” ”Volume No. 4366 Saturday January 18, 2020 Jadi 28, 1398 www.outlookafghanistan.net Price: 20/-Afs

Quote of the Day

Religion is essentially the art and the theory of the remaking of man.

Man is not a finished creation.

Edmund Burke

Religionwww.outlookafghanistan.net

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Add: In front of Habibia High School, District 3, Kabul, Afghanistan

U.S., Taliban Continue Meetings in Qatar on Joint Agreement

Govt Bodies Dispute Value of 2019 Afghan Exports

World Bank Vice President Visits Afghanistan, Reassures Continued Commitment

DOHA - A representative of the Taliban says a second day of meetings between the group and a U.S. negotiating team led by Zalmay Khalilzad has been held in Qatar.“Both negotiation teams also held productive talks yesterday & today. Talks will continue for several days & we shall share

KABUL - The National Statistics and Information Authority (NSIA) rejected a report by the Ministry Industry and Commerce that says Afghanistan’s exports jumped to $1 billion in 2019.An NSIA report shows that exports for nine months of 2019--the full-year assessment is not yet complete--were worth at least $535 million.Afghanistan’s main exports, accord-ing to officials, are fresh and dry fruits, vegetables, carpets and some semi-precious stones.But the Ministry of Industry and Commerce publicly announced a different figure:“Afghanistan’s exports, for the first time, reached $1 billion in 2019, and I congratulate the people and inves-tors of Afghanistan,” said Samir Rasa, a spokesman for the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, who

KABUL - The Afghan national U19 cricket team defeated South Africa by seven wickets in the opening match of the U19 Cricket World Cup on Friday. Afghanistan’s Imran Mir and Ibrahim Zadran played a key role in the match against the rival South African squad.South Africa set a target of 129 runs for Afghanistan by losing all wickets. But Afghanistan team chased the target by losing only three players in the 25th overs.The match summary: • South Africa win the toss and opts to bat first• Fazal Farooqi takes two wickets in the first three overs• Shafiq 6/15 helps Afghan-istan bowl South Africa out or 129• Imran, Ibrahim fifties help Afghanistan stroll to targetThe ICC U-19 World Cup is un-derway at the Diamond Oval in Kimberley, South Africa. (TOLO NEWS)

KABUL – Sediq Sediqqi, spokes-man for the president, has said any strategy with ceasefire at the center of it would be acceptable to the government and people of Afghanistan.He said this in a tweet here on Friday. “Peace remains basic pri-ority for the government, people and international partners of Af-ghanistan. To reach sustainable and dignified peace that remains demand of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the people, implementation of ceasefire is the only way and any strategy with ceasefire at the center of it would be acceptable to the government and people of Afghanistan”, he tweeted.Hours earlier, the Taliban’s Qatar office spokesman, Suhail Shaheen said in a series of tweet that Zal-may Khkalilzad, U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, has met the dep-uty head of the insurgents, Mul-lah Baradar in Doha, Qatar. He claimed the talks centered around the proposed signing of the draft peace agreement.Earlier this week, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, foreign minister of Pa-kistan, claimed the Taliban are ready for ‘reduction in violence’. However, Salam Rahimi, state minister for peace in Afghani-stan, clarified the Taliban need to ceasefire for the intra-Afghan talks. (SW)

KABUL - Transit trade between China and Afghanistan has be-gun with the inauguration of Gwadar Seaport on the southern coasts of Karachi, Pakistan, and with the arrival of the first transit trade ship from China.The Embassy Pakistan in Kabul says that the commercial goods will be transited from the Gwadar Seaport to Chaman port in Kan-dahar, with a distance of 1,000 km.Based on the Pakistani embas-sy’s statement, this would be the shortest distance in the region for the Afghan Transit goods from any seaport to the Afghan Cities including Kabul and Kandahar.The Pakistani Embassy said that the functioning of Gwadar Sea-port would cut down the costs of import to Afghanistan.On the other hand, the Chinese Embassy in Kabul said in a tweet that the Transit Trade between China and Afghanistan has start-ed with the arrival of a trade ship from China to Gwadar Seaport.Gwadar Seaport has been built on the southern coasts of Kara-chi, Pakistan, situated close to the southern provinces of Afghani-stan. (ATN)

LONDON - Senior officials from Afghanistan, Canada, Ukraine, Sweden and the UK met in Lon-don on Thursday to discuss the urgency of support for the families of those affected in the Ukrainian airliner crash in Teh-ran on January 8 in which all 176 people on board were killed.The response group for the fami-lies of victims of flight PS752 agreed to a framework for coop-eration with Iran in response to this tragedy to provide account-ability, transparency and justice for the families and loved ones of all the victims, the Afghan Min-istry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.According to the statement, the framework is centered on the five following elements:Full and unhindered access to and within Iran to provide consu-lar services.According to the Afghan govern-ment, 13 Afghan nationals are among those killed in the airliner crash. (TOLO NEWS)

information about it at various intervals,” Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said in a post on Twitter on January 17.Shaheen added that the talks had been “useful” and that the sides are discussing the sign-ing of a joint agreement and a related ceremony. He did not elaborate.

addressed a press conference in Ka-bul on Thursday, Jan. 16.Answering critics of the ministry, the acting head of trade and tran-

sits agreements department of the Ministry of Industry and Com-merce, Murtaza Rahimi, said: “All appointments over the last year in

the Ministry of Industry and Com-merce have been based on civil ser-vices law of Afghanistan.” (TOLO NEWS)

Afghan U19 Cricket Team Defeats South Africa by 7 Wickets

‘Any Strategy with Ceasefire at the Center Acceptable’

Afghan-China Transit Trade Embarks Through Gwadar Seaport

Countries Affected by Jet Crash Call for Transparency

There was no immediate com-ment from U.S. officials, but Reuters quoted two unnamed sources as saying the Taliban will implement a 10-day cease-fire with U.S. troops, a reduction in violence with Afghan forces, and discussions with Afghan government officials if it reaches a deal with U.S. negotiators in

KABUL - World Bank Vice Presi-dent for the South Asia Region, Hartwig Schafer, today conclud-ed his th-three-day visit to Af-ghanistan to discuss the country’s current economic developments and growth trajectory, and to re-confirm the World Bank’s com-mitment to support the country on its path to self-reliance.During the visit, Schafer met with President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, Acting Finance Minis-ter Mohammad Humayon Qay-oumi, and representatives of Af-ghanistan’s international partner organizations.Schafer also explored ways in which the government could maintain the current develop-

talks in Doha.Analysts say that if an agree-ment is clinched, it could revive hopes for a long-term solution to the conflict in Afghanistan.U.S. forces have been in Afghan-istan since their 2001 invasion to drive out the Taliban following the September 11 terror attacks in the United States. (Gandhara)

ment trend and service delivery after a possible political settle-ment.“At this critical juncture in its political history, more than ever Afghanistan needs continued ser-vice delivery by the government, economic growth, and job crea-tion to consolidate and sustain a potential political settlement,” said Schafer. “I renew the World Bank’s commitment to stand with the Afghan people in their efforts to achieve economic growth and self-reliance, and we will work with the international community to ensure financial support to the country.”In his meeting with Afghanistan’s international partners, Schafer discussed future financing of

the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF) and prepa-rations for the next Afghanistan

ministerial conference where the Afghan government and its part-ners ...( More on P4)...(1)

ZABUL - At least five employees of the Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS), Afghanistan’s largest power distribution com-pany, were killed in a roadside mine blast in Zabul province on Thursday, officials said.One other was wounded in the blast, according to officials.The provincial governor’s spokesman Gulsalam Siyal

KABUL - Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday said that the Afghan government failed to assess some cases of human rights violations, and failed to arrest the alleged perpetrators of those violations.HRW pointed to the failure to arrest Karimuddin Karim, a former football federation head accused of sexual abuse, and perpetrators of the Logar sexual abuse case, as indicators of im-potence of the justice organiza-tions to stand up against power-ful men.Patricia Grossman, director of HRW in Asia, said “two cases in 2019 exemplify a continu-ing failure by the government of Afghanistan to hold power-ful individuals accountable for serious crimes. The first is that Karimuddin Karim, the former president of the Afghan Foot-ball Federation” was not held accountable, “despite having

some cases: The documents seen by TOLO-news show that the AGO has banned Mohammad Jawad

been indicted by the Attorney General`s Office for multiple counts of sexual assault.”The AGO doesn’t comment on

Peikar, acting Minister of Ur-ban Development and Land (MUDL), from leaving the coun-try. ...( More on P4)...(5)

TIRINKOT - The Interior Ministry has fired Uruzgan police chief Brig. Gen. Khitab Khanjari, an official said on Friday.Khanjari’s sacking came two weeks after district police chiefs accused him of seeking hundreds of thou-sands of afghanis every month from them.At a recent meeting, thedistrict po-lice heads also blamed their boss for being involved in other forms of corruption, including taking money from police salaries.A government official based in Uruzgan confided to Pajhwok Af-ghan News that Khanjari had been

LOGAR - According to the secu-rity sources at least 8 Taliban mil-itants have been killed in Afghan military operations on Thursday.The Afghan special security forc-es conducted a rain in Charkh district of Logar province, kill-ing two Taliban fighters, detain-ing two and destroying a small weapons cache, MOD confirmed in a statement.The statement published by the Afghan Ministry of Defense also said about an airstrike in the Nahr-e-Saraj district in southern Helmand province which has killed at least six Taliban fighters.

HERAT - Mawlawi Mujibur Rahman Ansari, head of Her-at’s Gazargah mosque, on Thursday defended his move to put up billboards insisting that women wear hijabs--head scarves-- and his creation of the center of “Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.” Ansari’s installation of the pro-Hijab banners sparked an out-cry on social media with many calling the controversial move “extremist” and “misogynist.”Ansari also confirmed that the center for “Propagation of Vir-tue and the Prevention of Vice” was established 20 days ago and all banners were installed in Herat by the same center.Female journalists were not al-lowed to cover his press confer-ence.“The reasons that today we asked our sisters not to attend the conference is that we want them to work on those areas that are in compliance with the Islamic laws, because we are here to defend their honor and dignity, not to harm their dig-

nity and prestige,” said Ansari. Journalist community reacts:“This goes to his (Ansari’s) per-sonal ideas, I think there are no restrictions for women to cover the programs,” said Masooma Haidari, a local journalist in Herat.“This is an insult to female journalists who dress proper-ly--they (female journalists) never wore dresses that are in contrast to the Islamic laws,” said Atifa Ghafoorzai, a female journalist.“It is good that our respected scholars come up with their narratives that have been as-signed to them by Islam, but they should manage all these in cooperation with the govern-ment’s legal and judicial insti-tutions,” said Monisa Hassan, the deputy of Herat’s governor.Local officials in Herat, includ-ing officials from the depart-ment of pilgrimage, have said that Islam strongly values and supports women and that no authority is allowed to imple-ment the laws on their own. (TOLO NEWS)

removed as provincial chief and summoned to Kabul.Col. Sardar Mohammad Haya, who has been appointed as acting police head, confirmed the Interior Ministry had summoned Khanjari to Kabul.“But I don’t why the ministry has summoned Uruzgan police chief to Kabul or whether he has been referred to prosecutors,” he added.Pajhwok has also received a copy of the letter from the Interior Min-istry, directing Khanjari to come to Kabuland appointing Haya as act-ing police chief for Uruzgan. (Pajh-wok)

The Taliban office has not yet commented about their casual-ties in Logar and Helmand prov-inces.This comes as there will be a 10-day brief ceasefire between the Taliban fighters and Afghanistan National Army before signing a peace deal between the United States and the Taliban.Suhail Shaheen, a Taliban spokesperson said in a tweet ear-ly Friday morning that they have discussed ‘signing a peace deal’ with the US envoy Zalmay Khal-ilzad on Thursday. (KHAAMA PRESS)

HRW: Afghan Govt Failed to Pursue Human Rights Violation Cases

Five DABS Employees Killed in Zabul Blast

Uruzgan Police Chief Sacked, Summoned to Kabul

Afghan Military Operations Kill 8 Taliban Militants

Herat Cleric Defends Provocative Hijab-Wearing

Campaign

Jan 18, 2020 - Recent career advances may have you wondering where to go next. You could be considering taking some time off to travel or perhaps advance your educa-tion. You aren’t likely to want to rest on your laurels, Leo. Striving to reach new ho-

rizons is important to you, and today is the perfect day to consider what horizons are the most critical to you now. Nonetheless, it’s important to be sure.

Jan 18, 2020 - Your life circumstances may have altered so much in the past few months that you could be in an entirely different space than ever before, Taurus. Success and good fortune have increased your self-image, and business and money

matters should be going well. Today you should pause to take some time to assess your situation and decide in which direction you want to go.

Jan 18, 2020 - You may have preferred not to acknowledge your own psychic abilities in the past, Gemini, but today they could prove impossible to ignore. Visions, premonitions, and telepathic messages from others could pop into

your mind all day. This shouldn’t be treated as some-thing strange, but rather you should regard it as a source of inner power. Abilities like this increase your understanding of others as well as yourself.

Down

Across Yesterday’s Solution

1. Travelled through water, 2. Of higher order, 3. Nobleman, 4. 57 in Roman numerals, 5. Inclines, 6. Servants, 7. Supervise, 8. A temple (archaic), 9. A light brief snowfall, 10. Bruise, 11. Scoff at, 12. A long narrow estuary 13. Muscle contraction, 21. Exotic jelly flavor, 25. Crones, 26. District, 27. Small brook, 28. Chilled, 29. Pervert, 34. Complete-ness, 36. Forearm bone, 37. Lady’s escort, 38. To be, in old Rome, 40. Angers, 42. Put up with, 45. Strained, 48. A type of bivalve, 51. Grouches, 52. Greetings, 53. Keen, 55. Demolish, 58. Cab, 59. Countertenor, 60. Knights, 61. Double-reed woodwind, 62. Bites

1. Aroma, 6. Remove, as a hat, 10. F F F F, 14. Interlace, 15. Egg-shaped, 16. Paper holder17. Courtyards, 18. List of options, 19. Child of Zeus and Demeter, 20. Slacker, 22. Shacks23. Figure (out), 24. Beat, 26. Dry, 30. Consumed food, 31. Sweet potato, 32. Type of cereal grass, 33. Opinion, 35. Edge tool, 39. Melancholy, 41. Bothers, 43. Birch relative44. Untidy one, 46. Hotels, 47. Prefix meaning “Modern”, 49. Former boxing champ, 50. Satisfy, 51. Chintzy, 54. What we sleep on, 56. Back, 57. A type of craftsman, 63. Seaweed64. Container weight, 65. Refuge, 66. Decay from overripening, 67. Former spouses, 68. Razor sharpener, 69. Achy, 70. Purges, 71. Flexible tubes

Outlook Horoscope

Pisces (Feb.19-Mar.20)

Aquarius (Jan 20-Feb.18)

Capricorn (Dec.21-Jan19)

Scorpio (Oct.23-Nov.22)

Libra (Sep 23-Oct. 22)Cancer (June 21-July 20)

Sagittarius (Nov.23-Dec.20)

Leo (July 21-Aug. 21)Taurus (Apr.21-May 20)

Aries (Mar. 22-Apr.20)

Gemini (May 21-June 20) Virgo (Aug. 22-Sep 22 )

Jan 18, 2020 - Discussions with others could result in new plans and opportuni-ties for advancing yourself on any level you wish: career, financial, or social. In-ner resources may come to light that you might not have been aware of before. You

could also decide to make use of creative abilities that have lain fallow for a while. Give some careful thought to the next couple of months, Aries.

Jan 18, 2020 - The recent completion of one or more long-term goals may cause you to pause today and consider what you’re going to aim for next. Don’t be afraid to be more ambitious than before, Cancer, be-

cause you’ve acquired an inner power that gives you more confidence and a stronger belief in yourself. It is belief in our own self-worth that gives us the power to move mountains.

Jan 18, 2020 - Today you might turn your attention toward discovering new ways to advance yourself financially, Li-bra. You’re likely to be more aware than usual of your inner power. Reading about

various possibilities could be enlightening, especially as you’re feeling particularly capable today and therefore more likely to be able to zero in on whatever method is best for you.

Jan 18, 2020 - Today you could enter a new ro-mantic relationship, Capricorn, or you could experience a new sense of unity and com-mitment within an existing one. Whichever

it is, the relationship might become very intense, so be sure that you and your partner make the effort to give each other plenty of space. Powerful bonds can lead to great strength as a couple, but they can also bind and constrict if each party isn’t allowed to grow and develop as an individual.

Jan 18, 2020 - Events both in your per-sonal and public arenas could give you a new and unexpected sense of power over your own destiny, Scorpio. Per-haps hard work has paid off in career

and financial advancement. Support and encourage-ment from friends and family are likely to spur you on to further accomplishments, particularly in areas requiring leadership.

Jan 18, 2020 - Today you’re likely to be feeling especially fit and healthy and able to take on the most monumental of tasks, Aquarius. Therefore, you could well de-cide to clean out the basement or tear all the

weeds out of the backyard. Take care to pace yourself! These things need to be done, but not all at once. It’s just as important for you to enjoy yourself as to spend the whole day working.

Jan 18, 2020 - An intense conversation with a close friend or romantic partner could bring you closer to this person. You probably share a number of goals,

Pisces, and discussions could lead to how you could work together in order to make them happen for both of you. You’re more likely to take the lead, however, since your communicative abilities are particularly high right now. Put your heads together and move forward! Enjoy!

Jan 18, 2020 - A new and highly compelling interest may have captured your imagina-tion. You could find it difficult to think of much else, Virgo, and so it might be a good

idea to try to find the most beneficial ways to pursue this subject. Your abilities for in-depth study are en-hanced by intuition, so reading could well prove es-pecially beneficial right now. Classes and workshops could give you assistance as well as information. Find what works best for you!

Jan 18, 2020 - Visitors in the home could share stories of strange experiences of some sort, perhaps intense and vivid

dreams, visions, or maybe premonitions that have come true. This could spark some deep thought, Sag-ittarius, causing you to reflect on similar experiences of your own. It might be a good idea for you and your friends to attend some classes or workshops on psy-chic development.

after attempt bonus broomdiscreet eager fixate focusgenerosity hidden intro-duction light listen loose mere money more movienest noose novel partnerpine prime quiet robot scheme taken truth villainvulnerable whole woman

said the blast occurred this af-ternoon around 12:00 pm lo-cal time when the company employees’ vehicle was hit by roadside mine in Zeyarat area of Shahr-e-Safa district.The company also confirmed the casualties.So far no group has claimed responsibility for the incident. (TOLO NEWS)

Main News PageJanuary 18, 20202

In the Name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Kind

January 18, 2020

Citizens Concerned about

Rising Crime

There is almost no one who has not fallen victim to street crime in large cities, mainly in Kabul. The crime rate has increased to a great extent in Kabul City and citizens fear

being mugged while walking on the streets in broad daylight. The criminal activities in Kabul include theft, robbery, bur-glary, mugging, and murder. A number of people are mugged in Kabul streets on day-to-day basis and the muggers escape easily. Many of the criminals carry pistols and knives and simply hurt their victims who re-sist against them. Some victims are reported dead and wound-ed while resisting to keep their properties. Snatching mobile phones and women’s purses is very common on the streets. For example, few months back, my sister and I were walking in a busy street of Kabul, two motorcyclists snatched her purse while passing us. We could do nothing. Darkness in streets, as a result of lack of electric power, has made people more vulnerable to street crimes and mugging. Criminals extort citizens’ money and properties at gunpoint in dark streets. Kabul streets are filled with fear in the wake of criminal activi-ties and citizens have no mental piece. Ugly reports about rob-bery and mugging compound the public anxiety and fill the air with more worries and chagrin. It is believed that the increasing rate of unemployment is one of the main factors behind the criminal activities in large cities. On the one hand, a large number of Afghan youths are unem-ployed, on the other hand, the expanses are very high and there is no control on market price. The two issues contribute to the rise of criminal activities. Apart from criminal activities in large cities, Kabul streets are bursting with male and female beggars who are trembling from dawn to dusk to survive starvation and cold weather with char-ity. A number of children sit in humid streets and implore the passersby to hand them a penny. It suggests the poor condi-tions of people’s life. Now that you are reading this article, a large number of people suffer from starvation and cold weath-er in every nook and cranny of Kabul city, to not mention other parts of the country. At the very moment, scores of widows are moaning in Kabul downtown and streets so that a passerby will sympathize them by giving a small penny. Meanwhile, a number of children are involved in backbreaking labors to make the ends meet. The poverty rate seems to be ris-ing with the unemployment. Worst of all, citizens believe that some policemen have hand in glove with the criminals since they are not very serious in crime prevention. It goes without saying that corruption is still prevalent in the country and some policemen are most likely to release the criminals after taking bribe. That is, the high cor-ruption rate slows down implementation of law. If law is not implemented, the graph of street crime will rise. In short, cor-ruption and lack of law enforcement are conducive to rising crime. The government has to prevent crime through mitigating cor-ruption within its machinery and punish those government staff and police officers who are involved in corruption. Offi-cials have to think of a better strategy to curb the corruption so that it could lead to the prevention of street crime. If law-enforcers are engaged in corruption, who will be there to pre-vent the crime? This is one of the main concerns of the citizens.Enforcing law is effective but will not be the only solution to the problem. In addition to tracking the criminals and treating them strictly on the basis of law, the government has to create job for the citizens and improve the standard of living. In other words, if the government does not adopt a project for alleviat-ing poverty, mitigating crime will be highly difficult. Thus, to deal with the root of criminal activities, the government needs to reduce poverty. Moreover, the government needs to invest on electric power and install more lights on the streets to reduce the crime rate. What is more, the government has to increase the salary of police officers, perhaps through collecting the taxes of mobile phone’s credit cards, to reduce corruption within the police ranks. Officials have to pay serious attention to the public concern through curbing the rising crime. Criminals have to be pros-ecuted and those who are behind them to run groups for orga-nized crime have to be recognized and punished. If the crime is not mitigated, mistrust between citizens and officials will grow and people will react strongly against the government’s inat-tention to the crime and corruption.

Chairman / Editor-in-Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Vice Chairman / Exec. Editor: Moh. Sakhi Rezaie

Email: outlookafghanistan@gmail.comPhone: 0093 (799) 005019/777-005019

www.outlookafghanistan.net

The very simple definition of unity is act of joining together and living together under a nondiscriminatory political sys-tem in order to achieve national goals. Usually, the political

systems, educational system, media, elites and more importantly the type of world view play important role in unity of a nation. National unity is extremely required for leading the nation towards its progress and prosperity. Unity promotes cooperation and opens opportunity to excellence. In fact, it was the power of unity that changed the destiny of many war-torn countries both in eastern, western and also European countries. In multi-ethnic countries like Afghanistan, identity disputes are a reality and the creation of na-tional unity is a necessity whereas the issue of identity also can-not be denied nor forgotten. Without national unity, reaching to the common interests would not be possible, and without common interests, it would not be possible to reach peace, prosperity and political development in the country.Unquestionably, no one doubt about constructive role of unity but reaching to deep oneness and coexistence depends on our world view and psychological mentality. In the other words, the good-ness and badness of social and political phenomena depends on our mentality and interpretation from human life. If we provide a negative definition from the others, the consequence will also be negative. If we try to see the half empty of the glass, it will produce a very unpleasant result which already experienced in past history of Afghanistan. If we try to highlight the half-full of the glass, it will produce a very positive outcome which experimentally changed the destiny many world countries. Today, nearly 200 countries ex-ist in the world but only few of them belong to the same ethnic and religion group. More than 190 countries of the world have been formed from different ethnic and religious groups while they live peacefully because they changed their views and mentally about others. Based on coexistent attitude, there are enough opportuni-ties and resources on the earth and also in the country to feed all provided that we control our selfishness and greediness. But based on pessimistic attitude, might is right. Human is wolf of each and other. There is an endless war of all against all. If we have this kind of mentality from politics and political power, especially in domestic policies, we will face the fate of dinosaur which was ex-tinct due to incompatibility with natural environment. In clearer term, because of zero-sum game theories, the world has witnessed nearly 150 million causalities in last few centuries. On the contrary, it was the power of unity that changed the destiny of many war-torn countries both in eastern, western and also European coun-tries. This means, naturally human is not the wolf of human but our destructive views can actually make human wolf of human. There-

The views and opinions expressed in the articles are those of the authers and do not reflect the views or opinions of the Daily Outlook Afghanistan.

During the recent flare-up between the United States and Iran, US President Donald Trump tweeted that he was prepared to bomb “52 Iranian sites (representing the 52

American hostages taken by Iran many years ago).” Some of these targets, he added, would be “important to … the Iranian culture,” suggesting that he was willing to strike Iranian na-tional heritage sites.Trump’s tweet suggests that his entire Iran policy is rooted deep in the past, as if actions taken today represent a belated response to wounds inflicted long ago. If so, his administra-tion has something in common with the Iranian regime, which has long dwelled on the real and perceived wounds of bygone eras.After all, Iranians (and many others) point out ad nauseam that the US had a hand in the 1953 coup that deposed the demo-cratically elected prime minister, Mohammad Mosaddegh, and installed the regime of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, which itself was toppled in the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Likewise, Iranians note repeatedly that the US assisted Saddam Hussein during Iraq’s ruthless war against Iran in the 1980s.Listening to the litany of grievances on both sides, it is difficult to avoid the impression that both the US and Iran are hostages of history. Obsessed with the real or imagined injustices of the past, each finds it impossible to move forward. In Iran, the US is still the “Great Satan,” just as Iran remains the quintessential bête noire for many in the American foreign-policy establish-ment.Although there are real issues of contention between the two countries, the US-Iran conflict has long since broken the bounds of rationality. It persists because it serves domestic political interests in each country. Iranian hardliners benefit enormously from having such a visible enemy against which to mobilize. As tensions have escalated in recent years, their posi-tion has been strengthened. The regime has increasingly used the perceived US threat as a pretext to repress its own people, and to foment chaos across the region. For every voice in the US advocating regime change in Iran, there are Iranians seek-ing to defend the regime by any means necessary.Similarly, listening to some of the US pundit and political class, it sometimes sounds as if hostility toward Iran is a fun-damental American value. Whether their goal is regime change or something else, most in the US foreign-policy establishment claim to want Iran to become a “normal country.” But do Saudi

We Are As Strong As We Are United

Hostages of History

fore, the world can be likened to a piece of white paper whatever we design it will shape our physical world. According to this idea, Afghanistan should be considered like a whitepaper but it depends on us what we draw on it. In the past, the Afghan ethnic politicians had not left a good legacy and po-litical culture in the country. They used ethnic gaps as a political tool for reaching their individuals goals. They thought if the ethnic divisions are eliminated from the country, they would no longer be a leader. They concerned to lose many of the advantages which had received under name of ethnicity and so their personal inter-ests required highlighting ethnic issues in the country. Thus, there were some politicians who were worried about losing monopoly of power when the culture of meritocracy institutionalized in the country while the monopolistic policy has not benefited anyone in the country. All ethnic groups including Pashtun, Tajic, Hazaras, Uzabek and so on are extremely suffering from the consequences of domestic division in the country. The world experiences shows that the deep feeling of unity is not formed by motto or using good words; it must come out from na-tional will through creating good educational system, good politi-cal culture and good political system. So, we should note that uni-ty is beyond slogans or giving paternal advices! It is not achieved unless we truly believe in it and realize the common law that one should love his neighbor as himself. Promotion of this feeling is crucial to lead the nation or the world towards its progress, pros-perity and sincere brotherhood. It is the only way that increases trust, sympathy and general collaboration against social disorders or foreign aggressions. It gives people sense of security so as to know each other better and understand each other’s sensitivity. It can unite and promotes co-operation and opens opportunity to excellence. In short, we are as strong as we are united and as weak as we are divided. If we wish to rescue the country, we need to res-cue the national unity and it must be the main agenda of the gov-ernment, especially the country’s leaders. Various genuine mot-tos and practical strategies need to be organized for the purpose of fostering unity. In addition, it is the responsibility of religious scholar, ministry of culture and education to aware new genera-tion differentiates between general peaceful spirit of holy Quran and hatred interpretations imposed by extremists. We must accept the unity in diversity as one of the unbreakable principle in our so-cial and political platforms. People should be taught that religious faithwa (degree) is only issued by credible addresses under certain terms and conditions to prevent farther divisions.

Editorial and Opinions3

By: Carl Bildt Arabia, Israel, Turkey, and other US regional allies count as “normal countries”? And what about the US itself? American exceptionalism dictates that it is anything but “normal.”A more rational, objective approach is still possible. It might not seem like it now, but there is ample room for bilateral co-operation. Iran’s leaders have long insisted that the purpose of their country’s nuclear program is peaceful. But, given Iran’s past behavior, there clearly needs to be an intrusive system of international inspections in place before the world can have confidence in that claim. Picking up where the 2015 Joint Com-prehensive Plan of Action left off and negotiating such a sys-tem should not be seen as an impossible task.Moreover, both countries have a profound interest in main-taining stability in Iraq and Afghanistan. The US doesn’t want these countries to become Iranian satellites, and the Iranians don’t want them to serve as bases for aggression against Iran. These aims are not irreconcilable; in fact, proper diplomacy could achieve both sides’ primary objectives.The US and Iran also have a joint interest in developing a more robust security structure for the broader Gulf region. In recent months, Gulf countries have been calling for strategic de-esca-lation vis-à-vis Iran, with even Saudi Arabia expressing a de-sire for dialogue. There are some diplomatic initiatives already on the table, and negotiating a new regional agreement on bal-listic missiles could serve as a good starting point for ongoing engagement.More broadly, a gradual de-escalation of the conflict between the US, Iran, and their respective allies and proxies would al-low for all parties to focus more on their own priorities for the future. Iran, Saudi Arabia, and many other countries in the region clearly need to liberalize their respective economic and political systems, not least by introducing more protections for human rights. But this is unlikely to happen in a climate of confrontation. The longer the conflict continues, the less chance these countries will have to pursue constructive long-term reforms.And as long as both the US and Iran remain prisoners of their respective histories, regional stability will be at risk. The soon-er they can look to the future instead of the past, the better it will be for everyone. There is plenty of common ground for fruitful cooperation. Someone needs to step onto it and show that it isn’t mined.

By: Mohammad Zahir Akbari

Carl Bildt is a former prime minister and foreign minister of Sweden.

Mohammad Zahir Akbari is the permanent writer of the Daily Outlook Afghanistan. He can be reached at mohammadzahi-rakbari@gmail.com

December 19, 2019January 18, 20204 Al Jazeera.During his two-day visit, Xi is scheduled to meet President Win Myint, State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, and Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing in the capital Naypyidaw.When the National League of De-mocracy under Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi swept into power in 2015, there was an expectation around the world that it would mark a new age of human rights and democracy in a country that had spent decades under military rule.But despite the intense criticism by many Western countries on its handling of the Rohingya crisis, China has been able to rebuild its influence with its southern neigh-bour, analysts said.Sun said the fallout over the Ro-hingya crisis and Myanmar’s cur-rent isolation in the international community, had given China an opportunity to win Myanmar over through a “gesture of sup-port”.“The trip would not happen with-out the Chinese side being certain about the direction of the bilateral relations going in a positive direc-tion. In other words, the Chinese are confident that China has re-gained its damaged influence and repaired its tarnished image in the country,” Sun said. (aljazeera)(7) Putin’s, Xi’s ...human rights.Putin cast his constitutional change proposals as a way to strengthen parliament and bol-ster democracy. Kremlin critics described the proposed changes as an attempt by Putin to secure his rule for life. However, the suggested reform was so vague and far-reaching that there was hardly any public outrage about it.When Xi moved to remove term limits in March 2018, there was barely a murmur of dissent. The official explanation was that the office of head of state needed to align with those of the other top posts — party general secretary and chairman of the Central Mili-tary Commission. Other explana-tions aren’t discussed and even party-backed scholars say the is-sue is a taboo topic.Xi’s ending of term limits was seen as an attack on former leader Deng Xiaoping’s attempts to reg-ularize and institutionalize power following the cult of personality surrounding Mao Zedong and the political chaos of the 1966-76 Cul-tural Revolution. Xi further up-ended the thin precedents set in recent years by refusing to indi-cate a potential successor, leading to speculation he plans to contin-ue ruling well beyond his second five-year term.Putin, a former KGB officer, first took office in 2000 and secured popularity with promises of eco-nomic stability and ending the drawn-out wars with Chechnya, Russia’s troublesome region in the North Caucasus. He, too, ce-mented his rule by suppressing the opposition — through enforc-ing stricter control over the coun-try’s media and giving vast pow-ers to law enforcement and the security services. He has led Rus-sia for more than 20 years — the longest rule since Joseph Stalin.The Russian leader is also fre-quently biting in his comments about critics and the West — a task Xi leaves to underlings such

as Foreign Minister Wang Yi. (AP News) (8) US Admits 11 ...ed for concussion symptoms from the blast and are still being as-sessed.”He added some service members were taken to US facilities in Ger-many or Kuwait for “follow-on screening” as a cautionary mea-sure and would return “when deemed fit for duty”, in his state-ment released on Thursday. President Donald Trump said there were no attacks in an ad-dress to the nation in the morning following the attack.He said: “We suffered no casual-ties, all of our soldiers are safe, and only minimal damage was sustained at our military bases.”He renewed his call for US troops to leave Iraq and the wider Mid-dle East and said: “Resistance must continue until the region is completely freed from the en-emy’s tyranny.”In his sermon, he also accused Iran’s “enemies”, a term usually used to refer to the US and its al-lies, of using the accidental down-ing of Ukraine International Air-lines flight 752 to direct attention away from Soleimani’s death.It took days for Iranian forces to admit to the mistake, initially blaming it on technical failures, but the delay sparked protests across Iran. (Independent)(9) ‘We Don’t Have ...Washington’s unilateral pull-out from the nuclear pact signed with Iran and other world powers in 2015 – explicitly aiming to drive the country’s petrol exports down to “zero.” Since then, Washington has also sought to browbeat allies out of dealings with Iran, coerc-ing India last year to halt its im-ports of Iranian crude altogether. While Delhi caved to the pressure, Indian officials have expressed a desire to resume the previous ar-rangement, buying 300,000 bar-rels of Iranian oil per day.Barred from its first-best option, India was soon forced to boost imports of American crude to make up for shortfalls – a situa-tion that’s apparently worked out just fine for American oil firms, who are slated to make a killing off the captive market created by the US sanctions regime.That fact was not lost on Zarif, who said on Thursday that Wash-ington was looking to “increase the prices of oil and energy” for its own gain.“Now that the US is the biggest exporter of oil, they want to take the Iranian [market] share in Asia through the sale of their shale gas, which is much more expensive and much less reliable energy,” the FM observed. (RT)(10) ‘EBRD Appoints ... Küüsvek is a native of Estonia and graduated from the Stock-holm School of Economics.As Managing Director for Cen-tral Asia he is succeeding Bruno Balvanera, who will pursue new career opportunities outside the EBRD.The European Bank for Recon-struction and Development (EBRD) was founded in 1991 to create a new era in central and eastern Europe. The EBRD is owned by 69 countries, as well as the European Union and the Eu-ropean Investment Bank. (Trend)(11) Norway’s ...and charged with participating in a terrorist organization upon her

(1) World Bank ...will explore the future of inter-national support that fuels the country’s development. The con-ference will provide an opportu-nity for the Afghan government to engage with the international community and discuss future aid commitments to Afghanistan as existing pledges are due to ex-pire at the end of 2020.Although progress toward self-reliance is being achieved in Af-ghanistan with government rev-enues reaching $2.5 billion in 2018, Afghanistan will continue to depend on the international community’s financial support in the medium term before domes-tic revenues and private sector growth can finance more govern-ment expenditure.Over the coming years, the Af-ghan government will necessarily depend on aid grants to maintain the delivery of basic public ser-vices in key areas such as health and education, invest in the Af-ghan private sector that will en-able Afghanistan’s economy to grow faster and become less de-pendent on aid grants over time, and finance community programs and job creation schemes to help sustain and consolidate any pos-sible political settlement. (World Bank)(2) Govt Rejcts ...does “reduction in violence” mean?“When there is a reduction in op-erations--either in air or on land, this means ‘reduction in vio-lence,’” said Tamim Asey, the for-mer deputy minister of defense. Intra-Afghan talks within two weeks, any peace agreement be-tween the US and the Taliban Sources familiar with the US-Tal-iban talks in Doha have said that the US delegation will travel to Kabul once they receive the pro-posal for reduction in violence from the Taliban. In Kabul, the US delegation will hold talks with the Afghan politi-cal leaders. (TOLO NEWS)(3) President’s Authorities ...addressed the complaints and is receiving appeals. So far, it has received 1,600 appeals from three teams.According to ECC officials, most of the appeals are about decisions on votes recorded outside voting hours. (1TV NEWS)(4) Karzai to India ...breath, he called Pakistan Af-ghanistan’s brother.Pakistan and Iran are Afghani-stan’s most influential neigh-bours, according to the ex-president, who said the tense Delhi-Islamabad relationship had tremendously impacted his coun-try.“We want to be India’s best friends … but we will tell Pakistan that our friendship with India is not going to stop us from being the best brothers and friends with Pakistan. How to convey this is a very difficult task,” he remarked (Pajhwok)(5) HRW: Afghan ...But now the AGO has been si-lent about Peikar’s ban. “We are in an illegal and irre-sponsible situation. It is anar-chy,” said Gul Rahman Qazi, the former head of the commis-sion charged with overseeing the implementation of the Con-stitution. (TOLO NEWS)(6) China’s Xi

arrival.“We sincerely ask that all actors respect the absolute protection of the children,” the woman’s lawyer said in a statement to VG. “It is the mother and family’s urge that the children’s travel to, and meeting with Norway, take place as gen-tly and with dignity as possible. We will answer the questions the public is entitled to know about, but for the sake of the safety and need for the protection of the chil-dren, mother and other actors in-volved, we maintain that such a statement will only be given at a notified press conference after the mother and children are brought in protected environments on Norwegian soil.”But the move has sent shock-waves through Norway’s already fragile coalition government. The right-wing Progress Party, which takes a hardline stance on immi-gration, has opposed the repatria-tion of the woman but appears to have been overruled.“The government negotiated with a terrorist,“ Progress Party law-maker Roy Steffensen said. “The terrorist won.”It’s an issue that has also led to tensions between the U.S. and some of its European partners. In a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron last month, President Trump said that Euro-pean countries have not accepted enough ISIS fighters captured by the U.S.“Would you like some nice ISIS fighters? I can give them to you,” Trump said to Macron. “You can take everyone you want.” (Fox News)(12) Russia’s Foreign ...U.S. has stonewalled Russia’s push for extending the New Start nuclear arms treaty that expires in 2021. The agreement is the last U.S.-Russian arms control deal still in place, and Moscow has ar-gued that its demise will remove the final barrier stemming an arms race.“We will act strongly to avoid de-priving the world of agreements that control and limit nuclear weapons,” said Lavrov, who has was appointed foreign minister in 2004.“We stand for the extension of the New Start treaty without any preconditions,” he said. “I hope that the Americans hear us, but we haven’t received any coherent signals from them.”U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has pushed for China to join nuclear arms cuts, but Lavrov described the idea as unrealistic. He pointed at Bei-jing’s refusal to discuss reduc-tions in its nuclear arsenal, which is much smaller than those of the U.S. or Russia.Lavrov emphasized that the U.S. push for Russia to encourage China to change its mind doesn’t make sense. “We respect the Chi-nese position and we won’t per-suade China to change it,” he said.Turning to other issues, Lavrov criticized Britain, France and Ger-many for caving in to pressure from the U.S. over a nuclear deal with Iran.Earlier this week, the three coun-tries reluctantly triggered the accord’s dispute mechanism to force Iran into discussions over its violations, starting the clock on a process that could result in the “snapback” of U.N. and EU sanctions on Iran.He added even though Hifter re-

fused to sign the cease-fire docu-ment that was signed by Sarraj, the most important outcome of the talks was that the truce was still holding. (AP News) (13) One LPR Militiaman ...12 attacks on Ukrainian forces’ po-sitions near Travneve, Novotosh-kivske, Myronivsky, Luhanske, Novozvanivka, Orekhove, and Zaitseve on Thursday, killing a Ukrainian serviceman. (Interfax)(14) Japanese Minister ... said he hopes that his unprec-edented decision will pave the way for normalising the subject.“I hope we can create a society that when someone making this action or judgement [of taking paternity leave], it won’t be the norm that it becomes news.” The 38-year-old politician earlier said it was a difficult decision, but that he was going ahead with the plan to pave the way for other male employees in his ministry and working fathers elsewhere.With Japan facing an ageing population and a dwindling birthrate, the government re-cently began promoting pater-nity leave.Last month, it adopted a policy allowing male public servants to take more than a month of leave with the birth of a child.While the governors in Hiro-shima and Mie in western Japan have taken paternity leave, Koi-zumi is the first cabinet minister to do so.Koizumi is the son of maverick former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and is considered a fu-ture prime ministerial hopeful.Following the announcement on Friday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga congratulated the Koizumi family.There are no official records on whether cabinet ministers have previously taken parental leave, but Koizumi is the first to pub-licly announce he is doing so. (Aljazeera)(15) Court Grants ...Shehbaz’s family seeking to un-freeze their assets, the account-ability court summoned the in-vestigation officer of the case along with the relevant record and adjourned the hearing till Jan 31. (Pakistan Today)(16) Turkmenistan ...Amu Darya River, the Koy-tendag mountain range and na-ture reserve, and the subtropical regions of southwestern Turk-menistan are godsend for lovers of ecological tourism. (Trend)(17) Uzbekistan ...new types of products for 9 tril-lion Uzbek soums is planned. (The Times of Central Asia)

Body of Former Head of Armenian National

Security Service Found in Yerevan

YEREVAN - The body of former director of the Armenian National Security Service Georgi Kutoyan was found in one of the houses on Paruyr Sevak Street in Yerevan, the Armenian Investigative Com-mittee said.A gunshot wound was found in the body, Trend reports referring to the Armenian media.Kutoyan headed the National Se-curity Service from February 2016 through May 2018. He was re-placed by Artur Vanetsyan after the Velvet Revolution. (Trend)

International5

Neighbor News

Putin’s, Xi’s Ruler-For-Life Moves Pose Challenges to West

Turkmenistan Represented at Int’l Tourism Exhibition

in Vienna

Uzbekistan to Enhance Exports, Investments, Production

Localization

Court Grants Exemption from Personal Appearance to

Sharif Brothers

Norway’s Government Nears Crisis Over Return of Former ISIS Member:

‘TheTerrorist Won’

Russia’s Foreign Minister Slams ‘Aggressive’

US Policies

One LPR Militiaman Killed in Ukrainian

Army Attacks in Past Week - Luhansk

Libya Conflict: UN Proposes Ceasefire

Monitor

Japanese Minister Begins Paternity Leave

After Son’s Birth

‘EBRD Appoints New Central Asia Managing Director to Base in Kazakhstan

Khamenei Says Plane Tragedy Should Not Overshadow Loss

of Commander

‘We Don’t Have Political Problems with India’: Iran’s Zarif Urges Delhi to Defy US Sanctions & Resume Buying Iranian Oil

ASHGABAT - Turk-menistan is taking part in Austria’s “Ferien-Messe Wien” leading tourism exhibition in Vienna, Trend reports Jan. 17 with reference to the Turkmen foreign ministry.The event involves more than 800 repre-sentatives of the tour-ism business from 80 countries.Participation in the exhibition was orga-nized with the support of the Turkmen Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs and the Turkmen Embassy in Austria, the report said.

TASHKENT — Presi-dent of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev on January 15 chaired a videoconference ses-sion to discuss issues related to the enhance-ment of exports, invest-ments and production localization in the coun-try, his official website reported.It was said at the ses-sion that Uzbekistan’s exports last year grew by 28 percent.In order to increase the export volumes, a new system for determining and monitoring forecast indicators began to op-erate in Uzbekistan in 2020. Thus, the export forecast is approved for a three-year period. The

LAHORE - An account-ability court in Lahore on Friday granted ex-emption from appear-ance to Sharif brothers in multiple corruption/misuse of authority cas-es against them.According to details, former premier Nawaz Sharif’s medical report was submitted in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case. Following which, the court granted him exemption from ap-pearance.Defense counsel Am-jad Pervez presented the medical report. “Nawaz Sharif is fac-ing severe health issues including, heart, blood

TEHRAN - Iran’s su-preme leader called the accidental down-ing of a Ukrainian airliner a “bitter” trag-edy Friday but said it should not overshad-ow the “sacrifice” of a top commander killed in a US drone strike.Ayatollah Ali Khame-nei was giving the ser-mon at the main week-ly Muslim prayers in Tehran, after a trau-matic month in which the country had ap-peared on the brink of war with the United States and shot down the Ukrainian jet by mistake with the loss of all 176 people on board.“The plane crash was a bitter accident, it burned through our heart,” Khamenei said in an address punctu-ated by cries of “Death

MOSCOW — Russia’s foreign policy chief on Friday blamed what he described as “aggres-sive” U.S. policies for growing global ten-sions, noting Wash-ington’s reluctance to extend a key nuclear arms pact.Sergey Lavrov, who serves as acting for-eign minister in the wake of Wednesday’s resignation of the Rus-sian Cabinet, said this

OSLO - Norway seems headed to a political crisis after one of the members of the ruling coalition threatened to quit over the gov-ernment’s decision to bring back a woman who joined Islamic State — a move that could lead to the gov-ernment falling.According to Nor-way’s VG, the family – a 29-year-old woman and two children – was moved from northern

TRIPOLI - Libya’s renegade military com-mander Khalifa Haftar said he agreed with the terms of the ceasefire deal in Moscow, in spite of not signing it before he left Moscow.Haftar’s forces have been fighting the United Nations-recognised Government of National Accord for control of the capital, Tripoli, since April.The UN has proposed a monitoring mission in Libya to make sure the ceasefire is not vio-lated.Haftar is expected to attend further talks in Berlin this weekend.Al Jazeera’s James Bays reports from the UN. (Aljazeera)

LUHANSK - The Ukrainian Armed Forces have mounted nine attacks on the territory of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) in the past week, killing one mi-litia serviceman, LPR militia spokesman Yakov Osadchy said.“Ukrainian military units committed nine truce viola-tions in the past week,” Osad-chy said.The Ukrainian army targeted districts of Nizhne Lozove, Kalynove, Holubivske, Ber-ezove, Sokilnyky, Donetsky, and Kirovsk, using 122 mm ar-tillery weapons, 82 mm mor-tars, infantry fighting vehicle weapons, grenade launchers of different types, and large-caliber machineguns, he said.One LPR militiaman was killed, Osadchy said.“All attacks were document-ed and these materials were handed over to representa-tives of international organiza-tions working in the republic and the LPR Prosecutor Gen-eral’s Office to be added to the criminal cases opened against the commanders of the 93rd, 59th, and 72nd brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces,” he said.The press service of the head-quarters of Kyiv’s Joint Forc-es Operation in Donbas, for its part, has said that militia forces of the self-proclaimed republics of Donbas launched ...(More on P4)...(13)

TOKYO - Japan’s popular environment min-ister announced the birth of his son on Fri-day, and will become the first top public of-ficial to take paternity leave.“Today, January 17th midnight, as a father, I am glad and relieved that a healthy boy was born,” Environment Minister Shinjiro Koi-zumi said.“It’s great that both mother and child are healthy. I am relieved and happy that I was present.”On Wednesday, Koizumi had announced that he will take two weeks of leave over three months on the condition it would not affect his parliamentary and cabinet duties.During his announcement, Koizumi ac-knowledged that his decision to take pater-nity leave, a sensitive topic in Japan, has its advantages and disadvantages.“This is the first time for a minister to take paternity leave, and whenever you do some-thing unprecedented, criticism is always in-herent,” he said.Koizumi...(More on P4)...(14)

Laying on the route of the Great Silk Road, Turkmenistan has rich folk culture and diverse natural landscapes. It has unique archaeolog-ical monuments such as ancient Nisa, Merv and Koneurgench included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List, and Gonurdepe, the center of the civiliza-tion of Margiana, other-wise known in ancient times as Dahistan.The foothills of the Kopetdag mountain range, the flora and fauna of the Karakum desert, the banks of the ...(More on P4)...(16)

plan for 2020 is defined at a level that exceeds last year’s indicators by 22 percent.To this end, in excess of 800 projects were im-plemented in 2019. In particular, the produc-tion of polyvinyl chlo-ride, wire rod, electric engines, glass contain-ers, household appli-ances, medicines and other types of goods was launched.Starting from this year, the localization pro-gram will be formed on the basis of new ap-proaches, the head of state said.In particular, within the framework of 830 proj-ects, manufacturing of ...(More on P4)...(17)

pressure and platelets issue”, he informed the court.The court also granted exemption from ap-pearance to Shahbaz Sharif in the Ashiana-i-Iqbal Housing scheme and Ramzan Sugar Mills cases.The court also extended the judicial remand of Yousaf Abbas Shar-if for 14 days in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case. Hamza Shahbaz also received a 14-day extension in his remand in the Ramzan Sugar Mills and assets beyond income cases.Hearing a plea filed by ...(More on P4)...(15)

to America” from the crowd.“But some tried to... portray it in a way to forget the great mar-tyrdom and sacrifice” of Major General Qa-sem Soleimani, the head of the foreign operations arm of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.The last time Khame-nei led Friday prayers at Tehran’s Mosalla mosque was in Febru-ary 2012, on the 33rd anniversary of the Is-lamic revolution and at a time of crisis over the Iran nuclear issue. On Thursday, he stressed Iran was “working daily to pre-vent military confron-tation or war”, and maintained that a dia-logue with the world was still “possible”. (AFP)

NEW DELHI - Iranian Foreign Minister Mo-hammad Javad Zarif has called on India to shirk Washington’s “maximum pressure” sanctions campaign and continue sourcing its energy from the Is-lamic Republic, argu-ing it’s in the country’s best interest.While on a four-day visit to India, Zarif in-sisted Iran could best meet New Delhi’s oil needs, assuring that his country would keep politics out of its busi-ness dealings and re-main a reliable partner.“For India’s economic growth you need more and more energy and

NUR SULTAN - Andre Küüsvek has been appointed as European Bank for Reconstruction and Development’s (EBRD) Managing Director for Cen-tral Asia, Trend reports with refer-ence to EBRD.In his new role, which he will assume on Feb.1, 2020 Küüsvek will be based in Kazakhstan’s capital - Nur-Sultan city, and oversee Bank’s operations in Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.“It is a great honour for me to lead the EBRD’s efforts in such a big and

MOSCOW — Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Chi-na’s Xi Jinping have es-tablished themselves as the world’s most power-ful authoritarian leaders in decades. Now it looks like they want to hang on to those roles indefinitely.Putin’s sudden announce-ment this week of constitu-tional changes that could allow him to extend con-trol way beyond the end of his term in 2024 echoes Xi’s move in 2018 to eliminate constitutional term limits on the head of state.That could give them

energy security, which has been an area of con-cern,” Zarif said at a meeting of the Federa-tion of Indian Export Organizations (FIEO) on Thursday. “I can as-sure you that you can’t find an energy partner

which is more stable, more reliable than Iran.”US President Donald Trump has endeavored to exert “maximum pressure” on Iran’s economy in the wake of ...(More on P4)...(9)

dynamic region. In many respects it feels like coming home to me because of my previous work experience in Kazakhstan. I will continue working on supporting the development of the private sector, the further integration of the region into the global economy and the improvement of the business environment,” Küüsvek saidIn previous positions at the EBRD Küüsvek has served as Director for Local Currency and Capital Markets Development as well as country di-rector in Ukraine and Kazakhstan....(More on P4)...(10)

many more years at the helm of two major pow-ers that are frequently at

week’s meeting of top U.S. and Russian dip-lomats on strategic stability didn’t achieve any immediate results, adding that “dialogue is continuing.”Russia-U.S. relations have been at post-Cold War lows since Mos-cow’s 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea.Speaking at an an-nual news conference, Lavrov said that the ...(More on P4)...(12)

Syria to Iraq in prepa-ration for them to be moved and repatriated back into Norway. One of the children, 5 years old, is believed to be se-riously ill.According to The Local, the woman is described as Pakistani and trav-eled to Syria in 2013 be-fore marrying a Norwe-gian jihadist who was killed during fighting. NRK reports that the woman will be arrested ...(More on P4)...(11)

US Admits 11 Troops Were Injured in Iran Attack After Trump Said There Were No Casualties

WASHINGTON - The US military said 11 troops were treated for concussion after Iran launched a rocket attack at the Al-Asad air base in western Iraq, despite initially saying no ser-vice members had been hurt.The attack took place on 8 January in retalia-tion for the US-launched drone strike in Baghdad that killed Qassem So-leimani, a commander in Iran’s Revolutionary

Guard. Captain Bill Ur-ban, spokesman for the US Central Command,

said: “While no US ser-vice members were killed in the Jan. 8 Ira-

nian attack on Al Asad air base, several were treat...(More on P4)...(8)

odds with Washington and the West over issues ranging from economic

espionage and foreign policy to democracy and ...(More on P4)...(7)

January 18, 2020YANGON, Myanmar - Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Myanmar on Friday on his first trip to the country since 2009 and is expected to step up investment in the Southeast Asian nation including in the conflict-racked state of Rakhine, a key link in Chi-na’s Belt and Road initiative.Myanmar’s Deputy Minister of Commerce Aung Htoo told re-porters before the visit that Xi would sign agreements related to the Kyaukphyu Special Eco-nomic Zone and $1.3bn port in Rakhine, where a brutal military crackdown in 2017 led hundreds of thousands of Rohingya to flee over the border to Bangladesh.“Xi has visited almost all ASEAN countries since assuming power in 2013, but Myanmar had been left out until now,” Yun Sun, di-rector of the China programme at the Stimson Center, said in an email to...(More on P4)...(6)

China’s Xi Turns to Myanmar as He Pushes for ‘Belt and Road’ Plan

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KABUL - The Saudi minister of education has met the Af-ghan ambassador to the oil-rich kingdom in Riyadh, says a news report.Dr. Hamad bin Mohammed Al Al-Shaikh and Jalal Ka-reem discussed deep-rooted relations between the two countries, the Saudi Press

KABUL - Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi at an event Thursday hosted by a think tank in Washington, D.C. called on the United States to remain engaged in Afghanistan even if it eventually withdraws its troops from the country.Speaking at a discussion held by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Qureshi said that the US should not repeat a policy of neglect toward Afghanistan after it did in the late 1980s.“Do not repeat the ‘80s,” said Qureshi, who is sched-uled to meet US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday, January 17. “Even if there is a success-ful agreement, challenges will remain there, so the United States and its friends and coalition partners will have to have a more responsible withdrawal.”He reiterated that the US “should remain engaged -- not to fight, but to rebuild.”The United States has been engaged in Afghanistan in the fight against terrorism and reconstruction ef-forts since 2001 when the Taliban regime was top-pled. US has 13,000 troops in Afghanistan. (TOLO NEWS)

Agency reported.They reviewed bilateral co-operation on educational programmes being offered in the two countries.The two sides also conferred on scholarships for Afghan students seeking admissions to Saudi universities. (Pajh-wok)

Qureshi Urges US to Remain Engaged in Rebuilding Afghanistan

Kabul, Dushanbe Vow to Boost Security Cooperation

Saudi Education Minister, Afghan Ambassador Meet

Nation-Building Duty of All Afghans,

Says Ghani KABUL - Following reports that the Taliban’s senior leadership had agreed to a 7-day reduction of violence in Afghanistan, Salam Rahimi, the state minister for peace affairs, on Thursday reject-ed the alleged Taliban position, calling it “unacceptable” for the Afghan government, and insisted that the insurgent group must agree to a ceasefire before engag-ing in intra-Afghan talks.Rahimi said no tangible result was achieved from the US efforts for the Afghan peace process over the past one year.Rahimi made the remarks on Thursday in an event organized by the Afghan Institute for Stra-tegic Studies (AISS) titled “Politi-cal Settlement and Post-Conflict Order in Afghanistan People’s Views.”Rahimi also stated that the Af-

KABUL - Four state-run hospitals recoded 370 cases of birth defects in 2019, Pajhwok Afghan News finds.According to medical information, birth defects are structural changes present at birth that can affect almost any part or parts of the body such as heart, brain and foot. They may affect how the body looks, works, or both. Birth defects can vary from mild to severe.A Pajhwok Afghan News reporter visited four state-run hospitals in capital Kabul including Malalai Ma-ternity Hospital, Istiqlal Hospital, Rabia Baklhi Hospital and Khair Khana Hospital to find out how many cases of babies with birth de-fects took place last year.Dr. Shehrbano, in charge of childcare section in Malalai Maternity Hos-pital, told Pajhwok that 80 cases of birth defects were recorded, includ-ing two genderless, in the hospital in 2019.She said 106 cases of birth defects were registered in 2018 but the cases reduced last year.From 70 to 75 babies are born every day and most cases of birth defects were recorded in March and least in December, she added.Dr. Jalil Wafa, head of the informa-tion department at Istiqlal Hospital, said they recorded 55 cases of birth defects last year, mostly in October and least in January. (Pajhwok)

KABUL - The authorities of rul-ing team would be restricted if the 2019 election is headed to second round, presidential candi-date Abdullah Abdullah said on Thursday.Abdullah claimed that Ghani’s team used state resources to draw votes in September 28 election.He warned that if the election is intentionally headed to runoff because of illegal decision of the election commission, authori-ties of the ruling team would be restricted and misuse of state re-sources would be prevented.He said that the Electoral Com-plaints Commission should

KABUL - Former President Ha-mid Karzai has urged India, a close ally of Afghanistan, to par-ticipate in US-led peace negotia-tions with the Taliban.“We support the American peace process. We hope this will be suc-cessful and we hope all countries, especially our friends in India, will be on board,” Karzai said in an interview on Thursday.Over the past few years, India has repeatedly ruled out negotiations with the Taliban. Instead it has been insisting on direct parleys between the Afghan government and the insurgent group.Speaking to ThePrint, a digital In-

KABUL - Afghanistan and Tajikistan have agreed to step up cooperation on safeguarding their com-mon border and combat-ing terrorism, says a media report.During his two-day visit to the neighbouring coun-try, National Directorate of Security head Ahmad Zia Saraj met Saimumin Ya-timov, chairman of Tajik-istan’s State Committee for

followed him with 39.52 percent.More than 16,000 complaints were lodged following the an-nouncement of the results. ECC has ...( More on P4)...(3)

In his address to the conference called Raisina Dialogue, Kar-zai hailed India as an important friend of Afghanistan. In the same ...( More on P4)...(4)

cerns over the fact that Af-ghanistan has turned into a battlefield due to interfer-ence from subversive forc-es,” the new agency said.They also focused the threat posed by terrorist groups, including Al-Qae-da, Islamic State, Islamic Renaissance Party, Ansor-ulloh, Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement, Turk-istan Islamic Movement and others. (Pajhwok)

KABUL - President Ashraf Ghani says Afghanistan, blessed with important natu-ral reserves, can transform into a major producer of cop-per and iron.At a meeting with university teachers, students and re-searchers, Ghani said: “We, as a nation, don’t have the basic understanding of our natural wealth.“As long as we don’t have a clear understanding of our op-ulence, we can’t chart our path properly,” the president was quoted as saying in a state-ment from his office.Ghani called the nation-build-ing a common duty of all Af-ghans, asking the academic to organise a national debate on

Govt Rejects Alleged Taliban Offer of

Reduction in Violence

Kabul Hospitals Record 370 Birth Defect Cases Last Year

President’s Authorities Would be Restricted If Election Headed to Runoff: Abdullah

Karzai to India: Be Part of US-Taliban Parleys

ghan government has finalized the peace negotiations team to meet with the Taliban.“We are completely ready-- pre-paratory work has been done and our delegation is ready,” said Ra-himi.“On the issue of reduction in vio-lence, I must say that no one sup-ports this,” said Rahimi.What ...( More on P4)...(2)

remove fraudulent votes and should not repeat IEC’s mistakes.Preliminary results from the elec-tion showed Ghani leading with 50.64 percent of votes. Abdullah

dian newspaper, the ex-president said his country was optimistic of the peace process going ahead smoothly and that an intra-Af-ghan dialogue will begin soon.

National Security.Tajikistan’s state-run news agency Khovar reported the security bosses also pledged to deepen cooper-ation on battling extremism and trafficking in drugs and weapons.While discussed the situ-ation in the region, they noted destabilisation posed a common threat to the neighbourhood.“Both sides expressed con-

better devising ways of utilis-ing the country’s resources.“You have the opportunity to become a great generation of contemporary history, a gen-eration that takes Afghanistan from instability to stability, from poverty to prosperity and from anarchy to a stable democracy,” he told the audi-ence.Ghani said the world’s most important reserves were in Afghanistan, which could help transform the country into a major copper and iron producer. He also pointed to the underground water short-age, warning future genera-tions would be deprived of the vital resource if the deep wells continuedunabated. (Pa-jhwok)