Iranian Official Announces Arrest Of Dozens Of Afghans In Sistan & Baluchestan

Jan 4, 2025, 12:12 GMT

Hosseinali Sanchooli, the police chief of Saravan in southeastern Sistan and Baluchestan province, Iran, announced that 115 undocumented Afghans had been arrested.

Sanchooli said on Saturday, January 4, that they were identified and arrested in line with the implementation of the plan to promote social security.

He told the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) that these people were arrested during a police operation in Saravan over the last 72 hours.

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Pakistan Attacked From Across Border, Will Give Decisive Response, Says Shehbaz Sharif

Jan 4, 2025, 10:46 GMT

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif warned that the country will respond decisively and firmly to cross-border attacks.

In a meeting in Islamabad, he stressed on the need for necessary measures, adding that internal and external elements are working against Pakistan.

Referring to the attacks on the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Pakistan's prime minister said on Friday, January 3, at a meeting of the Central Apex Committee on National Action Plan, that the group is responsible for numerous attacks against security forces and civilians.

Geo News reported that Shehbaz Sharif referred to internal and external anti-Pakistani factors in the meeting, which was attended by civilian and military leaders.

He clarified that in Pakistan, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, there are elements that are working against the country.

Shehbaz Sharif also stressed on the need to counter the "wave of lies" against Pakistan in cyberspace.

"We are aware of cooperation with other countries that may play a role in facilitating the measures, but the national interests of the country are above all else, and the necessary measures will be taken to improve the security situation," the prime minister said.

The remarks come as border tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan have escalated. Earlier, there were reports of border clashes between Pakistani forces and the Afghan Taliban.

Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Taliban of supporting the TTP, but the Taliban have always denied this claim.

Taliban’s Stanekzai & Pak’s Durrani Argue Over Retaliatory Measures

Jan 4, 2025, 09:58 GMT

Pakistan's former representative to Afghanistan and the Taliban's deputy foreign minister have been arguing over recent retaliatory measures on the social media platform X network.

In response to Abbas Stanikzai, Durrani said in a sarcastic tone, "He is not a good suicide bomber. Let us teach the next generation to live, not to die."

Asif Durrani, Pakistan's former representative to Afghanistan, wrote on his X social media account, "The recent exchange with Afghanistan is regrettable, but it should be a lesson for the friends and brothers of the Afghan Taliban."

In the note, he stressed that the TTP is a red line and no one should be allowed to cross it.

In response to the post, Abbas Stanikzai wrote in a warning message that Pakistan should "learn from the recent "retaliation" actions by Taliban fighters. "Anyone who looked at us and our country with bad intentions, we have taken out their eyes with great anger," the Taliban's deputy foreign minister wrote in the post.

In response to this message, Pakistan's former representative to Afghanistan sarcastically called on the Taliban's deputy foreign minister to take a logical path.

Asif Durrani wrote, "May God give you more wisdom, Stanikzai. It is not right to take the path of suicide. It is better to teach the next generation how to live, not how to die."

Tensions between Pakistani officials and the Taliban have escalated.

Islamic Republic Deeply Concerned About Taliban's Water Policy

Jan 3, 2025, 16:24 GMT

Esmaeil Baghaei, the spokesman of the Iranian Foreign Ministry called on the Taliban to cooperate in the continuation of the flow of water from Afghanistan to Iran and remove the obstacles created.

Referring to the importance of protecting the environment and observing international law regarding the border rivers between the two countries, Baghaei emphasised that it is necessary to pay attention to these principles.

Baghaei also on Friday expressed concern about the impact of dams under construction in Afghanistan on the amount of water entering Iran.

In frequent talks with the Taliban, the Iranian Foreign Ministry has stressed that the exploitation of water resources should not take place without respecting Iran's rights, bilateral treaties and the principles of good neighbourliness, he said.

Referring to the cultural, religious, ethnic and civilisational ties between Iran and Afghanistan and Iran's hosting of about five million Afghan refugees, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran emphasised that it is necessary to respect mutual interests and avoid unilateral actions.

After the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, Tehran has repeatedly called on the group to restore the flow of water from the Helmand River to Iran, but the Taliban, citing the drought, has claimed that the water has naturally decreased and has not been blocked.

Iran has also recently raised criticisms of the construction of the Pashdan Dam in Herat.

A spokesman for Iran's water industry recently announced that Afghanistan's unilateral exploitation of the Harirud River is a violation of customary law and could harm the basic needs of millions of people, including the supply of water to Mashhad.

Group's Political Ties With Tajikistan Expanding, Says Taliban's Deputy Prime Minister

Jan 3, 2025, 15:31 GMT

Abdul Kabir, the Taliban's deputy prime minister for political affairs, said that the group's political relations with Tajikistan are improving compared to the past.

Abdul Kabir said that although Tajikistan has not yet handed over the Afghan embassy to the Taliban, extensive trade relations between the two countries are underway.

The Taliban's deputy prime minister said on Friday, January 3, that the Afghan embassy in Dushanbe is not under the management of the group so far, but the Sher Khan port crossing is open to traders from the two countries.

Abdul Kabir said that Afghan and Tajik businessmen are currently moving between the two countries. In his speech in Kabul, he claimed that the Taliban's political and economic relations with the countries of the region were expanding and progressing.

The Taliban official also called on countries hosting Afghan refugees to stop forcibly deporting Afghans and allow Afghans to return to their country voluntarily.

In the past three years, Tajikistan has had the least relations with the Taliban compared to other Central Asian countries.

Tajikistan has so far refused to accept the Taliban's diplomatic representative at the Afghan embassy. On the other hand, some anti-Taliban groups have been active in Tajikistan during this period.

Leader of Pakistan's Hazara Democratic Party Abdul Khaliq Hazara Injured In Attack

Jan 3, 2025, 14:41 GMT

Sources confirmed to Afghanistan International that Abdul Khaliq Hazara, the leader of Pakistan's Hazara Democratic Party, was attacked and injured in an attack in the city of Quetta.

A picture of Hazara, that has been published, shows that he is bleeding and has been taken to the hospital.

Pakistan's Hazara Democratic Party confirmed in a statement on its Facebook account on Friday, January 3, that Abdul Khaliq Hazara had been attacked.

According to the statement, police have arrested a suspect in the attack on Abdul Khaliq Hazara. The party, however, did not provide details about the identity of the attacker or his motive.

Sarfraz Bugti, the chief minister of Pakistan's Balochistan province, reacted to the attack and expressed concern over it.

A Pakistani media outlet reported on Friday, January 3, that Abdul Khaliq Hazara was attacked inside his house on Thursday night and that the person who was arrested was his neighbour.

The media outlet quoted a spokesman for the Hazara Democratic Party of Pakistan as saying that Abdul Khaliq Hazara was injured during the robbery and a clash with the thief.

Shahid Rind, the spokesman for the local government of Balochistan province, has promised that justice will be served after the investigation.