Pakistan’s failure to develop its war-ravaged tribal region gives Afghans a rallying cry
When the contested Afghan President Ashraf Ghani delivered his inaugural speech in Kabul on Monday, there were more than a dozen prominent Pakistani politicians in the audience.
It drives support mainly from the tribal regions that border Afghanistan. Offensives against the militants have destroyed homes and businesses in the mountainous region. Tens of thousands have been displaced and their return obstructed by government indifference and delays in compensation. On the other hand, Pakistan has hosted millions of Afghan refugees since the 1980s when the former Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. Karzai, Ghani and other Afghan leaders have all stayed in Pakistan at some point. It’s not uncommon for Pakhtuns who live in Pakistani tribal areas such as Bajaur and Khyber to have family members in the Afghan cities of Khost and Kabul.
“Whenever there’s anything related to Pakhtuns - be it the ethnic strife in Karachi with the Mohajirs or a terrorist attack - the Afghan government has protested. It’s nothing new,” he toldSimilarly, he says, Pakistani Pakhtun politicians have always kept close relationships with Afghan leaders, ranging from former Prime Minister Dr Mohammad Najeebullah to Karzai.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
US starts troop pullout, seeks end to Afghan leaders' feudThe U.S. military begins withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, a step forward on the Trump administration's peace deal with the Taliban. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani also promises to start releasing Taliban prisoners after a delay.
Read more »
Plenty of labs can now test for coronavirus. But a key testing component is in short supply.In some cases, the shortage has prompted lab personnel to borrow components from colleagues who were using similar kits for testing unrelated to COVID-19, said one expert.
Read more »
US starts troop pullout, seeks end to Afghan leaders' feudThe U.S. military says it has begun withdrawing troops from Afghanistan.
Read more »
POLITICO Playbook PM: Inside the congressional coronavirus scrambleFrom today's playbookplus: Some insiders were mulling a plan to allow Congress to vote remotely if it needs to get out of town because of coronavirus. Others said the institution is deep in planning to ensure Hill aides can telework
Read more »
Vermont sues Clearview AI over controversial facial recognition app - Business Insider'I am disturbed': Vermont's attorney general is suing Clearview AI over its facial recognition app that uses images scraped from Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube
Read more »