ISLAMABAD: In an unusual turn of events, the United States has not pushed Pakistan to “do more” for peace in Afghanistan.
Instead, on Thursday, it sought Islamabad’s support to bring the Afghan Taliban to the negotiating table to end the decades-old conflict.
“All countries in the region will benefit from peace in Afghanistan,” the US embassy said on Thursday, quoting the US-appointed special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad.
It added that Khalilzad had reiterated the sentiment during his visit to Islamabad from December 4-6.
Commenting on Khalilzad's visit to Islamabad, Pakistan military's spokesperson Major General Asif Ghafoor said on Thursday that "war has not been successful in Afghanistan as it has been in Pakistan” to eliminate terrorism.
He stressed, that “political reconciliation must succeed” to bring peace in Afghanistan.
“We wish United States leaves Afghanistan as a friend to the region [and] not as a failure”, Ghafoor, the Director General of Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said, pointing to a catastrophic fallout that could follow and impact the country’s socio-economic sector -- a fate Afghanistan has endured after the Russian invasion.
The US special envoy, along with his delegation, held meetings with Prime Minister Imran Khan, Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, and Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua to discuss the way forward for the Afghan peace strategy.
“In his meetings, Ambassador Khalilzad stressed the United States’ commitment to facilitating a political settlement between the Afghan government and the Taliban,” the US embassy in Islamabad said in a statement.
The US hoped the political settlement in the war-ravaged country will ensure that “Afghanistan never again serve as a platform for international terrorism and ends the 40-years-long war in the country.”
Khalilzad’s visit came a day after US President Donald Trump wrote a letter to PM Khan seeking Islamabad’s “assistance and facilitation in achieving a negotiated settlement of the Afghan war.”
PM Khan on Thursday reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to continue its positive role in seeking a political settlement in Afghanistan to bring peace and stability in the region.
“We have been saying for the last 15 years that there is political solution of Afghan conflict, not the military...and a delegation led by Zalmay Khalilzad has accepted it,” the premier said while addressing a federal cabinet meeting here.
“Pakistan is playing its role for peace in Afghanistan,” he added.
Earlier, while addressing a weekly press briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson, Dr. Mohammad Faisal said that Pakistan was ready to extend its unconditional support to the US for peace in Afghanistan.
“All stakeholders agree on resolution of Afghan conflict through negotiations,” he said, adding that “peaceful solution of the conflict was discussed in detail with the US delegation led by Khalilzad.”
To a question about what Pakistan’s stand was regarding the suspension of a coalition fund by the US in January, the spokesperson said: “Talks with the US have resumed, so let’s see.”
Washington has been pushing Islamabad for long to play its role in bringing the Afghan Taliban to the negotiating table for a peaceful end to the war.
The relations of both the allies, however, soured when President Trump accused Pakistan of providing a “safe haven to the terrorists we hunt” when he posted a series of tweets on January 1.
In a bid to end the frosty hiatus in diplomatic relations, Khalilzad held a series of meetings with the Pakistani leadership, in Islamabad, in October. The move was part of Washington’s renewed push to arrive at a political solution to the Afghan conflict with assistance from Pakistan.
Political and security analysts, however, view the change in US’ attitude toward Pakistan as a genuine move on part of Washington to resolve the Afghan conflict.
“The US is changing its tactics to seek meaningful cooperation from Pakistan as they think Pakistan can play a critical role for peace in Afghanistan,” General (retd.) Talat Masood, a security analyst, told Arab News.
“It is definite now that they (the US) can’t win (in Afghanistan). Taliban are gaining ground, casualties are reaching a point that they can’t sustain them anymore,” he said, adding that “Pakistan has quite a considerable influence over the Afghan Taliban … this is not possible that Taliban can survive with Pakistan also opposing them.”
Professor Tahir Malik, an international affairs analyst, said that Pakistan was always willing to play its role for peace in Afghanistan, provided “the US agrees to curtail the role of India in Kabul.”
“Pakistan wants to see a favorable government in Kabul, a government which doesn’t become compliant to India,” he told Arab News.
“If Washington addresses some genuine concerns of Islamabad, both can make a significant headway in bringing Taliban to the negotiating table,” he said.
Pakistan wants US to leave region as ‘friend,’ not as ‘failure’
Pakistan wants US to leave region as ‘friend,’ not as ‘failure’
- DG ISPR reiterates commitment to resolve Afghan conflict
- Pakistan PM Khan reaffirms government’s support for the initiative
Russia launches barrage of 99 drones and missiles on Ukraine’s energy system, officials say
Ukraine’s state-owned grid operator, Ukrenergo, said Friday’s attack deliberately targeted thermal and hydroelectric power plants across central and western regions
KYIV: Moscow launched a large-scale attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure Friday, with a mass barrage of 99 drones and missiles hitting regions across the country, Ukraine’s armed forces said.
Air raid warnings rang out across the nation, with 10 Ukrainian regions coming under fire, the country’s interior minister, Ihor Klymenko, said.
Russia has escalated its attacks on Ukraine in recent days, launching several missile barrages on the capital, Kyiv, and hitting energy infrastructure across the country in apparent retaliation for recent Ukrainian aerial attacks on the Russian border region of Belgorod. Such sporadic attacks, however, have been common throughout the war.
Large-scale blackouts have already affected Ukraine’s eastern city of Kharkiv, where 700,000 people lost power after the city’s thermal power plant was hit in a drone and missile attack on March 22.
In the winter of 2022-23, Russia targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, causing frequent blackouts. Many in Ukraine and the West expected that Russia might repeat that strategy this winter, but Russia instead initially focused its strikes on Ukraine’s defense industries.
Ukraine’s state-owned grid operator, Ukrenergo, said Friday’s attack deliberately targeted thermal and hydroelectric power plants across central and western regions.
In a statement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Ukraine’s Kaniv and Dniester hydroelectric power stations had come under attack and accused Moscow of risking an ecological disaster similar to the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in June 2023.
Both Kyiv and Moscow have accused the other of destroying the dam, but the various Russian allegations — that it was hit by a missile or taken down by explosives — fail to account for a blast so strong that it registered on seismic monitors in the region.
The dam’s destruction led to deadly flooding, endangered crops, threatened drinking water supplies for thousands and unleashed an environmental catastrophe.
Zelensky also warned that other countries would be threatened if the dams were hit. Dnister Hydroelectric station, located near the city of Novodnistrovsk, Ukraine, is approximately 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the border with Moldova.
“Not only is Ukraine under threat, but Moldova too,” Zelensky said. “The water will not stop in front of the border.”
DTEK, Ukraine’s largest private electricity operator, also said that three of its thermal power plants had been damaged in the attacks. It announced emergency power shutdowns in the city of Odesa, leaving several neighborhoods without power.
Five people, including a 5-year-old girl, were wounded during the attack in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, said local Gov. Serhii Lysak.
He later said that another man had been killed and one more injured in a separate drone attack Friday.
Elsewhere, Ukrainian police said rescuers had recovered the body of a 66-year-old woman from a building in the Mykolaiv region that was hit by a Russian missile Thursday night.
The bombardment in the west of Ukraine caused the Polish Armed Forces to scramble its own aircraft, the country’s operational command said on social media.
Last week, Warsaw demanded an explanation from Moscow after one of its missiles strayed briefly into Polish airspace during a major missile attack on Ukraine, prompting the NATO member to activate F-16 fighter jets.
Romania’s defense ministry also said on Friday that an investigation has been launched after fragments that appeared to be from a drone were identified on its territory Thursday evening in an agricultural area of Braila county, close to the border with Ukraine.
It did not provide additional details, although since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine, NATO member Romania has confirmed drone fragments on its territory on several occasions.
Belgorod also came under fire Friday, Russia’s Ministry of Defense wrote on social media. It said that it shot down 15 Ukrainian shells, with falling debris damaging a number of residential buildings. No casualties were reported.
Regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov later said on social media that one man had died as the result of a separate drone attack which struck an apartment block.
Daesh says four members arrested over Moscow attack
- Moscow has detained 12 people and charged eight with “terror-related offenses” over their alleged roles in the attack
- A Moscow court has remanded the four main suspects in custody until May 22
BAGHDAD: The Daesh group said Friday four of its members had been arrested after they attacked a concert hall near Moscow killing 143 people, a day after Russia blamed Ukraine.
On March 22, gunmen opened fire at the Crocus City concert hall near Moscow, setting the venue alight and wounding 80 people.
Moscow has detained 12 people and charged eight with “terror-related offenses” over their alleged roles in the attack. They include four suspects from Tajikistan who are accused of carrying it out, Russian state media said.
Daesh swiftly claimed the attack, although Moscow has said repeatedly that the attackers had links to “Ukrainian nationalists” — a claim Kyiv rejects.
In the latest issue of its weekly Al-Nabaa magazine published Friday on Telegram channels, the group said its fighters had been hunted down by ground and air forces.
The operation ended when the men were surrounded in “a forest,” Daesh said, adding that they were now in “captivity.”
-- a date likely to be extended until their trial.
Russia has been a repeated target of attack by Daesh, in retaliation for its suppression of unrest in Muslim-majority regions and its support for President Bashar Assad’s government in the civil war in Syria.
France asks for foreign police and military help with massive Paris Olympics security challenge
- The Interior Ministry said Friday that the request for foreign security assistance was made in January, seeking nearly 2,185 reinforcements
- The officers are sought to help with Games security and “the spectator experience” and to “strengthen international cooperation,” the ministry said
PARIS: France says it has asked 46 countries if they would be willing to supply more than 2,000 police officers to help secure the Paris Olympics this summer, as organizers finalize security planning for the French capital’s first Games in a century while on heightened alert against potential attacks.
The Interior Ministry said Friday that the request for foreign security assistance was made in January, seeking nearly 2,185 reinforcements. The officers are sought to help with Games security and “the spectator experience” and to “strengthen international cooperation,” the ministry said.
“This is a classic approach of host countries for the organization of major international events,” the ministry added.
It noted that France sent 200 of its gendarmes to soccer’s World Cup in Qatar in 2022 and also welcomed 160 officers from other European security forces for the Rugby World Cup that France hosted last year.
Separately, the French Defense Ministry has also asked foreign nations for “small numbers” of military personnel who could help with “very specific” tasks at the Games, including sniffer dog teams, said Col. Pierre Gaudillière, spokesman for the army general staff.
Poland’s defense minister said his country will be sending soldiers to the Paris Games. The Polish armed forces delegation will include dog handlers and “its main goal will be to undertake activities related to the detection of explosives and counteracting terrorist phenomena.” the minister, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, posted on X.
Security is the biggest challenge for Paris Games organizers in a city that has been repeatedly hit by deadly attacks by Islamic extremists and which is expecting as many as 15 million visitors for the July 26-Aug. 11 Games and Paralympics that follow.
Security concerns are notably high for the opening ceremony, which will involve boats along the Seine River and huge crowds watching from the embankments.
France’s government increased its security alert posture to the highest level in the wake of the recent deadly attack at a Russian concert hall and Daesh’s claim of responsibility.
French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced the decision in a post on X, saying authorities were “taking into account Daesh’s claim of responsibility for the (Moscow) attack and the threats weighing on our country.″
EU parliament urged to probe Russian propaganda network
- Moscow also paid money to MEPs to promote Russian propaganda, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said
- The EU parliament’s political groups now want the assembly to probe the latest claims
BRUSSLES: The European Parliament came under pressure on Friday to investigate a Russia-financed network that wielded influence across Europe and involved EU lawmakers.
The Czech Republic said on Wednesday its spies discovered the network had been spreading Russian propaganda through the Prague-based Voice of Europe news site.
Moscow also paid money to MEPs to promote Russian propaganda, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said on Thursday.
The EU parliament’s political groups now want the assembly to probe the latest claims.
Valerie Hayer, who heads the centrist Renew grouping, wrote to parliament president Roberta Metsola to demand “a full and transparent internal investigation.”
“If sitting MEPs or candidates in the upcoming European elections have taken money from the Russian government or their proxies, they must be exposed and action taken,” she said.
The Renew group also called for an “urgent debate” in the parliament.
The Greens said there needed to be a “swift and thorough” investigation.
“This is how (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is trying to get away with his war in Ukraine.... It’s a direct attack on the very fabric of our democracy,” said Terry Reintke, one of the lead candidates for the Greens in the European elections in June.
“The politicians who have received money from Russia should be severely punished, both politically and legally,” she added in a statement.
A spokesperson for the parliament said it was “currently looking into the findings of the Czech authorities regarding outlet ‘Voice of Europe’ in coordination with its institutional partners.”
The spokesperson added that the parliament already prohibits access to the institution for media that are EU sanctions lists.
EU lawmakers face strict rules regarding independence and ethics and can face penalties — financial and otherwise — if they violate them.
The European politicians involved have not been named but the Greens and a Czech daily claimed they came from Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands and Poland.
Fasting left me in awe of discipline required to observe Ramadan
- Writer describes being left in a ‘post-hunger state’
LONDON: Ramadan holds multiple points of significance for the Muslim world. Perhaps most famous for its month-long fast, it is also believed to have been when the first verses of the Qur’an were revealed to Muhammad.
Neither Muslim, nor someone who had before — at least knowingly — fasted, the request from Arab News to do one and write about it left me with several questions.
Why? What would there be to write about besides feeling hungry and thirsty? And would I buckle and gorge on the Sainsbury’s grocery delivery I had lined up for the proposed day?
It turned out that having successfully gone from dawn to dusk without breaking the fast, I did indeed have some self-control when it came to eating.
Perhaps more importantly, it provided an opportunity to gain a greater understanding of why friends I know do it, and what it offers to the Muslim community, not to mention leaving me in awe of the physical and mental will required to fast for the full month.
Waking up a little after 3:30 a.m., I followed the instructions provided by my colleague Zaynab: “Eggs, banana, porridge.” I gave the dates a miss, mainly through forgetfulness.
At this point I should state that the absence of food or water for one 14.5-hour stretch did not leave me overly nervous. In fact, given it was to be a single day, I would say to write anything on it was, if anything, quite bizarre considering the famines gripping swathes of the world.
Speaking to a friend and Arab News colleague Tarek, I did, however, question how faithful people were when it came to missing out on any drink during daylight hours.
“No, not one drop, sir,” he said before agreeing that given a propensity for human social engagement to inform some form of consumption, this period of abstinence obviously affected social relations.
He added: “But there are other effects, including dizziness, fatigue, lethargy, lack of focus, and cravings — one day is fine but it is doing it consistently that makes it tough.”
Tarek’s reflections came about five hours into my own fast, and having followed Zaynab’s recommendations, I can confirm that I was not feeling any pangs of hunger at this stage, but by about midday I was finding my attention drawn more toward water.
I spoke to other observant Muslim friends, and one thing that came across was that while there was a general uniformity toward the observation of the fast, it was not monolithic.
For instance, one friend said that they did without food for the whole period, but abstaining from water was somewhat dependent on the time of year that Ramadan fell: if in the summer, they would do without all drinks but water.
Another friend, Nabila, said she was stricter than most of her friends and family, additionally doing without music as part of her observation of the holy month.
She added: “The way I see it is that it is one month. For the rest of the year we can do what we want, but through that one month of observation I gain a lot and I become more focused on some of the ills of society; that in turn helps me readjust my engagement with the world.”
Nabila’s focus on those undergoing forced fasts, with this year’s Ramadan coinciding with the largest assault on Gaza in a generation, was shared by others I spoke to or heard.
Speaking to the BBC, Dr. Amjad Eleiwa, the deputy director of the emergency department at Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital, said that Palestinians in Gaza had “already been fasting for months,” with others noting the “dark shadow” Israel’s war had cast over what Nabila said should be a joyous time.
She added: “It’s not easy, though. I have little or no energy and I struggle with work. You won’t see me out. It is not easy and anyone who says it is, well, they’ve probably not committed.”
Equally, however, Nabila noted that the breaking of the fast each day brought its own reward, describing the anticipation immediately before eating as a feeling “of excitement, that ends in a sense of euphoria … I can’t really describe it.”
As my own, solitary day of fasting came to an end, I found myself feeling, as it was suggested I might, almost in a post-hunger state. How did I break my fast? A yogurt.