Latest Articles about South Asia
TECHNICAL, SECURITY, AND FUNDING WOES DELAY AFGHANISTAN ELECTIONS
Afghanistan's parliamentary elections have once again been postponed. According to the 2001 Bonn Accords, the elections were scheduled to be held concurrently with the presidential polls in June 2004. When the presidential election was moved to October 2004, the parliamentary vote was slated for April... MORE
Technical, Security and Funding Woes Delay Afghanistan Elections
Afghanistan's parliamentary elections have once again been postponed. According to the 2001 Bonn Accords, the elections were scheduled to be held concurrently with the presidential polls in June 2004. When the presidential election was moved to October 2004, the parliamentary vote was slated for April... MORE
AFGHAN GOVERNMENT MOVES TO NEUTRALIZE KEY WARLORD
Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai has appointed General Abdur Rashid Dostum as his Chief of Staff for Military Affairs. The appointment is seen as appealing to ethnic Uzbek demands to have a stronger say in the government. General Dostum was previously military advisor to the president... MORE
NEW ROUND OF DIPLOMACY SEEKS TO ADVANCE SOUTH ASIAN PIPELINE PROJECTS
On February 23 President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan arrived in New Delhi for talks with Indian officials. At the same time, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz was visiting Tehran. Among the topics of discussions in both capitals are two gas pipelines: The first one, known... MORE
BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY VISITS KABUL TO DISCUSS ANTI-NARCOTICS EFFORTS
Afghanistan remains the world's number one supplier of drugs, mainly opium. In 2001 it produced 600 tons of opium, now, post-Taliban, it produces more than 5,000 tons. Drug money constitutes more than 60% of the country's GNP. A recently announced government amnesty for major growers... MORE
AFGHANISTAN FACES ITS UGLY PAST
The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) presented its first report to President Hamid Karzai in a ceremony in Kabul on Saturday, January 29. The report, entitled "A Call for Justice," is a grim reminder of the abuses once committed by the country's so-called warlords... MORE
KARZAI’S NEW CABINET AND THE CHALLENGES AHEAD
Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai announced his new cabinet on December 23, almost 50 days after his election as president. His new roster reflects bold steps to exclude the powerful warlords from his government while also appointing new and hitherto unknown technocrats and professionals to the... MORE
KARZAI PLANS TO ABOLISH CONFLICT-LADEN PLANNING MINISTRY
On Monday December 13, Afghan Planning Minister Ramazan Bashardost tendered his resignation due to a controversy regarding his policies toward non-governmental organizations (NGOs). He is the second planning minister to resign in the past 10 months. His predecessor, Haji M. Mohaqqiq, resigned due to political... MORE
QUESTIONS OVER THE TALIBAN THREAT
The latest series of attacks in Afghanistan makes predicting the progress in the stabilization of the country a difficult call. The failure by the Taliban to disrupt the presidential elections on October 9 led to prognoses from both the Afghan government and the U.S. military... MORE
KARZAI MUST WALK A FINE LINE IN FORMING NEW CABINET
On October 9, Hamid Karzai became the first directly elected Afghan president, winning by more than 55% of the vote. Seven weeks later, he is still brooding over his cabinet. Speculations are rife about the people who may take the helms of the various ministries.... MORE