Afghanistan Approves Five-Year Plan to Replace Poppy Cultivation

November 2, 2025 Current News Articles

Liluma Qadiry

Tolo News

2 Nov 2025

Meanwhile, several farmers stated that due to poverty and lack of livelihood opportunities, they had previously turned to poppy cultivation.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has announced the approval of a five-year alternative livelihood plan aimed at providing lawful and sustainable economic opportunities for the country’s farmers.

This initiative follows the decree of the Islamic Emirate’s leadership banning the cultivation of poppy.

According to the ministry, the implementation of this plan and the development of value chains in agricultural products will require approximately 4.79 billion Afghanis. It is expected that 149,900 farmers will benefit directly and more than 1.049 million others indirectly from the program.

Sher Mohammad Hatami, spokesperson for the Ministry, stated: “This plan is designed to provide halal and sustainable economic opportunities for farmers in the sectors of agriculture, livestock, natural resources, and irrigation.”

The plan includes projects focused on orchard development, grain production, livestock growth, irrigation system improvements, establishment of greenhouses, and training centers for farmers.

The ministry also emphasized that based on Afghanistan’s climatic and economic assessments, crops such as saffron, asafoetida (hing), cotton, wheat, and other agricultural products have been introduced and promoted as alternatives for farmers.

Mr. Hatami said: “The Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan remains committed to supporting and guiding farmers toward legitimate, sustainable, and blessed agricultural production.”

Meanwhile, several farmers stated that due to poverty and lack of livelihood opportunities, they had previously turned to poppy cultivation. However, following its ban, they now face serious economic challenges.

They are calling on the Islamic Emirate to assist them in securing alternative livelihoods.

Barat, a farmer from Badakhshan, said: “We were forced to grow this crop, and now the government doesn’t help us even once a year.”

Azim, another farmer from Badakhshan, said: “We want support in finding alternatives to drug cultivation, because farmers in this province are in need.”

The Ministry of Agriculture also noted that a number of donor countries have pledged support for alternative livelihood initiatives, and some have already begun practical cooperation.

Mujahid: Civilian-Military Divide in Pakistan Harming Bilateral Relations

November 2, 2025 Current News Articles

Hayatullah Rahimi

Journalist & Digital Editor

Tolo News

1 Nov 2025

In an interview with Khyber TV, Mujahid said that elements within Pakistan’s military are deliberately working to damage relations between the two countries.

Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, says that Pakistan’s civilian government is interested in establishing relations with Afghanistan based on mutual interests, but the military does not allow it.

In an interview with Khyber TV, Mujahid said that elements within Pakistan’s military are deliberately working to damage relations between the two countries.

“Pakistan’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Sadiq Khan, was in Kabul and had positive talks with Afghan officials, but during the same period, Pakistan carried out attacks on Afghan soil. The civilian government seeks to build relations, but the military damages them,” he added.

Mujahid noted that the closure of crossings along the Durand Line by Pakistan has caused major losses to traders on both sides, and he emphasized that such issues should be kept separate from politics.

In response to a question about Pakistan’s concern over reports of a dam being built on the Kunar River, he said that construction and other activities on Afghan territory are entirely Afghanistan’s right. “If a dam is built on the Kunar River, it won’t harm Pakistan. The water will continue to flow in its natural direction; it will just be used along the way,” he said.

Mujahid also commented on Afghanistan–Pakistan relations during the time of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, saying: “During Imran’s era, ties between the two countries were good, especially in trade, efforts to control TTP, and other areas. Everything was going smoothly.”

He called on Pakistan to share any information it has about terrorist activities on Afghan soil with the Islamic Emirate so appropriate action can be taken.
“The Pakistani side wants us to also prevent incidents happening inside Pakistan, but that is beyond our control. The Islamic Emirate does not want insecurity in Pakistan and remains committed to ensuring that no threat arises from Afghan territory,” he said.

Mujahid expressed hope that the next round of talks between Kabul and Islamabad would involve honest and substantive discussions to find lasting solutions to bilateral issues.

The next round of talks is scheduled to take place on November 5.

At least 49 relatives and colleagues of Afghans in data leak have been killed, study suggests

November 1, 2025 Current News Articles

Diane Taylor

The first on-the-ground research into 350 affected people in Afghanistan, the UK or elsewhere has found that, of the 231 respondents who received notification from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) that their data had been leaked, 49 responded that either a colleague or a family member had been killed as a result of the data breach.

The research, submitted to the Commons defence select committee inquiry into the data breach, found that, of those surveyed, 200 of the 231 notified (87%) reported threats made to themselves or members of their families, while 99 (43%) reported a direct threat made to their life as a result of the data breach. A total of 121 (52%) said that family or friends in Afghanistan had been threatened by the Taliban.

Olivia Clark, the executive director of Refugee Legal Support, which conducted the research in partnership with academics from Lancaster and York Universities, said: “This research lays bare the devastating human consequences of the MoD data breach. By centring Afghan voices and documenting their experiences, it fills a critical gap in understanding the real-world impact of the breach.

“Afghans who served alongside UK forces have faced renewed threats, violent assaults, and even the killing of family members after their personal details were exposed.

“The UK government must act urgently to ensure their safety, accelerate relocation applications, and provide proper redress for those whose lives have been put at risk.”

Details of nearly 19,000 people who had applied to move to the UK after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan were leaked mistakenly in February 2022 by a British official. The previous government found out about this in August 2023 when details were posted on Facebook.

A superinjunction blocking reporting about the breach was subsequently imposed preventing details being reported until July of this year, when it was lifted.

The Daily Telegraph reported in July that more than 200 former Afghan soldiers and police officers were killed in the wake of the data breach. However, it is not known how many of them had their names included on the data leak list.

However, an MoD spokesperson referred to a previous review, arguing “it is highly unlikely that merely being on a spreadsheet would be grounds for an individual to be targeted”.

A former Afghan National Army member in Afghanistan, who took part in the research, said: “The delay between the discovery of the data breach in 2023 and the communication in July 2025 is deeply concerning and unacceptable. Waiting almost two years to inform individuals that their personal data was compromised has put many lives at risk unnecessarily.

“Immediate notification could have allowed us to take protective measures much earlier. This delay shows a serious lack of urgency and responsibility from the Ministry of Defence, especially considering the sensitive nature of our backgrounds and the high-risk environment we live in.”

In other evidence to the defence committee’s inquiry, a man referred to as Person A, who describes himself as an independent volunteer caseworker working with Afghans at risk, said he was alerted to the data breach on 13 August 2023 and flagged it to the MoD but did not receive a reply until 21 August 2023 when he tagged a defence minister in a social media post.

He said he believed UK government officials had prioritised the wrong people for evacuation after the leak. He cited evacuation of farmers, barbers and gardeners before some members of the UK special forces who were likely to be at higher risk from the Taliban.

One British Afghan who submitted evidence described the MoD’s failure to protect sensitive information as “a reckless breach and betrayal of trust” while others said highly qualified Afghans who had been brought to the UK were working in jobs they were overqualified for, such as delivery driving.

A resettlement scheme for those affected by the breach, the Afghanistan Response Route, set up in April 2024 after Rishi Sunak’s Conservative government learned of the breach, has enabled 4,500 Afghans so far to arrive in the UK.

An MoD spokesperson said: “The independent Rimmer review, conducted based on existing assessments, expertise and reflections from current Afghanistan work, focused on those most able to provide a high level of insight into the current situation as of spring 2025, and concluded that it is highly unlikely that merely being on the spreadsheet would be grounds for an individual to be targeted.”

Khawaja Asif: TTP Must Cease Activity for Normal Ties with Afghanistan

November 1, 2025 Current News Articles

TOLOnews

TV Network

1 Nov 2025

Mujahid Confirms End of Afghanistan-Pakistan Talks in Istanbul

November 1, 2025 Current News Articles

By Mursaleen Muwahed

Multilingual Journalist & Social Media Editor

Tolo News

31 OCTOBER 2025

Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, announced in a statement that the negotiations with Pakistan held in Turkey have concluded.

In the statement, Mujahid emphasized the Islamic Emirate’s consistent and principled position of resolving disputes through diplomacy and mutual understanding. He stated that the Istanbul talks ended with an agreement that both sides would meet again to discuss and review the remaining issues.

He also expressed gratitude to Turkey and Qatar for mediating and facilitating the talks, and highlighted the following points:

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has always believed in diplomacy and dialogue. Accordingly, it launched the negotiation process sincerely and seriously by appointing a comprehensive and professional team, and has followed the process with full cooperation and patience up to this point.
Just as the Islamic Emirate seeks good relations with other neighboring countries, it also desires positive relations with Pakistan—relations based on mutual respect, non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, and a commitment not to pose a threat to either side.
The Istanbul negotiations, which were complex in nature, concluded with the agreement that both parties will meet again to deliberate on the unresolved matters.

Following heightened tensions between Kabul and Islamabad due to Pakistan’s violation of Afghanistan’s airspace and territory, a ceasefire agreement between the two sides was reached in Doha on October 18–19 through the mediation of Qatar and Turkey.

Subsequently, a second round of talks was held from October 25 to 30 in Istanbul, with the aim of strengthening the ceasefire agreement between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

However, Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that, in order to establish additional executive mechanisms between the two sides, a high-level meeting is scheduled to take place on November 6 in Istanbul.

In a statement, the ministry added that during the Kabul-Islamabad talks, both parties agreed to establish a monitoring and verification mechanism to ensure the maintenance of peace, and to impose penalties on any party found in violation.

These developments come amid renewed tensions between Kabul and Islamabad following Pakistan’s air and ground assaults on the Afghan provinces of Kabul and Paktika.

In response to these attacks, the Ministry of Defense of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan carried out retaliatory operations targeting positions across the hypothetical Durand Line.

Meanwhile, several analysts believe that escalating tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan benefit neither side and have called for resolving disputes through dialogue.

Peace talks hosted by Turkey between Pakistan and Afghanistan hit impasse in Istanbul

October 28, 2025 Current News Articles

By SUZAN FRASER and MUNIR AHMED

The Associated Press

October 28, 2025

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Peace talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan have hit an impasse in Istanbul after three days of negotiations, with state media in both countries Tuesday blaming each other for the failure to reach a deal while efforts by Turkey were still underway to end the deadlock.

The Istanbul talks are part of a broader diplomatic push to ease months of heightened tension between Islamabad and Kabul over cross-border attacks and militant safe havens — issues that have strained relations since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan four years ago.

Delegations from the two neighbors remain in Turkey, but it was not immediately clear whether a fourth day of talks would be held.

Pakistan Television early Tuesday reported that Turkish officials and several other countries are working to preserve the ceasefire agreed on Oct. 19 in Doha after the first round of negotiations. The agreement followed deadly cross-border clashes that killed dozens of soldiers, militants and civilians on both sides.

Three Pakistani security officials who had direct knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press that there is a deadlock in the talks in Istanbul over the reluctance of Kabul in accepting what they described as Pakistan’s logical and legitimate demands about assurances that Afghan soil not be used against Pakistan.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. They said the host country was trying to end the deadlock so that the final round of the talks can resume as soon as possible.

According to the Pakistani officials, the Taliban delegation was “not fully willing” to accept Pakistan’s proposals and continued to seek guidance from Kabul before making decisions.

There was no immediate response from Kabul about the Pakistani claims, repeated by Pakistan Television on Tuesday.

Afghanistan-controlled media RTA made similar accusations against the Pakistani side, saying Kabul “made every effort to hold constructive talks,” but that the “Pakistani side does not seem to have this intention.”

As the latest round of the talks was underway in Turkey, U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday pledged to help resolve the crisis between the two neighbors very quickly.

The recent fighting prompted Qatar to host the initial round of talks, which produced a ceasefire that both sides say is still holding despite the stalemate in Istanbul.

There was no official statement from either side about the status of the talks.

Islamabad-based security analyst Syed Mohammad Ali on Tuesday said Afghanistan’s strategy at the talks was to slow the diplomatic process and shift focus to other bilateral issues. He noted Afghanistan’s “reluctance to give clear, unambiguous and internationally verifiable commitment to act against Afghanistan-based Pakistani Taliban and other militants.”

Pakistan has seen a surge in militant attacks in recent years, mostly blamed on the Pakistani Taliban, or Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, a group closely allied to the Taliban in Afghanistan. Islamabad says the group is being sheltered in Afghanistan since the Taliban seized power in 2021.

Authorities in Pakistan have said the country’s military earlier this month targeted hideouts of the TTP in Afghanistan. It triggered deadly clashes between the two countries until Qatar brokered the ceasefire.

All border crossings between the two sides have remained shut for more than two weeks, however, with trucks carrying goods stranded and waiting for the reopening of key trade routes.

Ahmed reported from Islamabad.

Line drawn by 19th-century Britain stokes Pakistan-Taliban tension

October 27, 2025 Current News Articles

Haq Nawaz Khan and Shaiq Hussain

The Washington Post

October 26, 2025

The Durand Line, a legacy of the British Empire from 1893, is dividing the neighbors today.

To Pakistan, it’s a fixed border. To Afghanistan, it’s merely hypothetical.

It’s the Durand Line: a legacy of the British Empire that’s dividing the neighbors today.

For weeks, Pakistani and Afghan forces have fought across — and over — the frontier drawn by 19th-century Britain through historically Pashtun lands. Now, as they attempt to negotiate a lasting ceasefire, the Taliban-run Afghan government is increasingly challenging its legality.

Dozens of soldiers and civilians have been killed this month in skirmishes along the line. Pakistan launched airstrikes against cities across Afghanistan two weeks ago, an escalation that threatened to turn the border dispute into a wider war.

A temporary ceasefire since then has largely held. But ahead of talks in Istanbul this weekend, there was little optimism that Pakistan and Afghanistan would find common ground on the differences — or the line — that divide them.

What is the Durand Line?

British officials drew the 1,640-mile Durand Line in 1893 to demarcate the border between Afghanistan and what was then the British Raj after the empire won the second of the three Anglo-Afghan wars.

It was the waning days of the 19th-century Great Game, when Britain and Russia competed for control in Central Asia. London sought to make Afghanistan a buffer between its and Moscow’s spheres of influence.

Under British pressure, Afghan Emir Abdur Rahman Khan accepted the loss of some ethnic Pashtun tribal lands, which were effectively annexed into British India.

The resulting frontier, which runs from China in the northeast to Iran in the southwest, was named for British diplomat Mortimer Durand, then the foreign secretary of India.

When Pakistan was created in the 1947 partition of India, it inherited the border. Since then, Islamabad has considered the matter settled, and has urged successive Afghan governments, and now the Taliban, to treat it as such. Ahead of the peace talks, Pakistani officials have reiterated that it’s not up for negotiation.

But Afghanistan has long disputed the line’s legitimacy. The Taliban have taken to referring to it as a “hypothetical” or “imaginary” border.

What’s the cause of the recent tensions?

More vexing to Pakistani officials, the Afghan Taliban have shown little interest in securing it against militants or smugglers. Of particular concern to Islamabad are militants in Pakistan who have sworn allegiance to the Afghan Taliban and are waging an expanding insurgency in the territory effectively annexed by Britain more than 130 years ago.

Pakistani officials say the Afghan Taliban are actively supporting the militants’ efforts to establish Taliban rule in border regions that were historically Afghan.

Pakistani officials blame most attacks on the Pakistani Taliban, or TTP. The group’s leader, Noor Wali Mehsud, was the target of an alleged Pakistani airstrike in Kabul two weeks ago that ignited more than a week of border clashes. Mehsud survived the attack and has since reemerged on camera. (Pakistan has not claimed responsibility for the strike.)

The Afghan Taliban deny supporting the TTP and the TTP denies being supported or sheltered by the Afghan Taliban. A senior member of the group said talks between Afghanistan and Pakistan have had no effect on its operations.

“There is no pressure on our leadership from the Islamic Emirate to not fight in Pakistan,” he said, using the Taliban regime’s name for itself. He spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.

How does the line affect the people who live there?

Support for the TTP in the tribal border region appears to be limited. But the militants have been able to make some inroads recently by capitalizing on the longtime perception among people on both sides of the border that the Durand Line was not supposed to have any effect on their everyday lives.

For much of the 20th century, members of Pashtun communities and other tribes crossed the border several times a day without being stopped by border guards. In the 1980s, Pakistani officials even encouraged this as they shepherded weapons and fighters over the border to support the Afghan mujahideen in their fight against the Soviet Union.

The mujahideen — a precursor of the Taliban — drew support and recruits from large ethnic Pashtun communities on both sides of the border.

“People didn’t think of it as a border — there were no passports, no visas,” said Nisar Ali Khan Dawar, a 57-year-old tribal leader in Pakistan, who crossed the border freely into his 30s. “We went back and forth, attending weddings, funerals, or just to have dinner.”

What changed?

Free passage ended after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The Taliban had sheltered al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden; the United States responded to the attacks by invading Afghanistan.

Under pressure from Washington, Pakistan closed border crossings and deployed troops to try to secure the border. Bin Laden slipped through to Pakistan anyway, but the impact on the border region has been severe and long-lasting.

Communities that depended on cross-border trade lost their revenue streams, said Nisar Baaz, a local politician who supports closer Afghan-Pakistani ties. “People have been left with nothing,” he said.

After the TTP formed in 2007 and started launching attacks in Pakistan, Islamabad moved to fortify the Durand Line, eventually building a fence that now runs along most of its length.

Still, the border remains virtually impossible to surveil. TTP fighters and traffickers have frequently breached the fence, and some locals support the militants’ efforts.

“This unjust line has divided and weakened the Pashtun Afghans, and we will never accept it,” Khan Dawar said.

Why are the Taliban pressing the issue now?

Analysts doubt that the Taliban government, recognized internationally only by Russia, can make a legal argument to challenge the Durand Line.

“Both Pakistan and Afghanistan have long treated the Durand Line as an actual international border,” said Ahmer Bilal Soofi, a former Pakistani justice minister. He noted that Afghan officials, for example, collect customs payments at frontier checkpoints.

The Taliban might view tensions along the Durand Line as domestically advantageous. “By raising this issue again and again, they are using Afghan nationalism to distract people,” said Zahid Hussain, a Pakistani political commentator.

“That may bring them short-term support at home,” he said, “but it will only increase instability for both countries.” Hussain cited the closure of Afghan-Pakistani border crossings for the past two weeks, which has left traders stuck on opposite sides of the border while millions of Afghans face severe hunger.

Shakir Afridi, a Pakistani trader in the border region, said the financial losses have cut deep. But even worse, he said, is the effect on thousands of expelled Afghan refugees who have been stuck on the Pakistani side of the border, in limbo between the country that’s pressuring them to leave and the country into which they’re being forced back.

More than 1 million Afghans have been deported or pressured to leave by Pakistan since 2023, in what’s been seen as an attempt to pressure the Afghan Taliban into reining in the TTP.

“Both sides should now at least allow the women and children to cross,” Afridi said.

Afghanistan and Pakistan head to Turkey for second round of crisis talks

October 25, 2025 Current News Articles

Associated Press

October 24, 2025

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Afghanistan and Pakistan are heading to Turkey for a second round of crisis talks, officials said Friday, after recent fighting between them killed dozens of people and injured hundreds more.

The neighbors are embroiled in a bitter security row that has become increasingly violent, with each side saying they were responding to aggression from the other.

Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of turning a blind eye to armed groups that cross the border for attacks, a charge the country’s Taliban rulers reject.

Last weekend, Qatar and Turkey mediated a ceasefire to pause the hostilities. The truce has largely held, although the countries’ border remains closed except for Afghan refugees leaving Pakistan.

Afghanistan’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry said traders are losing millions of dollars a day because border transit and trade have ground to a halt.

Southern Kandahar Province was the worst-hit by the recent fighting, especially Spin Boldak on the border, where Pakistani airstrikes killed people and destroyed homes.

On Friday, the Taliban government’s chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said Deputy Interior Minister Haji Najib was leading the delegation heading to Istanbul.

“The remaining issues will be discussed at this meeting,” said Mujahid, who gave no further details.

In Pakistan, a Foreign Ministry spokesman was more expansive about the weekend’s prospects.

“There has been no major full-scale terrorist attack emanating from Afghan soil in the last two to three days,” Tahir Andrabi told journalists at a regular briefing. “So, the Doha talks and outcome were fruitful. We would like the trend to continue in Istanbul and post-Istanbul.”

Pakistan is struggling to combat militancy, mostly in areas bordering Afghanistan.

Andrabi said there was a clear message to Kabul to stop the attacks, control and apprehend armed groups, and “our relations could be back on track.”

“We are not asking for the moon,” Andrabi added. He did not say who was in the Pakistani delegation.

Pakistan defence minister warns of ‘open war’ with Afghanistan if peace talks fail

October 25, 2025 Current News Articles

By Ariba Shahid

Reuters

October 25, 2025

KARACHI, Oct 25 (Reuters) – Pakistan’s defence minister said on Saturday he believes Afghanistan wants peace but that failure to reach an agreement during talks in Istanbul would mean “open war,” days after both sides agreed to a ceasefire following deadly border clashes.

The talks in Istanbul, which began on Saturday and are expected to continue into Sunday, mark the latest attempt by Pakistan and Afghanistan to prevent a relapse into violence after the worst border fighting since the Taliban’s 2021 takeover of Kabul.

The talks are meant to devise a mechanism to enforce the Doha ceasefire longer term.

Khawaja Muhammad Asif said there had been no incidents in the four to five days since it was agreed, and both sides were complying with the truce.

“We have the option, if no agreement takes place, we have an open war with them,” he said in televised remarks from Pakistan. “But I saw that they want peace.”

The clashes erupted earlier this month after Islamabad demanded that the Taliban curb militants it says are attacking Pakistan from sanctuaries inside Afghanistan.

Pakistan launched airstrikes across the border and both sides exchanged heavy fire, killing dozens and prompting the closure of key crossings that remain shut.

Islamabad accuses Kabul of sheltering militants who target Pakistani forces. The Taliban rejects the charge and says Pakistan’s military operations violate Afghan sovereignty.

Germany to End Afghan Refugee Program Citing Bureaucratic Delays

October 21, 2025 Current News Articles

By Fidel Rahmati

Khaama Press

October 21, 2025

Germany plans to cancel its special Afghan refugee admission program, citing lengthy procedures and bureaucratic hurdles that left thousands stranded in Pakistan awaiting relocation.

Germany is preparing to cancel its special admission programs for Afghan refugees due to prolonged processing times and complex bureaucratic hurdles, according to a report aired on Monday.

The public broadcaster MDR said the decision follows years of administrative delays that have left thousands of Afghans stranded in Pakistan after fleeing Kabul in 2021.

The report, part of MDR’s Exactly documentary series titled “Afghanistan and Refugees: Germany’s False Promises,” highlights the plight of Afghans who sought protection from Germany but remain in legal limbo.

According to the investigation, Berlin’s admission initiatives for at-risk Afghans have so far benefited only a limited number of applicants, while the majority face indefinite waits for visa approval.

Roughly 2,000 Afghans who previously received assurances of relocation from the German government are still waiting in Pakistan, many of them women’s rights activists, journalists, human rights defenders, and former military aides.

The documentary warns that ending the program could amount to “the formal end of Germany’s moral responsibility” toward its Afghan partners, many of whom face grave risks under Taliban rule.

Rights groups have urged Berlin to reconsider, calling the cancellation a betrayal of those who assisted German forces and institutions during the war.

Observers say the move reflects Europe’s broader shift toward stricter migration controls and highlights the growing disconnect between humanitarian pledges and political will.

What is the Durand Line?

How does the line affect the people who live there?

What changed?

Why are the Taliban pressing the issue now?

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