existing power plants in Afghanistan.
Based on the findings, Power Machines will prepare proposals for rehabilitating facilities, modernizing equipment and increasing electricity-generation capacity, DABS said.
Afghanistan currently has several operational power plants, while efforts are underway to increase their generation capacity and upgrade their equipment, according to DABS.
Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), on Tuesday denied that IEA authorities detained Mahmood Shah Habibi, an Afghan-American businessman the US claims disappeared in Kabul four years ago.
“We have no information about Mahmood Shah Habibi. He is not with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. If he were, this issue would have been resolved long ago,” Mujahid said.
His remarks came a day after the FBI marked the fourth anniversary of Habibi’s disappearance and renewed its appeal for information about his whereabouts.
According to the FBI, Habibi disappeared near his home in Kabul on August 10, 2022. At the time, he was working as a consultant for Asia Consultancy Group, a Kabul-based telecommunications company. He had previously served as Afghanistan’s director of civil aviation.
The FBI has alleged that Habibi was detained by the IEA’s General Directorate of Intelligence.
The FBI has continued its investigation and in 2025 released a missing-persons poster for Habibi. The U.S. State Department has also offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his location, recovery and return.
UNESCO: 2.4 million Afghan girls denied education since 2021
New attacks on shipping as Iran war talks hit fresh impasse
Tahawol: Hamid Karzai’s call for Afghan reconciliation discussed
Saar: Preparations for IEA’s fifth anniversary discussed
Russian firm eyes investment in Afghanistan’s power plants
Pakistan’s governance system has ‘collapsed’: Mohsin Naqvi
Spain sweep FIFA World Cup player awards after historic triumph
Mango growers suffer heavy losses as exports fall and climate takes its toll
Countdown begins for inaugural Afghanistan Wrestling Premier League
Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan discuss expanding regional transit cooperation
Tahawol: Hamid Karzai’s call for Afghan reconciliation discussed
Saar: Preparations for IEA’s fifth anniversary discussed
Tahawol: Iran’s acknowledgment of Afghanistan’s cooperation discussed
Saar: Five years of Islamic Emirate rule in Afghanistan reviewed
Tahawol: Afghanistan: An Alternative to the Strait of Hormuz?
-
Sport3 days agoAfghanistan secure direct qualification for 2027 Men’s ODI World Cup
-
Regional4 days agoGoods transporters to go on strike from Saturday after talks with Pakistan govt fail
-
Latest News3 days agoPakistan-backed armed groups in Balochistan using former Afghan government forces: report
-
Sport4 days agoRashid Khan takes six as Afghanistan thrash Ireland by 92 runs
-
World4 days agoUS Senate passes Russia sanctions championed by Graham; US House next
-
Sport5 days agoAfghanistan ends continental futsal championship with dominant win over New Zealand
-
Business5 days agoUzbekistan, Kazakhstan target Afghanistan in push to expand regional trade
-
Regional5 days agoTrump says he thinks war with Iran will end ‘pretty soon’