Connect with us

Latest News

Pakistan clamps down on travel from Afghanistan and Iran

Published

on

Pakistan on Sunday banned inbound pedestrian movement from neighboring Afghanistan and Iran in an attempt to contain the spread of coronavirus.

The decision will be effective from May 4 to May 20 and only Pakistani nationals and only people with extreme emergency medical issues will be allowed to enter the country from both countries.

All outbound pedestrian movement will be allowed.

Border terminals between the three countries will also remain open throughout the week for trade and cargo purposes, Anadolu News reported.

“With the emergence of various variants and to restrain import of any new mutation to Pakistan, the current policy of Land Border Management with Afghanistan and Iran has been reviewed to ensure regulated inbound pedestrian movement and effective management of COVID protocols at border terminals,” a government press release stated.

According to Anadolu, Pakistan has recently detected British, Brazilian, and South African variants of COVID-19, fearing a further rise in the already mounting infections.

It has also banned land and air travel from India, where record infections and deaths have overwhelmed the health care system.

The government has also decided to increase the strength of health and security officials at border terminals with Iran and Afghanistan for implementation of the testing protocols, and control high traffic density.

Inbound pedestrians will undergo a rapid antigen test, and Pakistani nationals who test positive will be shifted to nearby quarantine facilities.

Inbound Afghan pedestrians with exemptions who test positive will be reverted to the home country.

Pakistan has registered 829,933 cases, including 18,070 deaths.

Latest News

US offers $5 million reward for information on Afghan-American detained by Islamic Emirate

Published

on

The United States has announced a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the location and safe return of Mahmoud Habibi, an Afghan-American businessman who was detained by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s (IEA) intelligence agency nearly two years ago.

The offer, issued through the State Department’s Rewards for Justice program on Monday, underscores growing concern over Habibi’s fate.

He was arrested on August 10, 2022, in Kabul. A former head of Afghanistan’s civil aviation authority under the previous Western-backed government, Habibi was reportedly detained along with his driver and 29 colleagues from a local telecommunications firm.

All but two — Habibi and another unnamed individual — have since been released.

“Mr. Habibi has not been heard from since his initial arrest, and the so-called Taliban (IEA) government has yet to provide any information regarding his whereabouts or condition,” the department’s statement said.

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, which took power in August 2021 following the withdrawal of U.S. and allied forces, has denied holding Habibi. Despite repeated requests from U.S. officials and international rights organizations, no credible details about his status have emerged.

The Biden and now Trump administrations have made the recovery of U.S. citizens detained abroad a key priority. The reward offer forms part of a broader effort by Washington to pressure the IEA and mobilize public cooperation to help locate Americans detained in conflict zones.

The State Department has urged individuals with relevant information to contact the Rewards for Justice program through secure and anonymous channels.

Habibi’s disappearance remains a sensitive issue in U.S.-IEA relations, with American officials warning that unresolved detentions such as his pose a major obstacle to any meaningful engagement with the current Afghan authorities.

Continue Reading

Latest News

Washington signals policy shift on Afghanistan during UN Security Council session

However, other Council members urged caution in dealing with the Islamic Emirate.

Published

on

The United Nations Security Council held a special session this week to assess the situation in Afghanistan, with international stakeholders offering sharply contrasting views on engagement with the Islamic Emirate-led administration.

The meeting comes amid growing concern over humanitarian conditions, the erosion of women’s rights, and the international community’s fractured approach to the future of the country.

Roza Otunbayeva, head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), presented the UN’s newly formalized “Mosaic Strategy,” aimed at focused engagement without legitimizing the current political order.

“The goal of this focused engagement is to support the emergence of an Afghanistan that lives in peace with itself and its neighbors, adheres to international obligations, reintegrates into the global community, and avoids a return to cycles of violence,” Otunbayeva told the Security Council.

She warned that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s (IEA) continued ban on girls’ education threatens to deepen Afghanistan’s international isolation. “Policies that restrict the rights of women and girls represent a major obstacle to Afghanistan’s reintegration into the international system,” she said.

Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women, echoed those concerns, stating that women’s full participation is essential to achieving lasting peace and legitimacy.

“Without full and active inclusion of women, no sustainable stability or real progress can be achieved in political or humanitarian efforts,” she noted.

Amid this backdrop, U.S. Ambassador Dorothy Shea confirmed that Washington is reassessing its policy on Afghanistan.

“Nearly four years have passed since the Taliban (IEA) took control, yet the situation remains dire,” she said.

Shea emphasized that the Trump administration’s renewed strategy will center on securing U.S. interests, including the protection of American citizens, the mitigation of terrorism threats, and the release of detained Americans.

“Our approach to assistance has not been sustainable and has failed to yield the intended results,” Shea stated. “It is now time for the Taliban to perform.”

Her remarks signaled a shift toward more conditional, outcome-based engagement and away from open-ended commitments.

However, other Council members urged caution in dealing with the Islamic Emirate.

China’s envoy Geng Shuang called for a more pragmatic approach, warning against politicizing humanitarian aid and cautioning that women’s rights should not be the sole barometer of international engagement.

“We must respect Afghanistan’s traditions and realities,” Geng said, “and avoid imposing excessively strict demands.”

Qatar’s representative announced plans to host two key working group meetings under the Doha Process from June 30 to July 1. These sessions—on counter-narcotics and private sector development—will include representatives of the IEA, suggesting an ongoing track of technical engagement even amid diplomatic caution.

The Council session laid bare the growing divisions over how best to handle Afghanistan’s future: whether to isolate the IEA-led government over human rights violations, or to engage pragmatically to maintain stability and prevent a humanitarian collapse.

Continue Reading

Latest News

Iranian envoy calls for Afghan solidarity amid escalating war with Israel

Published

on

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2025 Ariana News. All rights reserved!