RAWALPINDI: The United States should leave Afghanistan as a friend of the region and commit to rebuilding the country when it exits more than 17 years since American-led forces invaded, the head of the Pakistan army’s media wing said as Taliban officials and US negotiators agreed on the draft of a peace agreement that could potentially end the United States’ longest war.
This week, the Taliban resumed stalled peace talks with US special peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad in Doha, where the insurgents have long maintained an office. The dialogue, originally meant to run over two days, entered its sixth day on Saturday, raising hopes that the latest efforts to find a mechanism to end the 17-year Afghan war might be the most serious yet.
Taliban sources told media on Saturday night that a draft peace deal decided between the Taliban and US official stipulated that troops would leave within 18 months of the agreement being signed.
“Afghanistan should not go into turmoil” when US forces leave, Major General Asif Ghafoor, the head of the army’s media wing, said in a wide-ranging interview to Arab News on Friday evening: “The US should leave Afghanistan as friends of the region, with a commitment to assist Afghanistan in becoming self-sustaining and help in socio-economic development.”
The US has long been pressuring Pakistan to use its influence over the Taliban to bring them to the negotiating table. Last week, Khalilzad visited Pakistan to push the peace process forward amid media reports that the Taliban had refused to meet him in Islamabad, insisting that they preferred to hold talks in Qatar and did not want Pakistan, the U.A.E. and Saudi Arabia to be involved.
“We are a facilitator” in the peace process, the military spokesman said. “We have done our job of bringing them to the negotiating table. What is discussed and how the process moves forward will depend on progress during every meeting.”
When asked if the Taliban had refused to meet Khalilzad in Islamabad, Ghafoor said: “There are so many factions and stakeholders involved in the process. Coordination takes time. One faction or party gets out of coordination, [which] can result in changes in schedule or place.”
He said Pakistan had pushed for the dialogue to restart but had “no preference for time or place.”
“Our intent is a peaceful Afghanistan, we have no other intent,” the general said.
Taliban sources have told media the Doha talks have focused on a roadmap for the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan and a guarantee the country will not be used for hostile acts against the United States and its allies.
The Taliban have so far refused direct talks with the Kabul government, which it views as an illegitimate, foreign-appointed force. Ghafoor said there was as yet no certainty on whether the insurgents could be persuaded to engage with the Afghan government but added that progress from the meetings would determine all outcomes.
Islamabad fears that increased turmoil in Afghanistan would mean more sanctuaries there for Pakistani Taliban [TTP] militants who have lost control of all territory in Pakistan since a major counter-terrorism operation was launched after a 2014 attack on an army school.
Pakistan has also fenced part of its porous 2,500 km border with Afghanistan to prevent incursions by the Pakistan Taliban who have waged a decade-long insurgency in the South Asian nation.
Ghafoor said the Afghan government did not currently have the capacity to eliminate all sanctuaries given that it was embroiled in fighting an insurgency, but once the Taliban entered the political mainstream, Kabul would be in a better position to tackle groups like the Pakistan Taliban and Daesh.
“If there is peace in Afghanistan and greater control of the area by Afghan forces, it will be difficult for TTP to continue their sanctuaries there,” the military spokesman said.
The general dismissed fears that the US would lose interest in Pakistan once it exited Afghanistan, or be free to take harsh actions when it no longer needed Islamabad’s help to end the conflict.
“Pakistan has always remained relevant and will continue to be relevant,” Ghafoor said. “And when the US leave Afghanistan, it will leave acknowledging Pakistan’s role in ending the conflict. Our relationship shall further strengthen.”
But as Pakistan’s ties with the US have soured in recent years over the war in Afghanistan, Islamabad has turned to neighboring China to fill the void. The countries are partners in a $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) of infrastructure and energy projects that Beijing touts as the flagship program in its vast Belt and Road Initiative.
Responding to media reports that Pakistan was building military jets, weapons and other hardware with funds received under the CPEC umbrella, Ghafoor said the corridor was “purely an economic project.”
“We have separate defense cooperation with China but that has nothing to do with CPEC,” he said. “We had F-16 deals with the US That was our requirement. Later we have jointly made the JF-17 Thunder with China. Like any sovereign country, Pakistan takes decisions suiting its national interest.”
Speaking about a growing protest movement by Pakistan’s ethnic Pashtuns who want the army to remove land mines and check-posts from the country’s northwest where most Pashtuns live, and allege extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detentions and “disappearances” of young Pashtun men, which it vehemently denies, the army spokesman said:
“Till such time that the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement [PTM] is peaceful and they stick to their genuine demands, which are natural in a post-conflict environment, the state is committed to take care of them.”
Responding to a question about PTM leaders Ali Wazir and Mohsin Dawar who, along with the movement’s founder Manzoor Pashteen, have emerged as the strongest voices against alleged military high-handedness, Ghafoor said the demands of the Pahstun people were genuine and the state was committed to addressing them.
“But instigating people against institutions is neither within the law nor a public sentiment,” he said. “Once we have fulfilled the genuine demands which are already in the overall plan, then we see how to deal with anyone who still tries to exploit.”
The army’s media chief also said the movement was being exploited by Pakistan’s enemies, in a veiled reference possibly to arch-rival India and neighboring Afghanistan: “When there are fault lines, then enemies will always try to exploit them. So there is an effort to exploit PTM, whether with their connivance or not.”
The general warned that India needed to “stop using proxies against us,” adding that “just as we are concerned that an unstable Afghanistan is not in our interest, India should also know that an unstable Pakistan is not in its interest. They need to change their behavior.”
Responding to a question about an extension in military courts first set up by parliament in 2015, and decried for their lack of transparency, Ghafoor said the courts were a “national requirement” because the country’s civilian judicial infrastructure was ill-equipped to deal with terrorism cases.
Ghafoor said verdicts could be appealed at several levels, including in military appellate and civilian courts, and those on death row had the right to file mercy petitions with the army chief and the president of Pakistan.
“Military courts proceed as per law; there is a laid down legal process with full transparency. Courts decide on evidence and not emotions,” the army’s media chief said. However, he added, “should parliament decide that military courts are not needed, then they will not be renewed.”
US should leave Afghanistan as friends of the region — DG ISPR
US should leave Afghanistan as friends of the region — DG ISPR
- Head of Pakistan army’s media wing gives wide-ranging, exclusive interview to Arab News
- Says Pakistan has done its job of bringing insurgents to the negotiating table
Pakistan says FATF ignored India’s attempts to place Islamabad on ‘grey list’
- China, Turkiye and Japan supported move to not place Islamabad on FATF’s grey list, says Pakistani state media
- India and Pakistan engaged in worst fighting in decades last month before agreeing to a ceasefire on May 10
ISLAMABAD: The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has ignored India’s attempts to have Islamabad placed on the anti-money laundering watchdog’s “grey list,” Pakistani state media reported this week as tensions simmer between the nuclear-armed neighbors.
Various media outlets had reported that India was likely to push the FATF, a global financial crime watchdog, to add Pakistan back to its grey list during the watchdog’s plenary meeting in June. These reports came following India and Pakistan’s days-long military confrontation in May before both agreed to a ceasefire brokered by Washington.
The FATF’s grey list places a country under increased monitoring until it has rectified identified flaws in its financial system. Pakistan was taken off the FATF grey list in 2022, boosting its reputation among lenders which was essential for the country’s fragile economy.
“The Financial Action Task Force has decided not to place Pakistan in the grey list at its meeting held on Saturday,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported on Saturday.
“After the FATF decision, India has completely failed to achieve its objectives as the Indian diplomatic delegation made a strong effort to get Pakistan included in the grey list once again in the FATF meeting.”
Neither the FATF nor the Indian government have so far commented on the development. The FATF’s plenary year begins in July and ends in June. The watchdog holds its plenary meetings usually in October, February and June of each year.
Radio Pakistan reported that China took “a clear stance” in Islamabad’s favor at the FATF meeting while Turkiye and Japan also “fully supported” Pakistan in not having it placed on the grey list.
“India was trying hard to use FATF against Pakistan with the help of Israel,” the state broadcaster said, describing it as a victory for Pakistan’s diplomatic mission.
Tensions spiked between the two countries after India blamed Pakistan for an April 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 tourists. Pakistan denied involvement and called for an independent probe.
The two countries pounded each other with artillery fire, fighter jets, drones and missiles before the ceasefire on May 10.
While the ceasefire between the two countries continues to persist, tensions between the neighbors remain high as India says it is holding in abeyance a decades-old water-sharing treaty with Pakistan.
Islamabad had said after India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty that it considered any attempt to stop or divert the flow of water belonging to Pakistan to be an “act of war.”
In ancient Taxila, artisan preserves dying craft: molding beauty from plaster of Paris
- 65-year-old Ishfaq Ahmed Siddiqui paints intricate floral designs on pots and vases made of plaster of Paris
- Orders have dwindled, younger artisans are reluctant to enter a craft that promises more passion than profit
TAXILA, Pakistan: The scent of turpentine and chalky plaster filled the modest workshop in Dheri Shah, a neighborhood tucked away in the ancient city of Taxila, where millennia-old ruins still murmur stories of Gandharan emperors and Buddhist monks.
Amid shelves lined with delicate vases and ornate pots, 65-year-old Ishfaq Ahmed Siddiqui dipped a fine brush into dark blue paint and carefully trailed it along a pristine white surface. The floral motif bloomed under his hand, petal by petal, on an object molded not from clay or stone, but from plaster of Paris.
Siddiqui is a solitary figure in a fading tradition. For over three decades, he has shaped everyday materials into works of art, channeling the ancient spirit of Taxila, a city once renowned across Asia for its intellectual brilliance, artistic mastery, and Buddhist heritage.
“I am the first person to design on plaster of Paris with paint, who painted on plaster of Paris in Taxila,” Siddiqui told Arab News, his voice weathered with time and hard work.
Once known as Takshashila, the “City of Cut Stone” in Sanskrit, Taxila flourished from the 5th century BCE to the 6th century CE as a Buddhist cultural and educational hub. Its stone-carved stupas and statues still attract archaeologists and pilgrims from around the world.
But where generations of craftsmen once chipped away at granite and schist, Siddiqui reached for plaster.
It wasn’t always this way.
Traditional clay was the medium of choice for local potters in Taxila, but as climate change altered soil availability and water levels, craftsmen were forced to import clay from distant regions, driving up costs.
“I used to face a lot of difficulties in buying and working with clay,” Siddiqui explained. “Now it’s not available easily because of climate change and other factors, so plaster was easily available and cost-effective, and we could mold it into different forms and shapes easily.”
When he began experimenting with plaster of Paris, a material more accessible and easier to mold, Siddiqui was met with skepticism.
“A shopkeeper wondered who would buy them. I told him, ‘Keep them, display them in the morning and put them back inside in the evening. When they get sold, give me the money’.”
The next day, the pieces were gone:
“With the grace of Allah, they sold the very next day.”
THE CRAFT OF STILLNESS
Inside Siddiqui’s workshop earlier this month, time appeared to slow. He began with a simple white powder, plaster of Paris, mixed with water to form a creamy paste. From there, the material was poured into molds and left to set. Once hardened, each piece was smoothed, painted, and often gilded, transforming from a lifeless lump into a vessel of elegance.
“It started simply,” Siddiqui says, his fingers still chalky from his morning’s work. “I was fascinated by the way plaster could be molded, how it could capture the essence of something as fleeting as a flower.”
Siddiqui’s floral motifs — delicate jasmine vines, rose buds, tulip swirls — draw inspiration from nature and history alike. With customized tools, many of which he has crafted himself, he engraves and embellishes each piece, hand-painting them in vibrant hues or subtly gilding them for emphasis. These pieces, whether wall décor or architectural embellishments, radiate a timeless elegance that harks back to Taxila’s artistic golden age.
“There’s a tranquility in it,” Siddiqui said, gesturing to a half-finished panel adorned with curling vines. “You lose yourself in the detail, in bringing something beautiful into existence.”
His items, which sell for anywhere between Rs700 and Rs2,000 ($2.45–$7), might not fetch gallery prices, but they carry the weight of heritage.
Renowned cultural expert and folklorist Uxi Mufti, based in Islamabad, said Siddiqui’s work carried particular historical weight.
“The use of floral motifs in plasterwork has deep roots in South Asian and Islamic art,” Mufti said.
“From the ancient Gandharan stupas in Taxila itself, which often featured intricate stucco decorations, to the Mughal architecture adorned with exquisite floral carvings, this tradition speaks to a long history of appreciating natural beauty in artistic expression.”
In the context of plasterwork, Mufti said, the flower motifs “beautify a space but also connect it to a rich tapestry of artistic and philosophical traditions. Siddiqui is not just creating decorative items, he is preserving and continuing a living cultural legacy.”
Many artisans historically used stucco, a fine plaster made of lime, to create decorative reliefs on stone structures.
“It’s very difficult to carve granite, so artisans turned to stucco. But now, from stucco it has degenerated or rather it has come down to an easier, much easier medium which is plaster of Paris,” Mufti said.
But the tradition is teetering on the edge of extinction.
“Over the past 70 years, many of our master artisans have grown old. Some have passed on, and those who are still practicing don’t want their children to learn the art because they can’t make enough money. So many of our great art traditions are vanishing.”
Indeed, in a world that prizes speed and scale, handcrafted work like Siddiqui’s is struggling to survive. Machines produce faster, cheaper, and more uniformly. What is lost, however, is the soul of the work, the intimate connection between creator and creation.
“In an age of rapid industrialization and mass production, the skilled hands of craftsmen like Siddiqui are invaluable,” Mufti said.
“They maintain a direct link to historical techniques and aesthetic sensibilities that might otherwise be lost. Their work serves as a tangible connection to our heritage and keeps traditional arts vibrant.”
Siddiqui too admitted his was a drying craft. Orders had dwindled, and younger artisans were reluctant to enter a craft that promised more passion than profit.
But for him, the work was still its own reward.
“I only used to paint. There are no hand painters anymore,” Siddiqui said. “I feel sad that the real culture of Taxila is no more. Everything has changed.”
Pakistan urges citizens to avoid travel to Iran amid ongoing Israeli attacks
- Israel and Iran launched fresh attacks on each other overnight into Sunday, stoking fears of a wider conflict
- Pakistan taking steps to ensure the safe return of Pakistani citizens currently in Iran, reports state media
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s government this week warned its nationals against traveling to Iran “for a limited period,” state-run media reported, amid Tehran’s worsening conflict with Israel.
Israel and Iran launched fresh attacks on each other overnight into Sunday, stoking fears of a wider conflict after Israel expanded its surprise campaign against its main rival with a strike on the world’s biggest gas field.
Israel’s military said more missiles were launched from Iran toward Israel overnight, with direct strikes targeting its energy industry and Defense Ministry headquarters, while Tehran unleashed a fresh barrage of missiles blamed for the deaths of four people. The strikes late Saturday night represented the latest salvo since a surprise attack by Israel on Friday aimed at decimating Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program.
“The Government of Pakistan has issued a travel advisory urging its citizens to avoid traveling to Iran for a limited period due to the recent Israeli attacks,” the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported on Saturday.
APP reported that the government is closely monitoring the situation in the region. Citing officials, it said that the latest advisory has been issued to ensure the safety and security of Pakistani nationals.
“In line with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s directives, necessary steps are already being taken to ensure the safe return of Pakistani citizens currently in Iran,” APP said.
Pakistan on Friday advised its citizens planning religious travel to Iran and Iraq to reconsider their plans, citing security concerns after Israel launched strikes on Iranian military and nuclear facilities earlier in the day.
That advisory mentioned Pakistani “Zaireen,” or Shia pilgrims who travel to Iran and Iraq to visit religious sites, particularly in Mashhad, Qom, Najaf and Karbala.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry has established a 24/7 Crisis Management Unit to ensure the safety and security of Pakistani nationals and pilgrims in Iran.
Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Saturday vowed Islamabad would extend diplomatic support to Israel at international forums.
Pakistan has condemned Israel’s strikes against Iran and said Tehran has the right to defend itself. Islamabad has also called on world powers to intervene through dialogue and diplomacy to resolve surging Middle East tensions.
Pakistan names women’s squad for AFC qualifiers amid bid to elevate football’s profile
- The team will play Women’s Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers in Jakarta from June 29 to July 5
- The move aims to strengthen women’s football in a cricket-dominated South Asian state
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) on Saturday unveiled its squad for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers, as the country seeks to uplift its women’s football program and strengthen its profile in a sport where its men’s team has also struggled to gain traction.
Pakistan’s men’s national team, briefly competitive in regional tournaments in the decades following independence, has long languished near the bottom of Asian rankings amid administrative issues and lack of sustained investment.
In contrast, women’s football in Pakistan began to take shape in the early 2000s, with the formation of the country’s first women’s football clubs in 2002 and the launch of the National Women’s Football Championship in 2005.
“The Pakistan Football Federation has named a squad for the upcoming AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers, set to take place in Jakarta, Indonesia from June 29 to July 5,” said the PFF in a statement.
Placed in Group E, the team will open its campaign on June 29 against Chinese Taipei, confront host Indonesia on July 2 and conclude the group stage against Kyrgyzstan on July 5.
A preparatory training camp, led by Coach Adeel Rizki, will be held at Islamabad’s Jinnah Stadium from June 19 to 26.
Football enjoys a considerable fan base in Pakistan despite the country’s cricket dominance.
Athletes have recently expanded into Olympic swimming and achieved international success in javelin, demonstrating a broader ambition to elevate sports beyond one stronghold.
PFF officials say the women’s squad aims to make a statement on the Asian stage and inspire broader development.
Pakistan will be seeking its first-ever Women’s Asian Cup appearance, while the men’s side continues to fight for relevance amid FIFA rankings that reached a historic low before recent suspensions were lifted.
Pakistan’s national women’s football team was officially formed in 2010 and has yet to qualify for a Women’s Asian Cup or World Cup, but played in multiple SAFF Championships and remained a bright spot in domestic football.
Pakistan confirms OIC participation as PM Sharif, Türkiye’s Erdogan discuss Iran crisis
- OIC’s Council of Foreign Ministers is scheduled to take place in Istanbul on June 21-22
- Event comes as two OIC members have faced military standoffs with their regional rivals
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday assured Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of his country’s participation in the upcoming Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting in Istanbul, as both leaders expressed deep concern over Israel’s recent attack on Iran and pledged to coordinate peace efforts.
The telephone call came as the OIC’s Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) prepares to convene in Türkiye on June 21–22 at a volatile moment for the bloc, with two of its member states — Pakistan and Iran — having faced military standoffs with their regional rivals.
While Pakistan’s border exchange with India lasted four days before a US-brokered ceasefire was reached last month, Iran remains in a state of heightened uncertainty following Israel’s strike on its military and nuclear facilities on Friday, as the war shows no signs of easing.
“Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif held a telephone conversation with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Türkiye, this evening,” Sharif’s office said in a statement after the call. “During their most warm and cordial conversation, both leaders discussed the deeply worrying situation in the region in the wake of Israel’s unprovoked and unjustified aggression against Iran.”
“The Prime Minister said that Pakistan would continue to play a constructive role for peace, both as member of the UN Security Council, as well as in other forums such as the OIC,” the statement added. “In this regard, the Prime Minister said that Deputy Prime Minister & Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar would represent Pakistan at the upcoming OIC CFM meeting in Istanbul.”
Both leaders condemned Israel’s strikes, saying they violated Iran’s sovereignty and defied international law.
They also voiced solidarity with Palestine amid what they described as Israel’s “brazen military aggression,” which they said had continued “with complete impunity.”
The two leaders emphasized the international community and the United Nations must act collectively and urge Israel to immediately end its “aggressive posturing and illegal actions” against Iran, Palestine and other countries in the region.
