ISLAMABAD: The seventh and latest round of peace talks between the US and Taliban is “critical,” said Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen on Sunday, the second day of talks with Washington’s peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad in the Mideastern state of Qatar, where the militant group maintains a political office.
Shaheen told The Associated Press both sides are looking for “tangible results” as they try to hammer out the fine print of agreements that will see the eventual withdrawal of over 20,000 US and NATO troops from Afghanistan, and end America’s longest-running war.
The agreements are also expected to provide guarantees that Afghanistan will not again harbor terrorists to carry out attacks worldwide.
The talks began on Saturday and are expected to continue into the next week.
The two sides sat down to negotiate just days after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington was hopeful of a deal to end Afghanistan’s protracted war by Sept. 1.
“Getting a comprehensive peace agreement with the Taliban before Sept. 1 would be nothing short of a miracle,” said Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia Program at the US-based Wilson’s Center.
“That said, I could certainly envision a more limited deal being in place by Sept. 1 on a US troop withdrawal, given that there’s already been ample progress on this issue.”
Pompeo and Khalilzad have both said the final accord will include not only agreements with the Taliban on troop withdrawal and guarantees of a non-threatening Afghanistan, but also agreement on intra-Afghan dialogue and a permanent cease fire.
Until now the Taliban have refused direct talks with the Afghan government while holding two separate meetings with a wide array of prominent Afghans from Kabul, including former president Hamid Karzai, members of the former northern alliance that fought the Taliban during its five-year rule as well as members of the government.
The Taliban have said they will meet government officials but as ordinary Afghans, labeling President Ashraf Ghani’s government a US puppet and noting that the US is the final arbiter on their central issue, which is troop withdrawal.
The Taliban have refused a cease-fire until the withdrawal is complete, saying that to restart their insurgency if the US reneges on its promises could be difficult.
But the accelerated pace of negotiations and the sudden announcement of a Sept. 1 target date for an agreement could be linked to Afghan President Ghani’s insistence on presidential polls scheduled for Sept. 28 in Afghanistan, say analysts.
The upcoming elections have been criticized by many of his political opponents who often point to last October’s parliamentary polls. The voting was so badly mismanaged that Ghani fired the entire Independent Election Commission, and several of the parliamentary seats are still being contested.
A biometric identification system aimed at reducing election fraud was prematurely rolled out for the polls, with the few people trained on the machines not showing up on election day.
While there were incidences of violence during the polling, analysts widely agreed the greatest flaw was the widespread mismanagement and fraud.
Khalilzad has also suggested that presidential elections could hamper reaching a peace agreement.
“I do think the US government recognizes that the election could pose a major obstacle to peace talks, given that it will be a distraction and given that it will accentuate and intensify the fractures and rivalries in the Afghan political environment that undercut reconciliation prospects,” said Kugelman.
“Another reason for the focus on Sept. 1 is much simpler: President Trump wants out, and he wants a deal as soon as possible.”
Taliban say latest round of talks with US ‘critical’
Taliban say latest round of talks with US ‘critical’
- Talks began on Saturday and are expected to continue into the next week
- Agreements are also expected to provide guarantees that Afghanistan will not again harbor terrorists to carry out attacks worldwide
From mechanic to maestro, fire dancing reignites Pakistani cancer survivor’s life
- Zulfiqar Hussain took up art of fire dancing in 1986 to ‘see outer world in a better way’ but says it is now about survival
- Fire dancing is a dramatic artform in which artists manipulate flames to create striking visual displays before an audience
KARACHI: The crowd jumped up in excitement and applauded as flames erupted from the mouth of Zulfiqar Hussain, illuminating the darkened stage around him.
Dressed in traditional ‘jangli’ attire with his face painted black, Hussain’s fire dancing performance is both a reflection of his struggle against a life of difficulties and a way to showcase the unique cultural identity of Lyari, one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the Pakistani port city of Karachi.
Fire dancing is a dramatic art form in which performers manipulate flames to create striking visual displays before an audiences or as part of rituals. Originating in Polynesia, it was part of cultural traditions like Samoan fire knife dancing but over time has evolved into global variations such as poi spinning from New Zealand, fire breathing, and baton twirling. In African culture, a fire dance typically represents a connection to the spiritual power of fire, signifying purification, courage and ancestral connection, with many tribes using it in rituals to appease fire deities.
Modern-day fire performers blend traditional techniques with music and choreography to captivate audiences. In Lyari, dancers wear jungle-themed costumes and paint their faces with watercolors before each performance. They dance to the beat of drums, drawing influences from African tradition.
“The prime thing for me was not Lyari, but I wanted to see the outer world in a better way,” said Hussain, 57, who began fire dancing in 1986 at the Arts Council of Pakistan (ACP) in Karachi, inspired by his mentor Ibrahim Dada.
For Hussain, the ACP stage was his gateway to the world beyond Lyari, a neighborhood known for its vibrant sports and literary culture but which has also for decades grappled with drug abuse and gang violence.
“Our ancestor, the master of the masters, Malang Charlie, brought this art from Africa in 1947,” Hussain said, saying the blend of African and local traditions had given Lyari’s fire dancing a distinct identity.
The art form has also helped the father of four, who worked most of his life as a mechanic and a driver, fight personal turmoil, including an early-stage cancer diagnosis in 2019. Following a year of treatment, Hussain returned to the stage in 2020, saying his desire to perform again was a source of strength and motivation for healing.
“As long as life is in me, I will keep doing this,” he said.
Hussain, who has performed at weddings and shows across Pakistan and internationally, lamented that the art of fire dancing was “undervalued” in Pakistan.
“In our country, there is no value for such things,” he added.
But despite a lack of recognition, the performer continues to teach others, ensuring the art form survives.
Hussain has mentored a majority of the up to 30 students currently practicing the art in Karachi, with many of them going on to perform on the local and global stage, keeping the flames of the tradition alive.
Abdul Hafeez, 38, one of Hussain’s disciples, said the challenge of being a fire dancer was assuaged by the energy of the audience.
“When people around us feel good, we feel good doing it,” he said.
But fire dancing is also replete with danger.
“You have to watch the wind, look at the audience, and check the place. Then you have to look at yourself. Only then you have to perform the item,” said Arsalan Majeed, another performer aged 24, describing the careful preparation required ahead of each performance.
Despite precautions, accidents are not uncommon, but the thrill and fulfillment of the art outweigh the risks.
“I’ve had a couple of accidents myself. I was pretty burned at one point,” Majeed confessed. “But it happens, the mind wanders, doesn’t it?“
Hafeez, Hussain’s student, also lamented the “unpredictable” income earned from the art form:
“It’s like air in the pocket. Sometimes it’s there, sometimes it’s not.”
But for Hussain, the fire he dances with symbolizes “the fire of the belly” — the need to survive.
“If there’s no fire in the belly, there’s no need to light this one,” he said, pointing to one of his torches made with cotton gauze. “The fire in the belly is greater, and for that reason, we keep playing with fire.”
New Pakistan law to ‘further tighten’ government’s grip on social media — Amnesty International
- The new law aims to set up a social media regulatory authority that will have its own investigation agency and tribunals
- These tribunals will be able to try and punish offenders with prison sentences of up to three years and fines of Rs2 million
ISLAMABAD: A new law in Pakistan aimed at regulating social media will “further tighten” the government’s grip on the “heavily controlled digital landscape” in the South Asian country, global human rights watchdog Amnesty International said on Friday.
Pakistan’s National Assembly, lower house of parliament, introduced and passed the amendments to the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) on Thursday. The amendments were presented in the Senate, the upper house, on Friday and were forwarded to a relevant committee for consideration. After their passage from both houses, the draft will be sent to the president to be signed into a law.
The new regulations will set up a social media regulatory authority that will have its own investigation agency and tribunals, according to a draft on the parliament’s website. Such tribunals will be able to try and punish offenders with prison sentences of up to three years and fines of two million rupees ($7,200) for dissemination of “false or fake” information.
Pakistan’s Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar told parliament on Thursday the law was introduced to block “false and fake” news on social media, which he said had no specific regulations to govern it.
“The amendment introduces a criminal offense against those perpetrating so-called ‘false and fake information’ and imposes a maximum penalty of three years’ imprisonment with a fine. The vague and ambiguous framing of some elements of the offense together with a history of the PECA being used to silence dissent raises concerns that this new offense will chill what little is left of the right to online expression in the country,” Babu Ram Pant, Amnesty International’s deputy director of campaigns for South Asia, said in a statement.
“Presented in the absence of any consultation or debate, the amendment also expands the powers previously available to the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority through the newly created Social Media Regulation and Protection Authority. These provisions grant authorities power to block and remove content based on vague criteria, which will violate the right to freedom of expression and fail to meet standards of proportionality and necessity under international human rights law.”
Pant said the developments were in step with Pakistan’s deployment of “intrusive” digital surveillance technologies and laws that “fail to incorporate any human rights safeguards,” calling on authorities to immediately withdraw the amendments and instead engage in a consultative process with civil society to amend PECA to bring it in line with international human rights law.
The Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, passed in 2016, triggered widespread criticism from human rights organizations and activists for its potential for “harmful impact” on the right to freedom of expression and access to information in Pakistan.
Reporters Without Borders, an organization that promotes and defends press freedom, ranked Pakistan low on its 2024 World Press Freedom Index, at number 152. The group also says Pakistan is one of the most dangerous places for journalists to work.
Separately on Friday, Pakistan’s Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) President Afzal Butt said the government had not consulted any journalistic bodies before introducing the PECA amendments, adding he believed they were intended to gag freedom of speech and intimidate journalists and media outlets.
“We reject this unilateral decision by the government to set up any such tribunals,” Butt told Reuters. “We also are in favor of regulations, but, you know, a law enforcement agency or a police officer can’t decide what is false or fake news.”
The PFUJ said in a statement it would launch countrywide rallies against the new law next week and that if the law was not withdrawn, it would stage a sit-in protest outside parliament.
Pakistan forms special task force to curb human smuggling after Morocco boat capsize
- A migrant boat capsized near Morocco’s coast on Jan. 15 while carrying 86 migrants, including 66 Pakistani nationals
- The tragedy once again underscored the perilous journeys many migrants embark on due to conflict, instability at home
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has formed a special task force to curb human smuggling in Pakistan, Sharif said on Friday, days after a migrant boat carrying over 60 Pakistanis capsized near Morocco.
The boat capsized near Morocco’s coast on Jan. 15 while carrying 86 migrants, including 66 Pakistanis, according to migrant rights group Walking Borders.
Moroccan authorities said a day later 36 people were rescued from the vessel which left Mauritania on Jan. 2, while the Pakistani Foreign Office has said the survivors include 22 Pakistanis.
Sharif announced the launch of the task force at a meeting to review action against human traffickers, his office said, adding that the prime minister will himself head the task force.
“The arrests of members of groups involved in human trafficking should be expedited,” Sharif told officials at the meeting. “All institutions, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, should play their full role in identifying human traffickers.”
The Morocco tragedy has once again underscored the perilous journeys many migrants, including Pakistanis, embark on due to conflict and economic instability in their home countries.
In 2023, hundreds of migrants, including 262 Pakistanis, drowned when an overcrowded vessel sank in international waters off the southwestern Greek town of Pylos, marking one of the deadliest boat disasters ever recorded in the Mediterranean Sea. More recently, five Pakistani nationals died in a shipwreck off the southern Greek island of Gavdos on Dec. 14.
The Pakistani government has ramped up efforts in recent months to combat human smugglers facilitating dangerous journeys for illegal immigrants to Europe, resulting in several arrests. PM Sharif has also urged increased collaboration with international agencies like Interpol to ensure swift action against human trafficking networks.
Officials informed participants of Friday’s meeting that so far, six organized human trafficking gangs have been identified, 12 cases have been registered, three key traffickers have been arrested, and 16 names have been placed on the passport control list. They were also apprised of the details of seizure of vehicles, bank accounts and assets.
“The murderers of humanity involved in human trafficking will be brought to justice,” Sharif said.
Parliament elects ex-PM Khan aide as head of accountability body amid Pakistan political tensions
- Pakistan parliament elects ex-PM Khan aide as head of accountability body amid political tensions
- Member of the government’s team criticizes Khan’s party for calling off the parleys, says differences can only be resolved through talks
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, on Friday elected a member of former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) opposition party as the head of its accountability committee, amid prevailing political tensions in the South Asian country.
The Public Accounts Committee is among the most powerful parliamentary bodies in Pakistan and holds the authority to summon virtually any individual or record from government departments. Its main objective is to uphold transparency and accountability across all public and constitutional institutions, promoting financial integrity and good governance.
The development came a day after ex-PM Khan called off negotiations with the government over its failure to establish judicial commissions to investigate violence at anti-government protests organized by his party. The talks, which began last month after Khan threatened a civil-disobedience movement, aimed to ease political tensions, but have not yielded desired results after three rounds.
Khan’s ouster in a parliamentary no-trust vote in 2022 has plunged Pakistan into a political crisis, particularly since he was jailed in August 2023 on corruption and other charges. His PTI party has regularly held protests to demand his release, with many of the demonstrations turning violent. At the last meeting on Jan. 16, the PTI had given the government seven days to announce the truth commissions, a deadline that expired on Thursday.
But despite the government-opposition stalemate, Junaid Akbar Khan, a lawmaker from Khan’s PTI party, was elected on Friday unopposed as the head of the National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), according to a statement issued by the National Assembly Secretariat. The post of the PAC chairman had been vacant since the general election in Feb. last year.
“I will move forward taking all the [committee] members with me,” Junaid was quoted as saying by the National Assembly Secretariat, as committee members assured him of their support.
The announcement of Junaid’s election as PAC chairman came hours after the PTI refused to attend the next round of talks with the government on Jan. 28
The PTI’s demands to the government revolve around the release of all political prisoners including Khan, and the formation of two judicial commissions to probe into violent protest rallies, including one on May 9, 2023, when PTI supporters rampaged through military offices and installations, and a second one on Nov. 26, 2024 to demand Khan’s release, in which the government says four troops were killed.
Speaking to reporters in Islamabad, Senator Irfan Siddiqui, a member of the government’s negotiations team, criticized the PTI for calling off the parleys.
“Come out of this confusion, and come sit with us on the 28th,” he said in televised comments, referring to Khan’s party. “Whether the commission will be formed or not, it will be decided there.”
Pakistan stick with spin as they chase West Indies series sweep
- Pakistan completed a 127-run win inside three days in the opening Test, with spinners Sajid Khan taking nine wickets
- West Indies spinner Jomel Warrican also grabbed a career-best 7-32 as 34 of the 40 wickets in the match went to spinners
MULTAN: Head coach Aaqib Javed brushed aside criticism of Pakistan’s reliance on spin bowling as they seek a clean sweep against the West Indies in the second Test starting on Saturday.
Pakistan completed a 127-run win inside three days in the opening Test, with spinners Sajid Khan taking nine wickets, Noman Ali six and Abrar Ahmed five for their third straight win at home.
West Indies left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican also grabbed a career-best 7-32 as 34 of the 40 wickets in the match went to spinners.
The second Test will also be played on a dry and grassless pitch in the central city of Multan.
Former Pakistan players and analysts hit out at the spin-heavy strategy, saying the team would struggle on away tours where pitches may not be as conducive to spin.
Aaqib, a fast bowler from an era dominated by the great pacemen Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, insisted the spin assault would continue.
“We found that the West Indies have a weakness in dealing with the spin bowling, so we exploited that and will do that again,” Aaqib told a news conference on Friday.
West Indies skipper Kraigg Brathwaite had no qualms about Pakistan’s tactics.
“Pakistan are playing at home and if they believe spinning pitches are their strength then that’s fine and that’s how cricket is played,” Brathwaite said.
“I have played on pitches which took turn from day one but not like this, which had cracks from day one,” he said.
West Indies will be without injured pace bowler Jayden Seales, who took three wickets in the first match and will be replaced by the experienced Kemar Roach.
Pakistan are unlikely to make any changes.
Brathwaite said his batters need more faith after the first Test, in which his team managed just 137 and 123 in their two innings, with Alick Athanaze the only one to reach a half century.
“It was a difficult pitch to bat in the last game,” Brathwaite said.
“I would say you need to believe in your plan from ball one and not think of the third or fourth ball.”
Pakistan are eighth and the West Indies ninth and last on the World Test Championship table.
Another victory in Multan could see the hosts rise to seventh.
Pakistan were forced to make radical changes last year after losing the first of three Tests against England, their 11th straight home Test without a win.
The Aaqib-led selection panel dropped out-of-form batter Babar Azam and rested pace spearheads Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah.
The tactics worked on the spin-friendly pitches in Rawalpindi and Pakistan went on to win the series 2-1.
“If we had taken these decisions earlier we would have been in the race for World Test Championship final,” Aaqib said.
