RFE/RL Gandhara

Afghan Police Hunting Healer Who Sexually Abused, Blackmailed Patients

Naqibullah Faiq, the governor of Faryab, told Radio Free Afghanistan that authorities are looking for Mullah Rasul Landai after several videos allegedly showing him inappropriately touching women or having sex with them emerged on Facebook.

AI Demands Justice For South Asia’s Victims Of Enforced Disappearances

In a statement marking the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearance on August 30, Amnesty International revealed that tens of thousands of people remain “disappeared” in seven South Asian countries where the practice has scarred communities from Afghanistan in the north to Sri Lanka in the south.

Afghanistan Heading For Spring Presidential Polls, Ponders Postponing District Council Elections

Afghanistan is planning to hold a presidential election next spring as it postpones district council elections scheduled for October.

Several Parties Threaten Protests Over Pakistan Vote-Rigging

Pakistani political parties are meeting to discuss what they say are massive irregularities and rigging in the July 25 vote that saw the Pakistan Tehreek-e Insaf party (PTI) score a major electoral victory.

RSF Warns Of New Taliban Threat To Afghan Media

The global media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has condemned a new Taliban threat against media in Afghanistan.

Conflicting Accounts Of Fighting In Afghan City Near Iran

Residents, officials, and the governor of a restive western Afghan province have offered conflicting accounts of a fresh push by the Taliban to overrun the provincial capital after Kabul claimed to have defeated an offensive to overrun the city.

Washington Calls On Taliban To Shun Violence, Join Talks

Afghanistan: Police Investigating Journalist’s Murder

Tribal Leaders Helping In Border Dispute Between Pakistan And Afghanistan

Pakistan’s Hazara Minority Demands Protection

Members of Pakistan’s tiny Hazara minority are staging a sit-in protest to demand protection from the government.

New Pakistani App Monitors Offensive Content

The Pakistani government has launched a mobile application to help people report hate and extremist propaganda.

Afghan Leader Questions Pakistani Antiterror Fatwa

Taliban, Government Deny Peace Talks In Turkey

In what appears to be yet another false start for peace talks, the Afghan government and the Taliban have denied they are engaged in peace negotiations in Turkey.

McMaster: Relations Between U.S. And Pakistan Can No Longer Bear Contradictions

U.S. National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster has warned that relations between Pakistan and the United States can no longer withstand Islamabad’s selective crackdown on some terrorist groups while extending support and safe haven to others

Protesters Take Up Arms To Support Afghan Government

In an apparent bid to showcase their resolve for backing the government, protesters in a restive Afghan province have displayed small arms.

Police Chief Claims Airstrikes Killed Foreign Fighters In Northern Afghanistan

A provincial police chief has claimed that airstrikes have killed more than two dozen Islamic State (IS) militants, including foreign fighters, in northern Afghanistan.

At Least One Killed, 150 Injured In Operation Against Islamabad Protest

Pakistani police have launched an operation to clear an intersection linking the capital, Islamabad, with the nearby city of Rawalpindi, where sympathizers of an Islamist group have camped out for the past three weeks.

One In Three Afghans Lacks Identity Documents

Afghanistan’s government estimates that as many as a third of the country’s population -- an estimated 10 million citizens -- have no identity documents.

Resilient IS Cell Tightens Hold Over Northern Afghan Province

After braving government offensives and defeating Taliban onslaughts, an offshoot of the Islamic State (IS) militants is set to increase influence in northern Afghanistan close to the Central Asian border.

Afghanistan Revokes WhatsApp, Telegram Ban

The Afghan government says it will not block the instant-messaging services WhatsApp and Telegram.