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Telecom towers go up in remote areas of Paktia: IEA
Paktia Telecommunications Department officials say that they have started the process of setting up new telecommunication towers in remote areas of the eastern province.
Speaking during the inauguration of the project, which is being rolled out by Afghan Wireless Communication Company (AWCC) in Zurmat district, officials said additional land in other areas has been earmarked for the new towers.
“We have included in our plan all areas of Paktia districts where there are no telecommunications services, such as Zurmat and other districts,” Nasratullah Hijrat, director of telecommunications and IT in Paktia, said.
Salam Sharifi, head of AWCC in the southeast zone, meanwhile said: “Today, we inaugurated the AWCC site in Sahak area of Zurmat district. With this, the people of Sahak will benefit from better quality telephone services and fast internet services.”
Hazrat Mohammad Watanpal, the provincial director of the Afghanistan Telecom Regulatory Authority (ATRA), said: “We will make more efforts. ATRA also plans to cover the under-serviced areas.”
Residents of Paktia province have meanwhile called on the private and state-run telecommunication sector to expand their services across the district, given its size.
“Zurmat has been facing telecommunication problems for 20 years. Many thanks to AWCC for solving our problems,” Abdul Hamid Faizan, a resident of Paktia’s Zurmat district, said.
According to local officials, about 10 new telecommunication sites have been activated in Paktia since the takeover of the country by the Islamic Emirate.
A high-ranking Uzbek delegation comprising government officials and private sector representatives from the Republic of Karakalpakstan arrived in Kabul on Saturday to discuss the expansion of trade and economic cooperation with Afghanistan.
The delegation is headed by Amanbay Orinbayev, Chairman of the Supreme Council of Karakalpakstan.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, the delegation is expected to hold talks with Nooruddin Azizi, the Minister of Industry and Commerce, focusing on strengthening bilateral trade and economic relations.
The ministry said the visiting delegation will also participate in trade connectivity meetings and business-to-business sessions aimed at enhancing commercial cooperation between the two sides.
As part of the visit, the Uzbek delegation is also scheduled to travel to Balkh province, where members will attend additional trade meetings and inaugurate an exhibition showcasing Uzbekistan’s domestic products.
Hamid Karzai, former president of Afghanistan, has expressed concern over recent developments along the Durand Line, saying Pakistan has increased military and economic pressure on villages and residents living near the line.
In a statement, Karzai said the apparent purpose of these pressures is to push residents of Durand Line areas to seek help from Pakistani institutions for resolving security and other local issues.
He added that, amid this situation, some tribal elders from both sides of the Durand Line recently signed documents described as “peace agreements,” which were later officially welcomed by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to Karzai, these developments amount to an effort by Pakistan to legitimize the Durand Line and represent an action against Afghanistan’s national sovereignty.
The former Afghan president also urged the relevant Afghan authorities to provide the public with a clear explanation regarding the recent agreements and developments along the Durand Line.
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SAARC failure pushes Pakistan toward trilateral ties with Afghanistan, China, Bangladesh: Dar
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar has said that the failure of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is pushing Pakistan toward exploring trilateral cooperation frameworks involving Afghanistan, China, and Bangladesh.
Speaking at the South Asian Federation of Accountants (SAFA) Conference in Lahore on Friday, Dar said SAARC has “unfortunately not been able to kick off,” limiting regional economic integration and cooperation.
He said Pakistan is now looking at alternative regional arrangements to strengthen economic connectivity and trade, including trilateral formats such as China–Pakistan–Afghanistan and China–Pakistan–Bangladesh.
Dar stressed that South Asia cannot remain in “isolation,” noting that the region, home to nearly two billion people, is missing significant economic opportunities due to weak cooperation among neighbouring countries.
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was established in 1985 to promote economic and regional integration among South Asian countries, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
The organisation was designed to encourage cooperation in areas such as trade, development, education, and cultural exchange. However, in recent years, SAARC’s effectiveness has been significantly limited due to political tensions between member states, particularly between India and Pakistan, leading to stalled summits and reduced regional engagement.
As a result, regional economic cooperation in South Asia has largely remained underdeveloped compared to other regional blocs around the world.
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