Pakistan's army chief has arrived in Saudi Arabia on August 17 amid a row between the two countries that has threatened Riyadh's financial lifeline to Islamabad.
In a worrying sign, wealthy businessmen are threatening to move their capital abroad to escape growing insecurity in a strategic western Afghan province that has turned into a key commercial and industrial hub in recent years.
Afghan officials say a member of the government's team tasked with negotiating with the Taliban has survived an assassination attempt.
The Afghan government says it has started releasing 400 Taliban militants, the final part of a prisoner swap meant to clear the way for the start of peace talks between Kabul and the Taliban.
A diplomatic spat between close allies Pakistan and Saudi Arabia has exposed serious fissures in their relationship.
In a show of unity against the practice and in a pioneering move the first of its kind in Afghanistan, civil rights activists, religious clerics, and women in Bamyan’s Yakawlang district agreed to ban forced marriages.
Hopes for ending four decades of war in Afghanistan are high this week after a Loya Jirga or grand assembly of more than 3,000 political elites, tribal leaders, clerics, and activists approved the release of 400 Taliban prisoners.
The family of a young female Afghan police officer is seeking justice after her recent kidnapping and murder in a volatile southeastern Afghan province.
The Afghan government and the Taliban are on the verge of starting peace talks aimed at ending almost two decades of war in Afghanistan after President Ashraf Ghani said that he will approve the release of 400 Taliban militants.
Thousands of prominent Afghans have supported the release of about 400 Taliban prisoners on August 9, including many who had been involved in attacks that killed Afghans and foreigners.
A traditional Afghan council is set to meet again on August 8 in Kabul to decide whether the government should release 400 Taliban prisoners that have been convicted of involvement in high-profile attacks in the country.
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