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Monday,31-August-2026
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The Afghan conundrum

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4 years ago

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After a relatively silent phase on Afghan situation, which was overtaken by the global geo-political concerns after the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, it was once again on top of the agenda of regional and global powers in Moscow, last week.

At the Moscow Conference on Afghanistan, representatives and officials from more than 14 countries exchanged views on the current situation in Afghanistan. The meeting was hosted by Russia and participants discussed the political, economic and humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.

The 10 countries, none of which was involved in military occupation of Afghanistan, were meeting after over a year in Moscow. The participants included representatives from India, Pakistan, Russia, China, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Representatives of Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Turkey were also present.

At the start of the conference special Russian envoy Zamir Kabulov stated that we have to provide a comprehensive solution to the Afghan economic issue. To achieve this, the main responsibility lies with the collective West. Those who drove the country for 20 years to the current deplorable state, as well as shamelessly continued economically suffocating the country by holding the frozen national assets of Afghanistan, are not ready to step in, an obvious reference to the US, which was not present at the conference.

Regional views
At the conference, the MEA’s Joint Secretary J.P. Singh, who called for joint work to ensure that the “voice” of the Afghans is not lost, represented India. We all need to work together to ensure that the voice and aspiration of Afghans is not lost and reassure them that we are standing with them at this difficult time, he said.

The Chinese special envoy on Afghan affairs, Yue Xiaoyong said that the US has shamelessly seized the $7 billion assets of Afghan Central Bank and suspended all development aid, unilaterally.

The Iran special envoy for Afghanistan, Hassan Kazimi Qomi, said that there will be a meeting of the regional foreign ministers in Tehran very soon to discuss Afghanistan’s economic woes.

Right from the beginning India’s view has been that of engaging with the Taliban. Though after making an initial foray by engaging in dialogue with the leadership in Doha, before the formation of the Islamic Emirate, it acted rather slowly afterwards. Yet, it remains firm that development and reconstruction of Afghanistan should be dealt with its regional neighbours and those countries, which in the past have played a factitious role in Afghanistan politics, should be kept away from it.

Meanwhile, the Islamic Emirate has made clear that meetings in which there is no representative from Kabul are not effective. The Afghan Foreign Ministry in a statement said that, “We want to underscore that Islamic Emirate, just as it fought against the 20-year occupation posing a direct threat to the security and stability of Afghanistan and the region, as an independent government will not allow any third country to place military facilities in Afghanistan. Similarly, we strongly urge other countries to not put their land and airspace at the disposal of other countries against Afghanistan,”

It also said that the interim Taliban regime is an “accountable government” and has taken “serious steps against antagonistic groups”.

Pakistan’s criticism
However, in an unusual move, Pakistan gave a damning assessment of the Afghan Taliban regime’s 16 months in power, saying the interim government has done little to form inclusive government, protect the rights of women and eradicate terrorist groups.

Pakistan’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Sadiq Khan, called for support for Afghans. The lack of progress, he noted, means that the critical support needed by Afghanistan to deal with the humanitarian and economic crises and other challenges has faltered.

Sadiq said the progress report of the last 16 months was mixed, while some of the worst fears, including a rapidly deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan, mass exodus of refugees and a prolonged period of instability and violence did not materialise, the interim Afghan government had also not made the kind of progress that the international community would ideally expected.

Despite assurances by the interim Afghan government, the rights of women and girls also appeared to have regressed, not progressed, according to the Pakistani envoy. He added that the footprint of terrorist organisations in Afghanistan, had yet to be fully eradicated.

He said that Pakistan has been the advocate of engaging with the Afghan Taliban government after the withdrawal of foreign forces. But the latest assessment suggests Islamabad is not happy with the interim government. Pakistan is increasingly frustrated over the Taliban’s lack of intent to eradicate threat posed by certain terror outfits to Pakistan.

But despite expressing strong reservations, Ambassador Sadiq made a passionate appeal for help to millions of Afghans, who he said, were in desperate need of urgent humanitarian support, including food, medicine and essential life supplies, before the advent of winter.

On top, he said, Afghanistan remained cut off from the international banking system and faces serious liquidity challenges. Billions of Afghan assets are frozen, thus deprived of being gainfully used for the benefit of the people of Afghanistan.

Though Pakistan wants to be a seen as an important and sincere player for the reconstruction of Afghanistan, yet there is a lot of bad blood between Pakistan and IEA. During the last 16 months, their forces have acted against each other on the border issue several times. Moreover, even the international comity does not seem ready to entrust Pakistan with any meaningful role in Afghanistan, which might be a replay of its earlier roles during the Soviet and American interference in the country.

In the given scenario, the Indian government should step up its diplomatic and outreach activities with the IEA and international players. India’s past role in Afghan affairs can’t be erased easily and now as the G20’s chair, India can definitely move forward in a resolute manner to start a meaningful and result-oriented outreach for Afghanistan.

Further IEA should be made a part of the consultative process of any future action on Afghanistan, as without their presence no one can guarantee the actions and provide legitimacy to any sincere intervention.

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Iran’s IRGC says it attacked US bases in Jordan in retaliation

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2 hours ago

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August 31, 2026

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Tehran, Aug 31: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Monday it had launched a combined missile and drone strike on US air bases in Jordan in retaliation for the US-Israeli aerial attacks on Iran’s Larak Island Sunday night.

The Iranian military targeted “technical and maintenance infrastructure,” as well as areas where “enemy fighter jets” were stationed at the King Hussein and Al-Azraq US bases in Jordan, inflicting heavy damage, Iran’s Fars news agency reported, citing an IRGC statement.

“Aggression and crimes will not solve the enemy’s desperation in attempting to weaken the Islamic Republic’s control over the Strait of Hormuz, and every attack will be met with even more devastating responses,” the statement said.

The reported attack followed a US strike on two IRGC rocket launchers on Larak Island, an Iranian island positioned near the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

US forces on Sunday struck two Iranian launchers on Larak Island, US Central Command spokesperson Tim Hawkins said, marking the first known US strike against Iran since late July.

“Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces were observed preparing to launch rockets with sea mines into Strait of Hormuz,” Hawkins said in a statement, adding that the US military was “monitoring the area closely and remains prepared to protect the free flow of commerce” through the strategic waterway.

Larak Island is a small Iranian island located off the coast of Bandar Abbas, east of Qeshm Island and south of Hormuz Island.

IRGC said multiple military personnel and civilians were killed or wounded Sunday night in a “US-Israeli” attack on Iran’s southern Larak Island in Hormozgan province, reports Xinhua news agency.

In a statement published by its official news outlet, Sepah News, the IRGC vowed that the attack would be met with “punishment for the aggressor.”

Citing unofficial reports, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency said that at least two people were killed and two others injured in what it described as a US “drone attack” on the island.

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Indian rescue teams step up search for people trapped in Nepal hydropower tunnels

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5 hours ago

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August 31, 2026

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Kathmandu, Aug 31: An Indian tunnel rescue team is continuing its search and rescue operations to save the lives of people trapped inside tunnels of different hydropower projects following the devastating floods in the Bhote Koshi River last week, the Indian Embassy said on Monday.

“The tunnel rescue team from India worked with the Nepali Army’s team to conduct search and rescue operations at hydropower tunnel sites in the Chilime and Langtang areas today,” the embassy said, adding that the team would continue search and rescue operations in close coordination with the Nepali Army.

According to the Independent Power Producers’ Association, Nepal (IPPAN), a representative association of private-sector power developers, a total of 897 people employed at 11 hydropower projects in the flood-affected districts of Rasuwa and Nuwakot have been out of contact.

According to Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), seven Indian and 15 Chinese nationals who were trapped in hydropower projects were rescued on Sunday.

At the request of the Nepali government, Indian and Chinese tunnel technicians arrived in Nepal and have been engaged in rescue efforts to evacuate people trapped inside hydropower tunnels.

On Sunday, the Indian team was involved in rescue efforts at different hydropower projects, according to statements from Nepali government authorities and IPPAN.

The Secretariat of the Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation said that the Indian team that arrived to assist with the rescue operation conducted an initial aerial reconnaissance of the Chilime and Langtang areas by helicopter and plans to undertake further rescue operations as required.

Prime Minister Balendra Shah said in a Facebook post late Sunday evening that an Indian team conducted reconnaissance at the Chilime Hydropower Project (22MW) in Rasuwa in coordination with the Nepal Army and carried out rescue efforts after taking pumps and excavators to the site.

However, the rescue operation at the Chilime project on Sunday was halted after another flood swept away structures that had survived the previous flood in the dam area, according to IPPAN.

“At the Langtang Khola Hydropower Project in Rasuwa, the Nepal Army conducted search-and-rescue patrols,” the Prime Minister said. “An Indian team has also conducted reconnaissance in coordination with the Nepal Army and has begun additional work after bringing pumps and excavators to the site.”

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In special gesture, Uzbekistan President Mirziyoyev receives PM Modi at Tashkent airport

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2 days ago

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August 29, 2026

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Tashkent, Aug 29: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Tashkent Saturday evening, kicking off his two-day State Visit to the Central Asian nation. In a special gesture, Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev received PM Modi at the airport, highlighting the friendship between both countries that has grown immensely over the last 12 years.

During his visit, PM Modi will hold delegation-level talks with President Mirziyoyev, advancing the shared developmental visions of Viksit Bharat 2047 and Uzbekistan-2030.

“In recent years, India-Uzbekistan Strategic Partnership has seen significant advancement. I look forward to my discussions with President Mirziyoyev on further deepening our cooperation in trade and investment, digital connectivity, defence, energy, and on advancing our shared visions of Viksit Bharat and Yangi Uzbekistan,” PM Modi said in his departure statement.

Prime Minister Modi said that he will also visit the Shastri Memorial and the Mahatma Gandhi Centre at the Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies, which he called “a tribute to the close cultural and people-to-people ties” that bind India and Uzbekistan together.

People of Uzbekistan have been eagerly looking forward to welcoming PM Modi in Tashkent and hope that his visit will add new momentum to the friendly ties between both countries.

“Welcome Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi. We Uzbek people are very happy to hear the news of your arrival. We wish that the friendly ties between the two countries keep on growing…..Jai Hind, Jai Bharat, Jai Uzbekistan,” an Uzbek woman said ahead of PM Modi’s arrival.

This will be PM Modi’s fourth visit to Uzbekistan. He had earlier visited Uzbekistan and other Central Asian countries in 2015, followed by visits in 2016 and 2022 to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summits.

India and Uzbekistan have maintained extensive and fruitful engagements both in bilateral and multilateral formats over the past many years. The Uzbek President visited India for a State Visit in 2018, and he also participated in the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit in 2019.

From Tashkent, PM Modi will travel to Bishkek at the invitation of Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Zhaparov to participate in the 26th SCO Summit, marking 25 years of the organisation.

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