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Next Year’s Budget Not Yet Approved: MPs
Febraury 09, 2012
KABUL - The Afghan House of Representatives on Wednesday said that next year's budget will not be approved until the remaining cabinet members and Supreme Court officials are not introduced to the House to get vote of confidence.
Some of the MPs believe that if the budget is approved, 'incompetent ...
Grossman Met Taliban in Qatar: Official
Febraury 09, 2012
KABUL - Washington's chief envoy to Afghanistan met Taliban leaders in Qatar as part of US efforts to bring the insurgents to the negotiating table, a senior Afghan official said Wednesday. The talks between the Taliban and Marc Grossman came in late January, after he met President Hamid Karzai in Kabul, the official said, asking to ...
Gilani: Pakistan Supports Afghan-Owned Peace Initiative
Febraury 08, 2012
KABUL - During his three-day trip to Qatar, Pakistani Prime Minister, Yosuf Raza Gilani said that his country supported Afghan-led peace process.
He also called Doha's role vital in stability of the region.
At the time of his departure from Pakistan, the prime minister reiterated stance of his government to support Afghan-led and Afghan-owned initiatives for a stable Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed Mr Gilani's statement and hoped for an honest Pakistani role in Afghan ...
Etisalat Afghanistan and PrePay Nation announces partnership
Febraury 08, 2012
KABUL - Etisalat Afghanistan part of Etisalat Telecommunications, UAE today announced its strategic partnership with Prepay Nation, leading global provider of prepaid mobile ecosystem and international airtime transfer solutions in the emerging markets.
As part of its ongoing efforts to bring the latest offerings to its ...
Senators Denounce Next Year’s Proposed Budget
Febraury 08, 2012
KABUL - A number of 'Meshrano Jirga or upper house of Parliament members on Tuesday said some backward provinces had been neglected in preparation of annual budget for next financial year.
On February 5, Finance Minister Omar Zakhilwal presented the first-ever nine-month budget, with a total outlay of 244.3 billion ...
Chicago Summit to Finalize Long-Term Support to Afghan Forces
Febraury 08, 2012
KABUL - Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday said that the upcoming Chicago Summit will finalize a specific plan for long-term support to Afghan security forces.
The spokesman for Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Janan Musazai, said NNATO's role will be vital in the mobilization and training of ...
Govt. Reassured Long-Term Support
Febraury 07, 2012
KABUL - Germany, the US, Australia, China and Japan reassured their long-term support toward the Afghan government at a recently-concluded security conference in Munich, Germany, the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday.
The 48th Munich Security Conference held on Feb. 4 was attended by more than 10 heads of state and defense and foreign ministers from some 70 countries to discuss new security threats in the face of shrinking economic ...
Parliament to Summon Ministers Over Budget
Febraury 07, 2012
KABUL - Wolesi Jirga members, with a majority vote, on Monday decided to summon 15 ministers and a dozen departmental heads to brief lawmakers on their failure to effectively use budgetary allocations during the outgoing Afghan fiscal year.
The parliamentarians voted to summon the officials concerned in ...
NATO Reassures Afghans Over Combat Missions
Febraury 07, 2012
KABUL - NATO sought to reassure Afghans Monday that despite talk of an early end to combat missions, foreign troops would fight "shoulder to shoulder" with local soldiers whenever needed until the end of 2014.
The reassurance came after confusion over remarks by US Defense ...
ISAF Welcomes US-Taliban Talks
Febraury 07, 2012
KABUL - ISAF welcomes any kind of negotiation that brings stability in Afghanistan, General Carsten Jacobson said at a press conference on Monday.
At the same time NATO urges the international community to help Afghanistan in security sector ...
Gilani in Qatar to Discuss Afghan Peace
Febraury 07, 2012
ISLAMABAD - Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani left for Qatar on Monday to discuss Afghan peace efforts in the ultra-rich Gulf state where the Taliban and US officials have begun preliminary contacts, reports AFP.
"The prime minister reiterated stance of his government to ...
A Peace that Destroys National Unity, not a Peace: Qanooni
Febraury 06, 2012
KABUL - Peace talks with anti-government armed groups should not be held secretly, Leader of the Change and Hope Coalition said on Sunday.
Leader of Change and Hope Coalition, Dr Abdullah Abdullah, criticized the peace process arguing that neither Afghan political parties, nor civil society or the people in general are part of it. He said the Afghan government does not have a transparent program for peace talks.
Dr Abdullah made the comments while speaking at a gathering in Kabul ...
Responsibilities to Cause Major Financial Challenges: Zakhilwal
Febraury 06, 2012
KABUL - Afghanistan will face major financial challenges after 2014, the Afghan Minister of Finance said on Sunday while speaking before the Afghan House of Representatives.
Presenting next year's budget to the House of Representatives, Afghan Minister of Finance Hazrat Omer Zakhilwal said that as the Afghans are ...
2013 Dateline Only A Possibility: WH
Febraury 06, 2012
WASHINGTON - The Obama Administration officials on Thursday had a tough time in explaining the announcement of Defense Secretary Leon Panetta to end the Afghan combat mission by mid-2013.
The officials asserted it was only a possibility and there was no change in its NATO-determined Lisbon policy according to which security ...
Pakistan will Back Any Afghan-Led Peace Process: Gilani
Febraury 06, 2012
KABUL - Pakistan desires a stable Afghanistan and will back any Afghan-led peace process, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Sunday said, on the eve of his visit to Qatar for talks on the reconciliation process in the neighboring war-torn country.
"Pakistan has only one view — we want a stable Afghanistan. It ...
Taliban Deny Mullah Omar Wrote to White House
Febraury 06, 2012
KABUL - The Afghan Taliban denied on Saturday that the group's leader Mullah Omar wrote to the White House last year. The White House received a letter in 2011 which purported to come directly from Mullah Omar, asking the United States to deliver prisoners whose transfer is now central to American efforts to broker ...
Pak Has No Secret Afghan Plans: Khar
Febraury 02, 2012
KABUL - Pakistani Foreign Minister Hinna Rabbani Khar on Wednesday said that her country preferred a stable Afghanistan.
Speaking at a press conference in Kabul Pakistani FM stressed that Pakistan will respect the sovereignty and independence of Afghanistan.
She emphasized that good relations between Islamabad and Kabul will bring stability in the region.
"Pakistan stands for Afghanistan's unity," Mrs Khar said. "We have got any threat to Afghanistan's unity and integrity is a ...
Gilani Backs Afghan-Owned Peace Parleys
Febraury 02, 2012
ISLAMABAD - Pakistani Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has said peace in Afghanistan is critical for security in the country, saying an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned reconciliation process remains his government's priority.
Speaking to a delegation of Afghan Senators led by Fazal-i-Hadi ...
50pc of US Aid to Be Used in 2 Years: Zakhilwal
Febraury 02, 2012
KABUL - Finance Minister Omar Zakhilwal on Wednesday signed an agreement with the the United States Agency for International Development on using 50 percent of American aid within two years by the Afghan government, an official said.
Until the next solar year, starting on March 21, Afghanistan would ...
Drug Traffickers will Be Prosecuted: Patey
Febraury 02, 2012
KABUL - The British Ambassador to Afghanistan, William Patey, on Wednesday warned that the drug traffickers will face prosecution.
While visiting the Counter Narcotics Justice Centre he said that his country will fully co-operate with counter narcotics in Afghanistan.
London is committed to fight drug cultivation and production in ...
US Determined to Encourage Afghan Dialogue: Grossman
Febraury 02, 2012
WASHINGTON - The U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Marc Grossman, says the United States is using "all of its contacts in the region" in order to get Afghans talking to Afghans.
In an interview with VOA's Urdu Service Tuesday, Grossman did not confirm that the U.S. government is talking to the Taliban at this ...
Karzai, Khar Call for Joint Peace Efforts
Febraury 02, 2012
KABUL - Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar on Wednesday said her visit to Kabul was aimed at enhancing bilateral goodwill and all-round cooperation.
At a meeting after her arrival in Kabul, she discussed with President Hamid Karzai the ongoing peace process and threat posed to the neighboring countries by ...
Taliban Deny Plan for Saudi Talks with Afghan Govt.
Febraury 02, 2012
KABUL - The Taliban militia leading a 10-year insurgency in Afghanistan on Wednesday denied that they would soon hold talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai's government in Saudi Arabia.
"There is no truth in these published reports saying that the delegation of the Islamic Emirate would meet with representatives of ...
Zakhilwal Spurn MPs Accusations
Febraury 02, 2012
KABUL - Finance Minister Omar Zakhilwal, rejecting accusations by some Wolesi Jirga members, said on Wednesday no irresponsible changes had been made in the current year's budget.
On Monday, some lawmakers said the Ministry of Finance had irresponsibly brought changes to the budget, calling for the minister ...
Pakistan Spy Service Still Aiding Taliban in Afghan War: NATO
Febraury 02, 2012
ISLAMABAD - A leaked NATO report includes claims that the Taliban is poised to reclaim control of Afghanistan despite a decade-long effort by Western forces to defeat the Islamic militants, and asserts that the Taliban continues to work closely with Pakistan's spy service, British news organizations ...
SAARC to Open Liquidity Swap Window Next Year
Febraury 01, 2012
KABUL - South Asian Association for Economic Cooperation (SAARC) finance ministers have agreed on opening a liquidity-swap window to support member countries in times of global recession.
The agreement on liquidity swap -- a kind of currency exchange used by a country's central bank to provide liquidity to another central bank -- came at a meeting of SAARC ministers in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.
Bangladesh Finance Minister AMA Muhith ...
8 in 10 Afghans Think Police Weak: UN
Febraury 01, 2012
KABUL - Eight in 10 Afghans do not believe their police force is ready to take charge of law and order, a United Nations report showed Tuesday, underscoring worries about the pace of transition to Afghan security control.
While many Afghans say they think crime has decreased, citizens are still worried about ...
Kabul Rules Out Separate Talks with Taliban
Febraury 01, 2012
KABUL - The Afghan government on Tuesday rejected reports that it was going to launch separate peace talks with Taliban fighters in Saudi Arabia.
On Monday, some media reports said the Karzai administration was planning to offer the olive branch to insurgent leaders in Saudi ...
Eikenberry Assesses U.S. Role in Afghanistan
Febraury 01, 2012
WASHINGTON - We've done a lot there. We haven't done it all well, but we should be proud of what we have done," former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl W. Eikenberry M.A. '94 said during his closing assessment of the United States' role in Afghanistan. Eikenberry spoke to approximately 140 attendees about the transition to ...
Peace in Afghanistan Critical for Pakistan: Gilani
Febraury 01, 2012
ISLAMABAD – Pakistani Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani on Tuesday said peace in Afghanistan was critical for the peace and security in Pakistan. He said Pakistan always supported Afghan President Hamid Karzai's peace efforts and would continue favor an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned process of ...
Obama Confirms Drone Operation in Pakistan
Febraury 01, 2012
KABUL - The US President Barack Obama confirmed that US drones have struck Taliban and Al-Qaeda targets within Pakistan -- operations that until now had not been officially acknowledged, reports said.
"For the most part, they've been very precise precision strikes against al-Qaeda and their affiliates, and we're very careful in terms ...
Rasmussen: NATO Sticks to Transition Roadmap in Afghanistan
January 31, 2012
KABUL - NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Monday the military alliance was sticking to the transition plan in Afghanistan mapped out in 2010, despite French proposals to speed up NATO's handover of security to Afghan forces, Xinhua reported.
"We stick to the roadmap that was outlined at the NATO summit in Libson in November 2010. According to which, we will gradually handover lead responsibility to the Afghans. A process that has been started and ...
Afghanistan, Iran Sign Economic Cooperation Pact
January 31, 2012
KABUL - Afghanistan and Iran have signed an economic cooperation agreement at the end of the second meeting of the Afghan-Iran economic committee, officials said.
Afghan Ministry of Finance said on Monday that Afghanistan and Iran have also agreed to form joint committees to solve trade and transit ...
Taliban Refuse Ceasefire Before Prisoners are Released
January 31, 2012
KABUL - The Taliban have refused US demands for a ceasefire before the release of Taliban prisoners from Guantanamo.
Reports said that the US had pledged to transfer important Taliban figures from Guantanamo Bay to Qatar but now they are insisting on a ceasefire first.
The development comes as the BBC reports the Afghan government is ...
WJ Summons Finance Minister
January 31, 2012
KABUL - Members of Parliament (MPs) on Monday called for summoning several ministers over their failure to spend even 50 percent of their development budget for the last fiscal year.
Wolesi Jirga members issued the call when a final report on last year's budget spending was presented to ...