Pakistan Assure Afghan Govt of Taliban's Return to Talks
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Page 2 | NATIONAL US Just Walks Away, Leaving A Heavily Damaged Afghanistan Page 3 | ECONOMY Will There Be Both US President Joe Biden and NATO Secretary General Jens Significant Increase Lasting Peace Stoltenberg announced recently that their troops stationed in ... in Nangarhar’s in Afghanistan? Strawberry Yield Page 2 | NATIONAL Kabul Herat Nangarhar Balkh 26 / 12 35 / 17 37 / 22 33 / 21 Your Gateway to Afghanistan & the Region Tuesday, April 27, 2021 Issue No. 954 www.heartofasia.af 10 afs Pakistan Assure Afghan Govt of Taliban’s Return to Talks Spin Boldak “The stakes are very high. If there’s progress, there can be peace, there Crossing Blocked can be stability, and the region as Afghan-Pakistan collectively will benefit from the outcome of a peace process,” Border Forces Clash Qureshi said in the interview. “The The Spin Boldak crossing has been stakes are high, simply for the reason that God forbid, if there closed following a clash between is no agreement, if there is no Afghan and Pakistani border political settlement, the fear of forces in the Spin Boldak district of going back into the 90s, the fear of Kandahar province, said Yahya Alavi, Afghanistan going into a civil war is spokesperson for the 205th Atal Corps. looming over our heads. And that is The clash started at 9am on Monday the last thing anyone of us wants. in the Laghman area of Spin Boldak And that is the last thing Pakistan district and lasted for an hour. wants because Pakistan has paid a According to Alavi, the clash took place huge price because of the unstable after Pakistani border guards tried to environment in Afghanistan.” bring barbed wire to Afghanistan, The Pakistani delegation led by address its promises right after the details of the Taliban team’s visit to So far, the details of Shaikh Abdul special envoy Mohammad Sadiq announcement of a new date for the Islamabad, said Daudzai. Hakim Haqqani’s consultations with but were prevented from doing so by during their two-day visit to Kabul Turkey conference. “The Taliban delegation apparently Taliban leadership in Pakistan are Afghan border guards. has assured the Afghan government The delegation met with President is not meeting with Pakistani officials not clear but Pakistan’s influence is He added that one civilian was injured of the meaningful participation of Ghani’s special envoy Umer Daudzai and as they (Pakistani delegation) seen as prominent in Kabul. in the clash and did not comment the Taliban at the Istanbul summit, and National Security Adviser said, they (Taliban delegation) are “Pakistan has influence on the on the details of the casualties of according to an Afghan official who Hamdullah Mohib in separate meeting with its leadership. That is Taliban and can encourage the Pakistani forces. met with the delegation. meetings. why they (Pakistani delegation) did group to return to the talks,” said Umer Daudzai, President Ghani’s “They brought the message that they not say anything about this,” Daudzai Qazi Mohammad Amin Waqad, special envoy for Pakistan, told will work with all their resources added. Meanwhile, Pakistan Foreign former deputy head of the High TOLOnews that his Pakistani to convince the Taliban to agree Minister Qureshi in an interview with Peace Council. counterpart also assured them that to a ceasefire and that the Taliban Turkey’s Anadolu News Agency has This comes as the Istanbul the Taliban will agree on a reduction should not miss the chance for talks. underlined the fear for a civil war conference on Afghanistan was in violence and ceasefire with their They were referring to the Istanbul in Afghanistan, saying it is “the last expected to be held this month, but it participation at the peace summits. conference,” Daudzai said. thing anyone wants,” if there is no was delayed over non-participation The delegation pledged it will But the delegation has not shared agreement and political settlement. by the Taliban. Karzai Calls for Night Curfew, Ban on Indian Flights in Heal Regional Cooperation Rocket Hits in Ensuring Afghan in Govt Plan to Curb COVID 3rd Wave Kunar Governor’s Peace Stopping flights from India to Compound, 16 Former President of Afghanistan Afghanistan, imposing travel Wounded Hamid Karzai in a meeting with restrictions on the Pakistan-Iran Ambassador of the Islamic Republic border, night curfews and preventing At least 16 people have been wounded of Iran in Kabul Bahador Aminian on gatherings are likely to be the steps after a rocket hit the Kunar governor’s Monday stressed regional cooperation included in the Ministry of Public office in the city of Asadabad on in ensuring Afghan peace. Health’s plan to stop the third Monday morning, Iqbal Saeed, the The two sides discussed the Afghan wave of the coronavirus (COVID-19) provincial governor, said. peace process with the Taliban. pandemic from spreading in the country. The incident occurred where an event They stressed regional cooperation for Acting Minister of Public Health on the Holy Quran competition was progress in the Afghan peace process. Wahid Majrooh on Monday in underway, Saeed said. According to Earlier, Hamid Karzai said that his a meeting with the director of country has always been supported him, three of the injured were the public health of the provinces, by Iran which has suggested some governor’s bodyguards and the rest representatives of the private sector be taken accordingly, if needed. He Meanwhile, India is grappling with were the reciters and organizers of the initiatives to solve the problems of and healthcare providers, said also asked departments to COVID-19 a severe wave of the pandemic ceremony. Afghanistan. that there is proper coordination diagnostic kits to private hospitals, currently and the cases and Hospital officials in Asadabad, the between all departments concerned pay health workers, use ART teams mortality rate of coronavirus in Iran capital of Kunar province, said 16 and it will be useful in curbing the as clinical teams, and hire new staff is also high. injured people are undergoing spread of the infection. in laboratories. The Ministry of Public Health has not treatment and four of them are in Majroh has instructed provincial As of Sunday, total number of officially confirmed the outbreak of critical condition. public health directors to check positive cases now stand at 59,015 the third wave of the coronavirus. production capacity of oxygen while the number of reported deaths But it has confirmed the prevalence No group has claimed responsibility companies at the center and is 2,592 and the total number of of a new type of the coronavirus in for the attack. provinces, so that measures can recoveries is 52,489. the country. April 27, 2021 Heart of Asia NATIONAL TUESDAY 2 [email protected] fb/heart of asia twitter/@heartofasiapost Iran Hopes... BY Khalid Bhatti Elsewhere in his remarks, he described the bilateral relations between Iran and Iraq as very strong and needed by both countries and Will There Be Lasting Peace the region, saying, “We are interested in expanding these relations” “Today we talked about in Afghanistan? the various fields of The Afghan peace process suffered a setback when economic relations, energy, the peace talks scheduled for April 24 in Turkey were transportation and the postponed. The Taliban refused to attend the peace connection of roads and conference. Now the conference might take place in railways between the two May. countries,” the FM said, The US-backed peace talks hosted by Turkey, Qatar adding, “Joint cooperation and the UN were planned so as to resume the peace in the fight against terrorism process between the Afghan government and the and the fight against cross- Afghan Taliban. border crimes, drugs, are The main purpose of the international conference was very important areas for to kickstart the stalled peace talks between the Afghan cooperation between the two government and the Taliban to bring the peace process countries.” on track. US President Joe Biden already announced “We are two countries that the withdrawal of US troops from the country by mid- stood together against ISIL. September. Martyrs Ghasem Soleimani The US administration is keen to install an interim and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, government in Kabul including the Taliban before both of whom were heroes completing the military withdrawal from Afghanistan. in the fight against ISIL and But Afghan President Ashraf Ghani is opposing such a were unfortunately martyred political settlement at the expense of his presidency in Iraq by an illegal US action, and government. illustrates this point,” he The Afghan government does not seem to be happy noted. with the way American officials are exerting pressure were killed and injured. Schools, irrigation systems, the American taxpayers have paid a heavy financial “This relationship that has to concede to some of the Taliban’s demands. It seems hospitals, homes, agriculture and roads were price of this misconceived war and political strategy. been established between that a deadlock still persists between the different destroyed in the four decades long conflict, violence The US negotiated a peace deal with the Taliban at a our two countries will not be stakeholders. The postponement of the Istanbul and wars. Afghan factions should avoid repeating the time when they are much stronger than they were in broken by anyone, and this conference has raised doubts about the peace process past mistakes. 2003-05; the Taliban now control nearly 50 percent of relationship between Iran and and the intra-Afghan dialogue. The US and other Nato countries also lost the Afghanistan. Iraq will always be expanding,” The Afghan peace process and negotiated political opportunity to bring peace and stability in Afghanistan Regional and international powers must help Zarif underlined.