ISLAMABAD: According to a report published by The Washington Post, Pakistan and Afghanistan appear to be heading toward a new wave of military confrontation.
The U.S. newspaper, citing recent updates from Asia alongside coverage of the wars in Ukraine and Africa, states that India’s increasing diplomatic and political engagement with the Taliban has further heightened tensions between Islamabad and Kabul.
Analysts noted that both countries seem to be moving toward renewed military hostilities. The recent airstrike in eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, which left several people dead—including nine children—has added to the worsening situation. Grieving families were seen burying their loved ones after the attack.
The report adds that rapidly shifting dynamics in the region have complicated border security and intensified a fresh struggle for influence among regional powers.
Afghanistan continues to rank among the world’s major opium-producing countries, according to new findings released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
According to the UNODC’s 2025 assessment, opium cultivation covered 10,200 hectares in Afghanistan. The report notes a 19% increase in cultivation in 2024 compared to the previous year, followed by a 20% decline in 2025.
The report highlights rising opium cultivation in the provinces of Zabul, Kunar, and Takhar, although widespread drought has caused significant damage to crops in several regions.
Despite the fluctuations, the UNODC states that Afghanistan’s existing opium stockpiles are sufficient to meet global demand in 2026.
In 2025, Afghanistan produced 296 tons of opium, with prices averaging USD 570 per kilogram, the report adds.
The UNODC also warns of a sharp rise in the production of synthetic drugs—particularly methamphetamine (ice)—in Afghanistan, noting that criminal networks increasingly prefer synthetic drugs due to easier production and smuggling routes.
KABUL: A powerful earthquake jolted Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush region late Monday night, with tremors felt across several cities including Mazar-e-Sharif, causing panic among residents and significant structural damage.
According to international news agencies, at least seven people were killed and 150 injured in various incidents linked to the quake. Officials have warned that the death toll may rise as rescue operations continue.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported that the earthquake measured 6.3 in magnitude at a depth of 28 kilometers, with its epicenter located about 22 kilometers southwest of Khulm district in Samangan province.
Residents of Mazar-e-Sharif described scenes of fear and chaos as people rushed out of their homes in the middle of the night, fearing building collapses, AFP reported.
Tremors were also felt in Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Iran, according to regional reports.
It is worth noting that Afghanistan has faced several devastating earthquakes in recent years. On August 31, 2025, a 6.0 magnitude quake killed more than 2,000 people, while in 2023, a series of 6.3 magnitude quakes and aftershocks claimed at least 4,000 lives.
ISTANBUL: Pakistan has agreed to reopen dialogue with Afghanistan in an effort to revive stalled peace talks, diplomatic sources revealed on Thursday.
According to diplomatic sources, the Pakistani delegation was scheduled to return home today after earlier negotiations with Afghan representatives failed to yield results. However, Turkish officials requested the delegation to stay in Istanbul.
Sources added that Afghan authorities also made diplomatic contacts regarding the stalled dialogue, leading both sides to agree on reviving bilateral talks.
According to diplomatic sources, Turkey is keen to ensure that the ongoing Pakistan-Afghanistan talks under its mediation yield positive and lasting results.
Sources said the Pakistani delegation, which was earlier set to return home, will now extend its stay in Istanbul to resume dialogue and give peace another chance.
The negotiations, sources added, will primarily focus on Pakistan’s core demand that Afghanistan take clear, verifiable, and effective action against terrorist elements operating from its soil.
Pakistan has once again emphasized that Afghan territory must not be used for activities against Pakistan, sources confirmed.
The delegation participating in the renewed talks comprises the same officials who took part in the earlier round of discussions with Afghan counterparts.
Earlier, Federal Information Minister Atta Tarar had announced that the previous round of talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan in Istanbul had ended without success.
On October 19, Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Pakistan and Afghanistan had agreed to an immediate ceasefire, which was later extended by mutual consent.
Afghanistan’s Taliban government has accused Pakistan of launching twin drone strikes on Kabul’s outskirts, killing at least 12 civilians and wounding dozens more in what they term a “cowardly act of aggression.”
The attacks, which struck a bustling marketplace and a residential compound in the Logar province border area, have plunged already frayed bilateral ties into crisis mode, with Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid vowing “severe repercussions” unless Islamabad apologizes and compensates victims.
Eyewitness accounts describe low-flying unmanned aerial vehicles—reminiscent of U.S. Predator drones used in past counter-terror ops—unleashing precision-guided missiles around dawn. “The sky lit up like fireworks from hell; children were playing outside,” recounted survivor Fatima Khan, whose home was reduced to rubble. Afghan state media aired footage of smoldering craters and grieving families, amplifying calls for an emergency UN Security Council session to condemn the “violation of sovereignty.” Mujahid, in a fiery address from the Arg Palace, linked the strikes to Pakistan’s hunt for Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants, claiming the targets were innocent Pashtun traders, not insurgents.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office swiftly rebutted the allegations, labeling them “baseless propaganda” orchestrated by the Taliban to deflect from their sheltering of TTP operatives. “Our forces operate solely within our borders against threats to national security,” a spokesperson insisted, referencing last week’s suicide bombing that claimed seven Pakistani soldiers. Yet, independent analysts, including the International Crisis Group, point to mounting evidence: Satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies shows unusual drone activity near the Durand Line, corroborating Afghan radar logs.
This aerial incursion follows Pakistan’s ground incursions into Khost and Paktika, where TTP leader Noor Wali Mehsud allegedly evaded capture. With the porous 2,640-km border a hotbed for smuggling and skirmishes, experts fear a tit-for-tat cycle could draw in regional powers. China, via its Kabul embassy, urged restraint to protect Belt and Road investments, while India watched warily, offering humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.
As Taliban militias mobilize along the frontier and Pakistan deploys additional troops, diplomatic channels—mediated by Qatar—face their sternest test. The UN’s special envoy for Afghanistan warned of “humanitarian catastrophe” if escalation persists, echoing global jitters over South Asia’s nuclear-armed neighbors. In Kabul’s streets, anti-Pakistan graffiti proliferates, signaling a rift that parole offers from Imran Khan may struggle to mend.
