[AfghanDigest] LAST 24 HOURS
- PAKISTAN ROUNDS UP AFGHANS AT TORKHAM – As many as 22 Afghanistan nationals were reportedly arrested in a security sweep by Pakistani police on Saturday in and around Torkham pass. A Police spokesman cautioned the raids were conducted to break up a reputed criminal network that had been stealing goods from the many transport trucks for many months. The raids were not intended to target legitimate refugees. All 22 of the people arrested reportedly lacked any official documents justifying their presence in Pakistan and will be arraigned today in court on charges of criminality.
- AFGHANISTAN DIPLOMATIC WOES IN INDIA – A diplomatic drama is playing out in New Delhi as the Afghan Embassy is dealing with simultaneous charges of corruption and a mutiny among the Embassy staff who refuse to recognize the Taliban’s appointed envoy to the country. The Embassy has been administered by personnel who were appointed prior to the fall of the previous regime. Charges of corruption stem from rumors that the Ambassador and select other senior officers of the diplomatic post have rented facilities to Indian companies in order to line their own pockets. The Taliban have appointed their own envoy (chosen from among the existing staff) and have issued a letter to the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs informing them of their decision. The staff have expressed reservations about the Taliban’s choice to lead the Embassy and have refused to recognize him as the Charge d’Affaires. The government of India has yet to make an announcement about the situation but is likely to follow the examples of other nations and will recognize the Taliban’s choice. The drama is playing out as the serving Afghan Ambassador is in London.
- KHAN STIRS UP TROUBLE WITH SERIES OF TWEETS – The former Prime Minister took to Twitter to claim that a Pakistani Army plot to arrest his wife was in the works and that both he and his wife may soon be arrested again on charges of sedition. He went on to say that he had reliable information suggesting the Pakistani Army intended to ban the PTI soon.
- PAKISTAN’S PASHTUNS CONSIDERING OPTION TO PROTEST ARMY OCCUPATION OF THEIR LANDS IN SOUTH WAZIRISTAN – The head of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement, Manzoor Pashteen, has stated that a meeting with heads of Pashtun communities across Western Pakistan has resulted in a plan to launch demonstrations to protest the occupation of their ancestral land. According to a news outlet that reportedly attended the meetings, the Pashtun organization intended to block roads in and around the towns and cities in the Province until their demands for the Pakistani Army to leave the areas are met.
CONFLICT TRACKER
Nimroz: A clash took place between Iranian and Taliban border forces that may have involved human smugglers on Sunday. 1 Iranian border guard and 1 adult non-combatant (presumed to be Afghan) were killed and 1 child (also presumed to be Afghan) was injured in the fighting that took place. No additional violence had been reported as of Sunday night.
NEXT 24 HOURS
PRIME MINISTER KHAN DUE BACK IN COURT – The former PM is due in court in Lahore today and a consortium of political parties led by the Pakistan Democratic Movement announced they would protest outside of the Supreme Court over favoritism shown by the court to the ousted leader. The group represents the largest bloc of coalition partners for the government and many are critical that they will receive similar treatment from the Army and Police as the PTI protestors did last week. The current regime has asked the organizers to choose another venue and is loathe to show support for the protests for fear of being labeled hypocrites. If the former PM and/or his spouse are arrested today, PTI followers may take to the streets again. Based on a discussion with several sources in Islamabad, we do not assess a significant threat of violence from the planned Red Zone protests downtown exists. Regardless, at-risk Afghans should continue to conduct their affairs with the knowledge that the situation could rapidly change.
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