KABUL: The Taliban seized another Afghan provincial capital on Tuesday — the seventh in less than a week — as tens of thousands of people fled their homes in the north for the relative safety of Kabul and other centres. A provincial lawmaker said the insurgents had taken Farah city, capital of the same-named province in western Afghanistan, while a …

The United States wants Afghanistan’s neighbours not to recognise any government in Kabul that has been imposed by force. The demand — made at a Tuesday afternoon news briefing at the US State Department — preceded a meeting of the Troika Plus nations in Doha on Wednesday. The group, which includes the US, Russia, China and Pakistan, is aimed at finding a …

Taliban insurgents tightened their grip on captured Afghan territory on Tuesday, now controlling 65 per cent of the country, as US President Joe Biden urged the nation’s leaders to fight for their homeland. Pul-e-Khumri, capital of the northern province of Baghlan, fell to the Taliban on Tuesday evening, according to residents who reported Afghan security forces retreating towards the Kelagi desert, …

The Taliban seized three more provincial capitals in Afghanistan, officials said on Wednesday, putting nine of the nation’s 34 in the insurgents’ hands amid the US withdrawal from the country. The fall of the capitals of Badakhshan and Baghlan provinces to the northeast and Farah province to the west put increasing pressure on the country’s central government to stem the tide of …

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has observed that government entities and private parties have encroached upon the protected National Park while the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) and civic agencies have turned a deaf ear to these serious environmental issues. The observation came during the hearing on Tuesday by IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah of a petition filed by …

Minister for Science and Technology Shibli Faraz said on Wednesday that electronic voting machines (EVMs) could not be hacked and were the best solution to problems of rigging during polls. Addressing a media briefing at Parliament House in Islamabad, where the government had scheduled a demonstration of EVMs for lawmakers, the science minister assured everyone that the machines “couldn’t be …

PTI leader Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said on Wednesday that cracks were appearing in the ties between her party and the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) due to “personal actions” of the Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervez Elahi. The ties between the PML-Q and the PTI, who have formed a coalition government in Punjab, have been making the headlines for a …

ISLAMABAD: As the number of Covid-19 cases has decreased by 20 per cent in the country due to steps taken by the provinces, particularly the Sindh government, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) has advised people to avoid Majalis at homes and follow standard operating procedures (SOPs) during mourning processions. On the other hand, the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) …

Following the uproar over the United Kingdom’s (UK) decision to retain Pakistan on its Covid travel red list while moving India to the amber, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan has written a letter to British Health Secretary Sajid Javid, comparing Pakistan’s pandemic statistics with those of other countries in the region and pointing out “obvious discrepancies” …

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein on Wednesday said the situation in Afghanistan was a cause for concern due to the use of violence to resolve the conflict. The Iraqi foreign minister arrived in Islamabad earlier today for a two-day visit at Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s invitation. The two leaders held delegation-level talks on a wide range of matters of …