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Pakistan needs national dialogue on Afghan policy: security expert
Abdullah Khan, Director of the Pakistan Institute of Conflict and Security Studies, has called for an open and meaningful national dialogue on Pakistan’s Afghan policy, arguing that the current approach is not weakening the Islamic Emirate but is increasingly pushing ordinary Afghans away from Pakistan.
In a statement, Khan said the people who formulated Pakistan’s current Afghan policy may be highly capable, but the direction and objectives of the policy appear difficult for ordinary citizens to understand.
“If Pakistan’s conflict is with the Taliban (IEA), why are measures being taken that could turn the entire Afghan population against Pakistan?” he questioned.
Khan also questioned proposals for supporting armed groups against the IEA. He said he personally did not support backing armed groups against the IEA, but if Pakistan ever considered such a strategy, an important question would be whether it still had reliable Afghan partners.
He argued that after Pakistan repatriated large numbers of Afghan citizens and continued measures encouraging those remaining in the country to leave, it would be difficult to persuade Afghan groups to trust Pakistan or work with it.
Khan further criticised what he described as Pakistan’s decision to treat the IEA as an enemy on a level comparable to India, calling it a dangerous strategic direction. He warned that such an approach could create space for India to rebuild its influence in Afghanistan and potentially use Afghan territory against Pakistan.
He questioned whether Pakistan could afford to open two fronts simultaneously along its eastern and western borders while already facing a serious terrorism challenge.
According to Khan, terrorism in Pakistan has increased significantly since the adoption of a hardline Afghan policy in October 2023. He also said border closures and other measures had adversely affected Pakistani and Afghan traders.
He called for an immediate national debate on Afghanistan policy to develop a workable strategy capable of addressing Pakistan’s security concerns while protecting its broader national interests.
Khan stressed that Pakistan’s Afghan policy should not be driven by the preferences of one individual or a limited group, but should instead be based on the broader national interest, Pakistan’s security and the lives of its security personnel.
India says a fugitive drug-trafficking kingpin accused of smuggling heroin and methamphetamine from Afghanistan into India has been deported from Turkey and brought back to the country.
Indian Home Minister Amit Shah said on Saturday that Navpreet Singh, also known as “Nav,” was deported from Turkey after Indian authorities tracked him down.
Shah said Singh had obtained Turkish citizenship using the fake identity “Navab Virk” and continued to smuggle heroin and methamphetamine from Afghanistan to India.
The 34-year-old, a native of Punjab, had been wanted in several narcotics cases and was on the run for more than two years. Indian authorities allege that he headed an international narcotics syndicate whose operations in India were managed by his cousin, Prabhdeep Singh.
Prabhdeep Singh, also known as “Harry,” was extradited from Azerbaijan to India in May in connection with a case involving the seizure of 358 kilograms of heroin in 2021.
India submitted its request for Navpreet Singh’s extradition to Turkish authorities in 2023-24, according to officials familiar with the case.
Shah described Singh’s deportation as a “historic milestone” and said the Indian government was committed to dismantling drug-trafficking networks.
The Indian Home Ministry says 288 fugitives from 36 countries have been brought back to India between 2019 and August 2026 as part of efforts to pursue wanted criminals abroad.
Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) and Tajikistan-based Pamir Energy Company have signed a cooperation agreement to provide electricity to border districts of Badakhshan province.
The agreement was signed in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, by Abdul Haq Hamkar, Chief Executive Officer of DABS, and Amir Khan Rahim, President of Pamir Energy.
The agreement is aimed at expanding cooperation, improving electricity supply and creating the necessary conditions for providing power services to residents of Badakhshan’s border districts.
On the sidelines of the signing ceremony, the two sides also discussed extending a 110-kilovolt power transmission line to Faizabad, the provincial capital of Badakhshan.
Hamkar emphasized the importance of the project in strengthening the province’s electricity infrastructure.
Pamir Energy said it would share relevant proposals with DABS following technical assessments.
In his speech, Hassan emphasized the importance of mutual respect, dialogue, economic cooperation and joint development between Afghanistan and countries in the region.
On the sidelines of the forum, the Afghan ambassador met with Anton Borisovich Doronin, Minister of Economic Development of Russia’s Stavropol region. The two discussed ways to expand trade, investment and economic cooperation.
Hassan also met with a number of Afghan businessmen and representatives of the Afghan community in Russia, listening to their concerns and suggestions.
He assured them that the Afghan embassy would provide necessary support and cooperation in addressing their concerns.
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