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Tag: Taliban

  • ‘Afghanistan has broken the shackles of slavery’: PM Imran Khan

    ‘Afghanistan has broken the shackles of slavery’: PM Imran Khan

    Prime Minister Imran Khan said that cultural imposition is equivalent of ‘mental slavery’ and it is very hard to break the shackles of mental slavery, adding that the Afghans had “broken the shackles of slavery”. PM Khan was speaking at the launch of the first phase of the Single National Curriculum (SNC) for students of grades one to five today.

    https://twitter.com/hoorainp1/status/1427163765859041280?s=21

    PM’s comments come as the Taliban rapidly take control of Afghanistan.

    The Taliban declared that the war in Afghanistan was over after its fighters swept into the capital, Kabul, and President Ashraf Ghani fled the country on Sunday.

    Criticising the two parallel systems of education in the country, PM said that the existence of English medium schools has led to the adoption of “someone else’s culture” in Pakistan.

    “When you adopt someone’s culture, you believe it to be superior and you end up becoming a slave to it,” said PM Khan.

    “I had the vision to introduce the Single National Curriculum, but the elites making the most of the current system will not change that easily,” said the premier.

    “When you acquire English medium education, you adopt the entire culture and it’s a major loss because you become a slave to that particular culture,” he said.

    “Our class divisions were formed only on the basis of an English education,” said PM Khan.

    He said a decision had also been taken to teach the life of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) from grades eight to 10. However, he told Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood that the plan to introduce the course by 2024 was too far away, adding that it should be implemented in five to six months.

    The SNC had been launched from classes one to five in public and private schools as well as seminaries in all provinces except Sindh.

  • ‘I thought it would be best to get out’, President Ashraf Ghani leaves, Taliban takeover Kabul

    ‘I thought it would be best to get out’, President Ashraf Ghani leaves, Taliban takeover Kabul

    President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan fled the country as the Taliban entered Kabul, amidst severe criticism from his opponents, saying that now is not the time for him to leave his country as the dreaded Taliban come back to rule once more.

    Ashraf left a note for his countrymen on social media, stating, “The Taliban have made it to remove me, they are here to attack all Kabul and the people of Kabul. In order to avoid the bleeding flood, I thought it was best to get out.”

    “Taliban have won the judgement of swords and guns and now they are responsible for protecting the countrymen’s honour, wealth and self-esteem. Didn’t they win the legitimacy of hearts,” wrote Ashraf Ghani.

    “Never in history has dry power given legitimacy to anyone and won’t give it to them. They are now facing a new historical test; either they will protect the name and honour of Afghanistan or they will prioritze other places and networks,” penned Ghani.

    Ghani further added, “Many people and many Aqshar are in fear and are unreliable in the future. It is necessary for the Taliban to assure all the people, nations, different sectors, sisters and women of Afganistan to win the legitimacy and the hearts of the people. Make a clear plan to do and share it with the public.”

    “I will always continue to serve my nation with an intellectual moment and a plan to develop. Lots more talk for the future. Long live Afghanistan,” said Ghani.

    The Taliban declared that the war in Afghanistan was over after its fighters swept into the capital, Kabul, and President Ashraf Ghani fled the country on Sunday.

    Ghani did not say where he had travelled to, but leading Afghan media group Tolo News suggested he had gone to Tajikistan.

    Abdullah Abdullah, who heads the peace process, had earlier accused Ghani of “leaving the people to this situation”.

    However, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Saturday in a televised speech said that the remobilisation of Afghanistan’s armed forces was a “top priority”.

    “As a historic mission, I will not let the imposed war on people cause more deaths,” said Ashraf Ghani.

    “In the current situation, the remobilisation of our security and defence forces is our top priority, and serious steps are being taken in this regard,” he said on Saturday. A day later, he fled Afghanistan.

  • Pakistanis lash out at their govt for celebrating the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan

    Pakistani Twitter has lashed out at ministers of the ruling party for celebrating the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. Two notable Ministers, including Minister of State for Climate Change Zartaj Gul and Federal Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari, tweeted on the situation in Afghanistan.

    WAIT A MINUTE…WHAT’S HAPPENING IN AFGHANISTAN?

    In a rapid turn of events, President Ghani of Afghanistan has reportedly fled the country as the Taliban enter Kabul, amidst severe criticism from his opponents, saying that now is not the time for him to leave his country as the dreaded Taliban come back to rule once more.

    The Taliban took the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, late on Saturday, and on Sunday morning, they seized the city of Jalalabad. They are now in control of the Torkham border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Within a week they have taken down Afghan government flags and hoisted their own white banners.

    Despite two decades of war with American-led forces, and reportedly more than 83 billion dollars spent by the US, the Taliban have survived and are now effectively in control of Pakistan’s neighbouring country. They have managed to do this in 10 days time with little resistance from the Afghan forces.

    WHAT DID PAKISTANI POLITICIANS DO ON TWITTER?

    Zartaj Gul in a tweet said, “India gets an appropriate gift on its Independence Day- its fascist terror-oriented Government should celebrate now today with tears and sorrow.”

    “The Kabul regime it used to wreak terrorism in Pakistan across many years has fallen and people are rejoicing all across Afghanistan,” said Zataj Gul in a tweet, which was later deleted.

    People on social media are calling out the ministers for their tweets.

    https://twitter.com/laaleen/status/1426877258770391040
    https://twitter.com/apniISPdot/status/1426869676500529154

    Shireen Mazari posted an image of the US leaving from Vietnam after the war ended in 1975 with an image of a US carrier leaving Afghanistan. Many on Twitter thought it was a ‘celebration’ of the US leaving an occupied territory, although she tried to clear her stance that it is not what she meant.

    WHERE IS HAMID KARZAI?

    According to a video message circulating on social media, the former president of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai has said that he will stay in Kabul with his family.

    TALIBAN STANCE

    Three diplomatic sources said Ali Ahmad Jalali, a US-based academic and former Afghan interior minister, could be named head of an interim administration in Kabul, though it was unclear whether the Taliban had agreed, Reuters has reported.

    A Taliban spokesman has told the BBC that the group “will respect rights of women” as it takes control of Afghanistan.

    A spokesperson for the Taliban, Suhail Shaheen, told BBC News: “We will respect rights of women…our policy is that women will have access to education and work, to wear the hijab.”

    PAKISTAN’S STANCE:

    Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi says Pakistan will keep on playing a positive role in the establishment of peace in Afghanistan.  Addressing the media in Multan, he said the whole world has acknowledged Pakistan’s stance regarding the Afghanistan issue. He further said that Afghan people want peace in their country and they are to decide their future for themselves. The minister added that Pakistan has no favourites in Afghanistan and whoever forms the government there, Pakistan will accept it.

    Meanwhile, an Afghan political delegation led by Wolesi Jirga Speaker Mir Rahman Rahmani arrived in Pakistan on Sunday evening.

  • ‘I will not let the imposed war on people cause more deaths’: Ashraf Ghani

    ‘I will not let the imposed war on people cause more deaths’: Ashraf Ghani

    Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said Saturday the remobilisation of Afghanistan’s armed forces was a “top priority”.

    In a televised speech, Ashraf Ghani said, “As a historic mission, I will not let the imposed war on people cause more deaths.”

    “In the current situation, the remobilisation of our security and defence forces is our top priority, and serious steps are being taken in this regard,” he said.

    With the country’s second and third-largest cities having fallen into Taliban hands, Kabul has effectively become a besieged last stand for government forces who have offered little or no resistance elsewhere.

    “Therefore, I have started extensive consultations inside the government with the elders, political leaders, representatives of people, and international partners on achieving a reasonable and certain political solution in which the peace and stability of the people of Afghanistan are envisaged.”

    But Ghani praised the forces “that have defended the nation courageously and showed strong determination”.

  • Pashtuns are probably the most ‘xenophobic’ people on earth, says PM Khan

    Pashtuns are probably the most ‘xenophobic’ people on earth, says PM Khan

    Prime Minister Imran Khan, while talking to foreign journalists on Wednesday, to explain the unrest in the region, referred to the Pashtuns as ‘xenophobic’.

    “We have a larger Pashtun population here in Pakistan than in Afghanistan and they’re probably the most ‘xenophobic’ people on earth,” said PM Khan.

    “They fight each other normally but when it’s an outside [force], they all get together,” said the prime minister.

    Twitterati reacted to PM Khan calling the Pashtuns ‘xenophobic’. As per the Oxford dictionary, ‘xenophobia’ means literally, fear of foreigners or strangers, though the term is often used to refer to attitudes of hatred or contempt rather than pure fear.

    The word ‘xenophobic’ means having or showing a dislike of or prejudice against people from other countries.

    National Assembly member Mohsin Dawar tweeted, “Shocking to see that in 2021 a PM would label an entire ethnicity as xenophobic.”

    Journalist Khurram Husain tweeted, “When you think in stereotypes, the results often look like this.”

    A Twitter user wrote, “Imran Khan should apologise to all Pashtuns. We are not xenophobic we are peaceful people who just want to live in peace.”

    Another Twitter user requested, “I think time has come that IK should only be giving written speeches/media talks with editing/homework on each question. No more live talks. Restrict him now.”

    https://twitter.com/AatifAzio1/status/1425788752945991681

    Journalist Murtaza Solangi questioned, “Is he [Imran Khan] a social scientist or social anthropologist?”

  • PM Khan not ‘waiting’ for a phone call from President Joe Biden

    Prime Minister Imran Khan, while talking to foreign journalists at his residence on Wednesday night, said he was not “waiting” for a phone call from United States (US) President Joe Biden.

    “I keep hearing that President Biden hasn’t called me. Well, it’s his option. If he wants to call or not it’s his business. If he thinks it’s necessary or not. Not that I am waiting for any phone call,” he said in response to a question from Reuters journalist, Gibran Peshimam.

    PM Khan’s comments come after National Security Adviser (NSA) Moeed Yusuf had said that Pakistan has other options if Joe Biden continues to ignore the country’s leadership.

    While speaking to Finacial Times (FT), Yusuf categorically said, “If a phone call is a concession, if a security relationship is a concession, Pakistan has options.”

    “We’ve been told every time that . . . [the phone call] will happen, it’s technical reasons or whatever. But frankly, people don’t believe it,” Yusuf added.

    The prime minister also talked about the current situation in Afghanistan, its impact on Pakistan, and the withdrawal of US troops.

    PM Khan further said, “The only solution to Afghan problem is the formation of an inclusive government through a political settlement.”

    He said the prevailing situation in Afghanistan could lead to a civil war in the country resultantly making us suffer being the immediate neighbour. He said it could also affect our geo-economic agenda of improving trade links with Central Asia.

    Prime Minister said, ” Pakistan is ready to work with any government in Afghanistan that is elected by its people.” He once again made it clear that we have no favourites in Afghanistan.

  • Thrown to the wolves

    A relative, who is one of this government’s true believers, recently circulated a video of people hurriedly getting onto a small airplane. When I asked what this was and why they had shared this video, the answer was, “This is Ashraf Ghani’s family fleeing Afghanistan.”

    The explanation was made in such a gleeful tone that I found it extremely disturbing. Other family members got in on the discussion with one cousin, remarking, “Historically, Taliban rule in Pakistan had been better for Pakistan.” That remark simply seemed to reflect the sense of excitement and anticipation that appears to be widespread in Pakistan about the return of the Taliban next door.

    Pakistan’s Afghan policy, has always centred around somehow being in control of the politics of that country, mainly through religious groups. The lucrative nature of using Islam as a rallying cry in Afghanistan was made clear after the Russian invasion. The US, aided willingly by Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, mobilised ‘mujahideen groups’ against the Soviet forces and the rallying cry of ‘saving Islam’, along with the cash and arms that poured in for this purpose proved to be very effective in the conflict. Certainly, many in Pakistan profited from the conflict but while these individuals and establishments would often complain about all the Afghan refugees who flooded into Pakistan, they never really complained about all the money they made. They just went on and on about ‘strategic depth’ and continued to happily support militant groups. The generals watched in horror as one Pakistani prime minister tried to find a political and consensual solution to the conflict so he (Junejo) was dismissed by the military dictator General Zia-ul-Haq fairly quickly. Subsequent, elected prime ministers have been similarly undermined and challenged on the Afghan policy front.

    My cousin thinks that history shows us that Taliban rule in Afghanistan has been good for Pakistan. Hmm, that would be because of the scores of public executions in the football stadium. Or perhaps because of the Taliban government’s efforts to take the country back to the dark ages. Or perhaps because the Taliban’s efforts to fix the country concentrated on such useful and revolutionary measures as smashing televisions, destroying ancient statues and insisting that women and minorities (like the well-entrenched Sikh communities) had no rights at all. Or perhaps that regime was ‘good’ for Pakistan because the militant violence then seeped into Pakistan and resulted in more than a decade of terror: bomb blasts and armed attacks. Despite all of that violence, many Pakistanis refused to condemn the killers because somehow they felt a sort of grudging admiration for the extremists, the ‘true believers’. Never mind the brutality of armed attacks or the heroin, Kalashnikovs and network of Saudi funded madrassahs that flooded the country, the mujahideen/Taliban groups were apparently ‘good’ for Pakistan.

    The way the US has simply upped and left Afghanistan is shockingly callous. They invaded the country in 2001, after the 9/11 attacks, all in the name of fighting against religious militancy and terrorism. I am not sure what they did in two decades of occupying the country: but the Afghan Taliban now seem stronger than before and their forces are now re-taking the country bit by bit. Along the way, they execute journalists, comedians and anyone else they disapprove of. And they continue their practice of targeting any high profile individuals or government officials who oppose them – just a few days ago they killed Dawood Khan Menapal, the head of the Afghan government’s press operations for local and foreign media. He was gunned down in his car in Kabul during the time of Friday prayers.

    The interesting thing about all this is that the world does not seem to be interested in Afghanistan any more. The advance of the Taliban forces on the capital, the decimation of the Afghan security forces along the way, the fact that thousands who believed in the west’s false claims of furthering democracy and progress now fear for their lives – none of this is considered worthy of sustained media coverage. There are occasional news stories, of course, but the intensity is nothing like it was when the Bamiyan Buddhas were blown up or when one or two western coalition soldiers were killed. Everybody seems to be watching events in Afghanistan with a degree of resignation, with a sense that Taliban victory is inevitable. The country seems to have been thrown to the wolves. After two decades of US occupation, it’s back to square one, nothing seems to have changed in the country except that Kabul now has trendy coffee shops and the trappings of western capitalism. After claiming that they were training and supporting government forces, the US-led coalition has abandoned them: the soldiers who resist the Taliban are now simply cannon fodder. It seems a familiar enough pattern: invade and occupy a country and wage a war in the name of peace and progress, get lots of people killed, and then just get up and leave.

    Many organisations in the west are now trying to do their conscientious bit by arranging sanctuary for those Afghans who worked with the western coalition – the translators and media fixers in particular. But how tragic it is that those who worked for what they thought was positive change, progress and the rule of law in their homeland are now forced with the choice of either losing their country or losing their life.

    Meanwhile, people in Pakistan (or at least my right-wing relatives) continue to be all excited about the return of the Middle Ages. Probably because of the thinking that Afghanistan should be regarded mainly as a battleground for the covert Indo-Pakistan war and ongoing power struggle in the region. Or perhaps because of the thinking that a religious ideology will trump any other ideology, particularly that of Pakhtun nationalism (something that we seem particularly phobic about). Some people will be of the opinion that the Taliban are more representative of the Afghan nation than any other group so eventually some sort of political evolution will happen in the country and that will be better than an artificially imposed system. Well, that’s all very well but what about those two decades then? What of all the lives lost and the promises made?

    And what about the Afghans dreaming of peace and progress? Their fate can be summed up in two words: cannon fodder.

    Thank you America. And thank you also to all you neighbours of Afghanistan.

  • ‘If a phone call and a security relationship is a concession, Pakistan has options’: Moeed Yusuf tells US

    ‘If a phone call and a security relationship is a concession, Pakistan has options’: Moeed Yusuf tells US

    National Security Adviser (NSA) Moeed Yusuf has said that Pakistan has other options if United States (US) President Joe Biden continues to ignore the country’s leadership.

    While speaking to Finacial Times (FT), Yusuf categorically said, “If a phone call is a concession, if a security relationship is a concession, Pakistan has options.”

    “We’ve been told every time that . . . [the phone call] will happen, it’s technical reasons or whatever. But frankly, people don’t believe it,” Yusuf added.

    Moeed Yusuf’s statement came as a complaint about Joe Biden’s failure to contact Prime Minister Imran Khan as Washington seeks help to stop the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan following US troop withdrawal.

    “The cold shoulder from Washington comes as the Taliban has captured swaths of territory across Afghanistan in a ruthless offensive emboldened by the US pullout,” the report added.

    “The president of the United States hasn’t spoken to the prime minister of such an important country who the US itself says is make-or-break in some cases, in some ways, in Afghanistan — we struggle to understand the signal, right?”

    A Biden administration official told FT, “There are still a number of world leaders President Biden has not been able to speak with personally yet. He looks forward to speaking with Prime Minister Khan when the time is right.”

    The US State Department, however, has assured Islamabad that Washington recognises Pakistan’s vital role in restoring peace in Afghanistan and wants the country to play that role. “Pakistan has much to gain and will continue to have a critical role, be well-positioned to have a role in supporting the outcome” in Afghanistan, said US State Department’s spokesman Ned Price, reported Dawn.

    A person familiar with last week’s discussions between Yusuf and his American counterpart Jake Sullivan told FT: “The conversation about Afghanistan had been tough but that securing a political settlement … could help improve the US-Pakistan relationship dramatically.”

  • Flags of Afghanistan, Taliban raised in Islamabad

    Flags of Afghanistan, Taliban raised in Islamabad

    Security agencies were put on alert on Sunday after police learned that a group of individuals were flying Afghanistan’s national flag as well as that of the Taliban at Islamabad’s Lake View Park, reports Dawn.

    A group of 20 to 25 young men holding the two flags were seen taking photographs at the park in the evening.

    A police party rushed to the place and questioned the individuals, but did not register any case against them.

    A police officer said since waving a flag of any country was not a crime, police did not take any action.

  • FO condemns ‘malicious smear campaign against Pakistan’ by former Canadian minister

    FO condemns ‘malicious smear campaign against Pakistan’ by former Canadian minister

    The Foreign Office (FO) strongly objected to the remarks made by a former Canadian minister, saying his comments betrayed a lack of understanding of the Afghan peace process as well as showed ignorance about facts on the ground.

    In a series of tweets, the Foreign Office addressed the matter and said, “We strongly condemn the unwarranted comments by former Canadian minister Chris Alexander, making unfounded & misleading assertions about…Pakistan’s role in #AfghanPeaceProcess.”

    Chris Alexander, former Canadian minister posted on Twitter, “Taliban fighters waiting to cross the border from Pakistan to Afghanistan… anyone still denying that Pakistan is engaged in an ‘act of aggression’ against Afghanistan is complicit in proxy war & war crimes.”

    The FO also reiterated Pakistan’s policy on Afghanistan and said that international powers had begun to appreciate what Prime Minister Imran Khan had been saying for a long time. “Now when the world has acknowledged what…Pakistan & PM @ImranKhanPTI has consistently maintained abt there being no military solution to the conflict in #Afghanistan & the need for an inclusive, broad-based & comprehensive political settlement, such gratuitous commentary is deplorable,” it added.

    The FO further said that Pakistan had taken up the matter with the government of Canada. “The matter has been taken up with the Canadian side. We have urged the Canadian authorities to take steps to address this motivated and malicious smear campaign.”