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Pakistan sending in emergency aid and rescue teams to quake-hit Afghanistan
Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) called an urgent meeting on Sunday to coordinate a humanitarian assistance relief plan for earthquake-hit Afghanistan, including search and rescue teams.
Thousands of people have been badly impacted by the two 6.3 magnitude quakes, and numerous aftershocks that rocked the western province of Herat on Saturday.
So far 2,053 people are confirmed dead, over 10,000 are injured and 13 villages have been completely destroyed.
Pakista’s NDMA chairman, Lt. General Inam Haider Malik chaired the session which was attended by Pakistan’s ambassador in Afghanistan Ubaid Ur Rehman Nizamani, representatives from Pakistan’s ministry of foreign affairs and other relevant departments, a statement issued by Pakistan’s Prime Minister’s Office stated.
“Attendees were briefed about the situation in Herat, Afghanistan and the assistance that can be sent immediately to our brethren country Afghanistan in distress.
“NDMA has arranged to dispatch relief items which include food items, medications, tents and blankets. In addition to these items Search and Rescue Teams have also been shortlisted and are ready to be dispatched,” the statement read.
Malik stressed the need for swift relief assistance for Afghanistan and said the assistance should be sent via the fastest means available “utilizing air and land routes to Afghanistan”. He also requested the facilitation and coordination by all government departments and agencies involved in the process.
Pakistan says communities living along the Afghanistan-Pakistan Durand Line want peace and stability, despite ongoing security concerns in the region.
Speaking during a weekly media briefing, Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said there are no major issues between the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan, adding that residents on both sides of the Durand Line want peaceful relations and greater regional stability.
However, Andrabi claimed that terrorism originating from Afghan territory continues to undermine peace efforts.
He said Islamabad believes militant activity crossing from Afghanistan remains a significant obstacle to improving regional security and bilateral ties.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has repeatedly rejected such allegations, maintaining that no militant group is allowed to use Afghan soil to threaten neighboring countries.
Andrabi also said Pakistan remains diplomatically engaged on regional matters involving Afghanistan, Iran, India, and Somalia, stressing that dialogue and diplomacy remain Islamabad’s preferred means of resolving disputes.
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Afghanistan-Gambia ties discussed during Doha meeting
Both sides also exchanged views on strengthening diplomatic engagement and exploring future economic cooperation.
Suhail Shaheen, head of the Islamic Emirate’s embassy in Doha, has met with Omar Jah, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of The Gambia to Qatar, to discuss bilateral relations and areas of mutual interest.
According to a statement from the Afghan embassy in Doha, Jah also oversees Gambian diplomatic affairs related to Afghanistan.
The meeting focused on Afghanistan-Gambia relations, the current security situation in Afghanistan, and potential investment opportunities in the country.
Both sides also exchanged views on strengthening diplomatic engagement and exploring future economic cooperation.
Mahmood Khan Achakzai, a member of Pakistan’s National Assembly and head of the Pakhtunkhwa Awami National Party, has said that if capable statesmen had been in power, people living on both sides of the Durand Line could have moved freely across the line.
Speaking during a podcast interview, Achakzai said that countries with histories of major conflict, including Russia, Germany and the United Kingdom, now maintain far more open borders despite past wars. He said that in many such regions, only a “paper line” remains, with limited border restrictions.
Drawing comparisons with the disputed Durand Line boundary between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Achakzai argued that a similar arrangement could have been possible in South Asia.
“What is the problem here? A Punjabi could dance in Kandahar and a Pashtun could come here. Even if we are not formally one country, we could have effectively functioned like one,” he said.
The Pakistani politician also referred to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the later U.S.-led intervention, saying Afghanistan has the right to seek war reparations from those countries to support reconstruction efforts.
Achakzai further criticised the treatment of Pashtuns in Pakistan, alleging that individuals in cities including Lahore and Karachi have faced detention and deportation.
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