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Pakistan ‘does not want armed conflict with Afghanistan’

Published

2 years ago

March 21, 2024

Following Pakistan’s airstrikes in Paktika and Khost provinces on Monday, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Islamabad will not tolerate any form of cross border terrorism.

He said during a cabinet meeting on Wednesday: “We will not tolerate any form of terrorism from across the borders under any circumstances.”

Sharif emphasized that Pakistan’s borders are a red line against terrorism and that “terrorism must be eradicated.”

In the past year, Pakistan has consistently accused the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) of supporting terrorist groups such as the Tehreek- e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and has repeatedly urged the IEA to take serious action against this group and hand over its leaders to Pakistan.

However, the IEA has consistently denied Pakistan’s allegations.

Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif meanwhile says his country does not want to engage in an armed conflict with Afghanistan.

“Force is the last resort. We do not want to have an armed conflict with Afghanistan,” Asif said, speaking exclusively to VOA.

However, he warned that Islamabad could block the corridor it provides to landlocked Afghanistan for trade with India, saying Pakistan has the right to stop facilitating Kabul if it fails to curb anti-Pakistan terrorists operating on Afghan soil, VOA reported.

“If Afghanistan treats us like an enemy, then why should we give them a trade corridor?” he said.

This comes after Monday’s airstrikes against alleged militant hideouts in Paktika and Khost provinces in Afghanistan following an insurgent attack by Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) in Pakistan’s Waziristan on Saturday.

Pakistan claims Afghanistan’s leaders are not cracking down on TTP in the country – a claim the IEA rejects.

Five women and three children were killed in Monday’s airstrikes. IEA spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid meanwhile warned of serious consequences earlier this week.

“Pakistan should not blame Afghanistan for the lack of control, incompetence and problems in its own territory. Such incidents can have very bad consequences, which will be out of Pakistan’s control,” Mujahid said in a statement.

Following the airstrikes, security forces along the Durand Line retaliated and targeted Pakistani military posts with “heavy weapons.”

Since Tuesday, a tense calm has prevailed along the 2,600-kilometer-long border.

Experts meanwhile say that while the IEA does not have the military might to attack Pakistan, the Islamic Emirate could use unconventional means, including actively supporting anti-Pakistan militants, to respond if aggression from Islamabad grows.

“If they can harm us, then we’ll be forced to [retaliate],” Asif said, while expressing hope that Afghanistan would meet the “single demand” of reining in TTP, preventing the need for future military strikes from Pakistan.

Reacting to Monday’s strikes, the U.S. State Department urged Pakistan and Afghan Taliban to take steps to address differences.

“We urge the Taliban to ensure that terrorist attacks are not launched from Afghan soil, and we urge Pakistan to exercise restraint and ensure civilians are not harmed in their counterterrorism efforts,” deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told the media during a regular press briefing Monday.

Meanwhile, former Pakistani information minister Jan Achakzai warns that if the IEA keeps attacking Pakistan, Islamabad may seize the “Wakhan corridor.”

Achakzai wrote on his social media platform X on Wednesday that Pakistan would swiftly enter Afghanistan and annex the Wakhan corridor to gain access to the Central Asian countries.

The Wakhan Corridor is a narrow strip of land in northeastern Afghanistan, extending between Tajikistan, Pakistan, and China. It serves as a buffer zone between Afghanistan and its neighbors.

The Wakhan Corridor has historically been a significant trade route connecting Central Asia with South Asia and the Middle East. It played a crucial role in the ancient Silk Road network.

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US State Department: Afghanistan fails to meet minimum fiscal transparency standards

Published

51 minutes ago

August 12, 2026

Ariana News

The U.S. Department of State says Afghanistan’s ministries and other public-sector institutions failed to meet any of the minimum requirements for fiscal transparency during the review period.

In its 2026 Fiscal Transparency Report, released Tuesday, the State Department said no Afghan entity had published an executive budget proposal or an end-of-year report within a reasonable timeframe.

The report said that in the absence of a publicly available budget, there was no confirmation of government expenditures made to support public services. It also said Afghan institutions had not published timely information on public-sector debt obligations.

According to the report, publicly available revenue and expenditure figures did not correspond to actual revenues and expenditures, based on information gathered through contacts and the government’s inability to service public-sector debts.

However, some state-owned enterprises independently published information on their revenues and expenditures.

The State Department also said an entity calling itself the Supreme Audit Office, which announced that it would begin operating in 2022, had not clarified the legal basis for its activities and did not publish any audits or audit findings during the review period.

The report further noted that the IEA did not make public the budgets of their “military” and intelligence services.

The U.S. State Department recommended that Afghan ministries and public institutions improve fiscal transparency by publishing reliable budget documents on time, following internationally accepted budgeting principles, strengthening oversight of off-budget accounts, and making information on public-sector debt publicly available.

It also called for clearer laws governing natural-resource extraction and public procurement, as well as ensuring that any supreme audit institution operates independently and meets international standards.

Meanwhile, the Islamic Emirate’s spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, said Afghanistan’s budget does not belong to any other country, and therefore there is no obligation to provide information to others about how it is spent.

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FAO warns water shortages and heat put Afghanistan’s agriculture under pressure

FAO assessed current conditions and prospects using climate forecasts, remote-sensing data and consultations with farming communities across all 34 provinces.

Published

3 hours ago

August 12, 2026

Ariana News

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has warned that water shortages and above-average temperatures are placing increasing pressure on summer crops and grazing across Afghanistan.

In its August 2026 outlook for Afghanistan’s 2026/27 agricultural season, FAO assessed current conditions and prospects using climate forecasts, remote-sensing data and consultations with farming communities across all 34 provinces.

The agency said persistent water shortages, combined with high temperatures, are affecting agricultural conditions during the summer season and increasing pressure on crops and livestock.

FAO also warned that persistently high fertilizer prices could limit farmers’ ability to invest in the upcoming winter wheat season, potentially affecting production prospects.

Looking ahead, the report says a strengthening El Niño and the possible development of a positive Indian Ocean Dipole could bring above-average precipitation during winter and spring.

Such conditions could improve water availability and boost prospects for agricultural production, but FAO cautioned that heavier rainfall could also increase the risk of floods, landslides, crop damage and livestock losses.

The agency said the latest outlook highlights the need for continued monitoring, anticipatory action and timely, practical climate and agricultural advisories to help farmers and livestock owners prepare for changing conditions.

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Hana raises concerns over Afghan women and children amid Iran’s expulsion policy

It said the risks are particularly serious for children born in Iran or those who have spent much of their lives there.

Published

5 hours ago

August 12, 2026

Ariana News

The Hana Human Rights Organization has raised serious concerns over the situation of Afghan women and children in Iran, saying the country’s plan to regulate and expel undocumented Afghan nationals remains in effect.

According to Hana, Iran’s Ministry of Interior has confirmed that the “Plan for the Regulation and Expulsion of Unauthorized Afghan Nationals” has not been suspended.

The organization said the policy is continuing amid the consequences of armed conflict and an increasingly securitized environment in Iran, which it said has heightened the vulnerability of Afghan migrants and asylum seekers.

Hana said it has previously documented cases involving the arrest and mistreatment of Afghan nationals, deportations, family separation and difficulties obtaining civil documentation and accessing essential services.

The organization warned that continued implementation of the expulsion policy could worsen these problems.

Hana expressed particular concern for Afghan children under 18, stressing that children’s rights are independent of their parents’ migration status.

It said irregular residence should not, by itself, justify a child’s detention, separation from family or removal without an individualized assessment. Any decision affecting a child, it added, should prioritize the child’s best interests, preserve family unity and provide additional safeguards for unaccompanied and separated children.

The organization warned that large-scale expulsions without clear procedures to identify and protect children at risk could result in family separation, disruption to education, lack of legal protection, difficulties establishing legal identity, exploitation and return to unsafe conditions.

It said the risks are particularly serious for children born in Iran or those who have spent much of their lives there.

Hana also highlighted gender-specific risks facing Afghan women and girls. It warned that deportation to Afghanistan without assessing risks linked to gender, previous political or social activities, family circumstances and access to support networks could expose them to serious human rights violations.

The organization said being classified as an “unauthorized foreign national” should not replace an individual assessment of a person’s protection needs and the risks they may face upon return.

Hana stressed that while states have the authority to regulate the entry and residence of foreign nationals, migration enforcement must comply with international human rights principles, including non-refoulement, the prohibition of collective expulsion, access to individualized procedures and respect for family unity.

It called for heightened protection for women and children, warning that continuing the expulsion plan without effective legal and protection safeguards could lead to further human rights violations against Afghan migrants and asylum seekers in Iran.