LAST 24 HOURS
TORKHAM CLOSED BRIEFLY OVER BOUNDARY DISPUTE – Border officials ordered a closure of the crossing after Pakistan attempted to erect a ‘welcome to Pakistan’ sign in the demarcation zone. Taliban officials claimed the construction violated agreements and was a ruse intended to provide cover for the establishment of a Pakistani checkpoint in the zone. Commercial traffic was blocked for a short period, but has reportedly reopened.
RUMORS CIRCULATE THAT FEMALE REPORTERS MAY BE REMOVED FROM BROADCASTS IN COMING MONTH – Some are calling it a new ‘media blackout’ and sources are suggesting the Taliban plan to order all females off of television and radio broadcasts. Some female personalities were permitted to continue broadcasting after the Taliban takeover but had only been allowed to do so after modifying their clothing choices. No official confirmation of the possible move has been made by the Taliban but sources are convinced it will happen in January and went on to say that those few females currently employed in the broadcasting industry are already being warned against staging protests.
2 PAKISTANI PASSPORT OFFICE OFFICIALS ARRESTED OVER ISSUANCE OF PASSPORT TO TALIBAN’S MINISTER OF THE INTERIOR – Apparently, Sirajuddin Haqqani, the current Minister of the Interior for the Taliban, is a dual-citizen. Pakistani officials were amazed to find out the Taliban spy master held a valid Pakistani passport and moved to cancel the document. Two officials in the Peshawar passport office have been arrested and stand accused of providing the official document as well as many others. Pakistan has been dealing with an exhaustive investigation of its passport agency after Saudi Arabia informed Islamabad it had discovered over ten thousand Afghans held Pakistani passports.
MORALITY POLICE FORCE RUMORED TO BE STANDING UP IN AFGHANISTAN – A fresh corps of 13,000 morality cops is rumored to already be patrolling the streets of Kabul and other cities under a new secret mandate that reputedly came from Kandahar. The force appears to have a similar mandate to their fellow morality ‘coparoos’ in Iran and is primarily focused on enforcing anti-female dress/behavior codes while also reminding citizens of their obligations under Sharia law. It is believed the force will report directly to the Ministry of Vice and Virtue and there are already rumors of friction between this ministry and the Ministry of the Interior over jurisdiction and authorities. This information has not been confirmed but, if true, it lends credence to some who have been saying that 2024 will be the year the Taliban begin to model their particular brand of Islam.
NEXT 24 HOURS
NO THREATS REPORTED
REGIONAL ROUNDUP
IRAN
Iran announced that a rocket flight yesterday carried a capsule capable of carrying animals into orbit. The test flight was considered crucial as Iran intends to send manned missions over the coming years.
A court in Tehran has ordered the United States to pay $50 billion for the death of IRGC terror chief, Qassem Soleimani.
Iranian authorities have deployed facial recognition software in Tehran’s metro stations to induce females to wear hijabs.
PAKISTAN
Leaders of the PTI party called into question several recent requests by various groups to postpone elections again due to security concerns. The polls are scheduled to open on February 8th but officials in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa say a delay may be needed due to insecurity.
Islamabad’s High Court rejected former PM Khan’s request to vacate the verdict of the Election Commission of Pakistan in the Toshkana corruption case.
A large fire swept through a Karachi shopping area killing 3 people and leaving several others with injuries.
SPOTLIGHT ANALYSIS
Afghanistan, Pakistan and climate breakdown
By Nancy Lindisfarne & Jonathan Neale - Ecologist
Civil wars and invasions ravaged Afghanistan from 1978 to 2021. That’s 43 years. Since the Americans left in August 2021, there has been peace. But in the two years after the withdrawal of any American aid, the economy has shrunk by a third, to under a dollar per person per day.
AFGHAN NEWS
Taliban arrests three commanders and 16 TTP fighters in Afghanistan
By Fidel Rahmati - Khaama Press
The arrest of Pakistani Taliban members came as a result of Pakistan’s pressure on the Afghan Taliban to take decisive action against the…
Islamic Emirate Never Sought to Harm Other Countries: Deputy PM
By Nazeer Shinwari - TOLO News
The Deputy Prime Minister for Administrative Affairs, Abdul Salam Hanafi, said that the Islamic Emirate never sought to damage other countries, and urged the…
The World Bank’s Office to resume operations in Afghanistan in one month: Official
By Fidel Rahmati - Khaama Press
Ahmad Wali Haqmal, the spokesperson for the Taliban’s Ministry of Finance, has announced that the World Bank’s office will become operational in…
REGIONAL NEWS
By Oindrila Mukherjee - News 18
A ‘Welcome to Pakistan’ sign meant to greet travellers from Afghanistan instead caused the brief closure of the busiest frontier crossing on…
Pakistan Says 450,000 Undocumented Afghans Returned Home
By Ayaz Gul - VOA
A Pakistani diplomat said Wednesday that nearly 450,000 Afghan nationals returned to their home country since his government announced two months ago…
INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN
US special envoy launches regional tour on Afghanistan
By Bais Hayat - AMU TV
US Special Envoy for Afghanistan, Thomas West, has embarked on a regional tour spanning four countries, including Pakistan, to address critical issues related to…
Afghans who worked with Washington: US says wants to accelerate visa processing
By Ali Hussain - Business Recorder
The United States has conveyed to Pakistan that it is actively exploring all possible options to accelerate its…
THE DAILY WTF
IHC moved to restrain ECP from issuing poll dates due to refugees repatriation
By The Nation
In his petition, Virk highlighted a concerning situation in the country where Afghan refugees, in the process of repatriation, are found to possess Pakistani fake…
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 69.50 AFN (as of 7 DEC 2023)