WASHINGTON: The United States on Tuesday decided to maintain diplomatic relations with Afghanistan — even though it’s now controlled by its former arch enemy, the Taliban — but will no longer have any personnel on the ground. “We have suspended our diplomatic presence in Kabul, and transferred our operations to Doha, Qatar, which will soon be formally notified to Congress,” …

Dutch Foreign Minister Sigrid Kaag is expected in Islamabad today (Wednesday) to discuss the evolving situation in Afghanistan with her Pakistani counterpart, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, according to a statement issued by the Foreign Office (FO). The statement said the talks between the two foreign ministers would focus on measures needed for the transportation to the Netherlands of Dutch and eligible …

As the last US troops prepared to leave Afghanistan, Hussain, a US passport holder who worked with the US military, scrambled with his six daughters through Taliban checkpoints to the gates of Kabul airport for several days in a row, hoping to catch a flight to safety. He had called and emailed the US embassy for days without a response. …

WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden on Tuesday rejected criticism of his decision to stick to a deadline to pull out of Afghanistan this week, a move that left 100 to 200 Americans in the country along with thousands of US-aligned Afghan citizens. In a televised address from the White House state dining room, Biden criticised the ousted Afghan government’s inability to …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shehbaz Sharif’s remarks about the formation of a national government amid speculation about the possibility of early general elections have ignited a political debate in the country. In a surprising reaction, the PML-N dubbed the party president’s views as ‘passing remarks’ based on his ‘personal’ opinion about a post-election scenario. While questioning its timing, …

ISLAMABAD: At present, 356 international transit passengers from Afghanistan are staying in different hotels of the capital, sources told. Sources told the passengers include 125 Belgians, 62 Britons, 49 Dutch, 39 Afghans, seven Saudis, five Iranians, three Argentineans, 62 Japanese and four World Bank officials. Most of these foreigners are diplomats who had been posted in Kabul, they said. Britons, …

ISLAMABAD: Reiterating the government’s resolve to help establish an inclusive government in Afghanistan, the federal cabinet on Tuesday expressed the hope that after the Taliban takeover of the neighbouring country, India would not be able to use Afghan soil against Pakistan. “The new Afghan authorities have come up with a clear stance and we hope they won’t allow Afghanistan’s soil …

Tahir Zahoor, the owner of Therapy Works — a counselling and psychotherapy service — has submitted an application with a district and sessions court in Islamabad, seeking the registration of a criminal case against Zahir Zakir Jaffer, the prime suspect in Noor Mukadam’s murder case, for attacking and injuring a member of his team. Therapy Works came under public scrutiny as the …

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday launched the Ehsaas Education Stipends programme for “deserving” families so that they could send their children for education. Addressing the launch ceremony for the programme in Islamabad, the premier said that 20 million children not going to schools was a “major issue” for the country, and regretted that due importance was not paid to …

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan will launch the Ehsaas Education Stipends programme on Wednesday for deserving families so that they could send their children for primary, secondary and higher secondary education. The programme will be rolled out nationwide across all districts. The programme has been structured along the lines of Ehsaas’ Stipend policy that incentivises higher stipend amount for girls …