Latest Articles about South Asia
BOMBINGS FAIL TO CURB KABUL’S NEW ECONOMIC VITALITY
Despite bombings and the lingering Taliban insurgency, Afghanistan is showing signs of slowly integrating with regional as well as international economic organizations. This week has been one of Afghanistan's bloodiest, as suicide bombings shook the capital and southern Afghanistan. In one attack in Kandahar province,... MORE
STILL NO OFFICIAL RESULTS FROM AFGHAN PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS
The long-overdue results of the September 18 Afghan parliamentary elections still have not been announced because of complaints and problems with the counting process. The UN-Afghan Joint Electoral Management Body (JEMB) had planned to release the final tally on Wednesday, November 9, only to once... MORE
EDITOR OF AFGHAN WOMEN’S MAGAZINE ARRESTED FOR BLASPHEMY
Ali Mohaqqeq-Nasab, editor of the Kabul-based women's magazine Hoqooq-e-Zan (Women's Rights), was suddenly arrested on October 1. He was snatched on the street, without any warrant, summons, or prior notice (Outlook Afghanistan, October 2). He was subsequently summoned to court on October 11 to face... MORE
Jihadists Respond to Earthquake Victims in Pakistan
The magnitude of the South Asian earthquake tragedy has prompted al-Qaeda to issue a statement calling for aid for the victims. On October 23, Ayman al-Zawahiri released a video statement, broadcast by the satellite channel al-Jazeera, in which he called for Muslims to give aid... MORE
Taliban Resurgence in Afghanistan
Afghanistan has witnessed renewed violence over recent months, prompting questions on the progress of U.S. forces in bringing security to the war-torn country, and whether the Taliban are staging a campaign for permanent resurgence. On September 28, in one of the bloodiest attacks since the... MORE
Target Dostum: The Campaign Against Northern Alliance Warlords
As you enter the dusty plains city of Sheberghan in northern Afghanistan you are greeted by what has to be one of the most striking billboards in all of Eurasia. It features Northern Alliance (NA) commander General Abdul Rashid Dostum and two blond haired, blue... MORE
PARLIAMENTARY CANDIDATE ASSASSINATED IN AFGHANISTAN
On Monday, September 27, Ashraf Ramazan, a prominent parliamentary candidate from Balkh, a northern province, was assassinated in the city of Mazar-e-Sharif in broad daylight. One of his bodyguards was also killed, while another bodyguard and their driver were injured. Ramazan reportedly was running third... MORE
LANDMARK AFGHAN PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION GOES SMOOTHLY
On September 18, Afghanistan completed the last stage of the Bonn Agreements. Parliamentary elections held that Sunday were hailed as a success. The Joint Electoral Management Body (JEMB) has announced the official start of the next phase -- counting the votes in the parliamentary and... MORE
ELECTION FEVER HITS AFGHANISTAN AHEAD OF PARLIAMENTARY VOTE
Afghanistan is set to hold parliamentary elections on Sunday, September 18. In the final days of the campaign, hopes and difficulties abound. The hopes stem from the fact that people see the elections as a positive step towards democracy. The difficulties arise from the lack... MORE
Afghan Parliamentary Elections: Immense Challenges Amidst a Renewed Taliban Insurgency
Afghanistan’s parliamentary and provincial elections, scheduled for September 18, are unlikely to alleviate the country’s worsening problems. In a sign that the elections might in fact worsen the growing Taliban insurgency, a bomb attack on a police bus in Kandahar, on the first day of... MORE