South & Central Asia: Recent Episodes
Voice of America
Thousands of Afghans, after undergoing traumatic experiences leaving their home country, are relieved to be safe in the United States. But many find the U.S. immigration system confusing and hard to decipher on their own. VOA's Carolyn Presutti takes a look at how evacuees are coping with starting the next chapter of their lives in a foreign country. Camera: Mike Burke
With the U.S. out of Afghanistan after 20 years, some experts say China and Pakistan are stepping in to provide both immediate support and the prospect of long-term investment for the Taliban acting government in Kabul. VOA's senior diplomatic correspondent Cindy Saine reports on what this could mean for the region and for U.S. security interests. Producer: Jesse Oni
After undergoing the traumatic experience of leaving their home country, thousands of Afghans are relieved to be in the United States. Many are finding, however, that they have been granted temporary status, forbidding them to work or attend school. VOA's Carolyn Presutti takes a look at how evacuees are coping with the lack of benefits and opportunity in a foreign country.Camera: Mike Burke
The Taliban government in Afghanistan announced an official policy on women’s education rights. The move follows recent street protests across parts of the country where women gathered and held signs in defense of rights that were stripped away the last time the Taliban took power. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi has more.
In India, where some children from poor urban communities do not attend school, voluntary groups have found creative ways to impart education. Anjana Pasricha looks at one such initiative in the Indian capital, where four buses serve as mobile classrooms.Camera: Rakesh Kumar
Twenty years after the United States and NATO ousted them from power, the Taliban are back. But as VOA’s Ayesha Tanzeem reports, the country they are trying to rule now is filled with a youthful population that is significantly more educated and aware.
A Qatar Airways passenger flight arrived in Doha from Afghanistan Friday, the second to depart from the Kabul airport with the Taliban’s permission since the chaotic U.S. military withdrawal that ended Aug. 31. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara has the latest on evacuations from Afghanistan. Producer: Bakhtiyar Zamanov
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is seeking to boost international diplomatic efforts regarding Afghanistan by co-hosting a ministerial meeting in Germany following the chaotic end of America’s 20-year presence in the country. VOA Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports.
Female prosecutors in Afghanistan fear the Taliban and the thousands of prisoners released by the militant group. These women, who are still in Afghanistan, are calling on the international community for help. Farkhunda Paimani reports.
In a chaotic effort, the U.S. managed to evacuate more than 124,000 civilians from Afghanistan, including 6,000 Americans, by Aug. 30. However, Nasria is one of the 100 to 200 Americans who remain trapped there. She asked that we use only her first name for her safety. She spoke exclusively with VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb, describing her ordeal.
With the last U.S. service members leaving Kabul, ending a 20-year war, Afghanistan's women and girls are facing the stark reality that the Taliban are back in control of their country. As VOA's Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports, there are already signs that their rights are in danger.
Although U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan ended earlier this week, U.S. officials said Thursday there are still diplomatic and economic options for protecting the rights of Afghans under Taliban rule. VOA’s congressional correspondent Katherine Gypson has more. Producer: Katherine Gypson
Women serving in the Afghan military say that they are worried about their safety and future under the Taliban. Yalda Baktash has this report.
Since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, Turkey has been holding talks with the group’s leadership. Despite the two nations' long historical ties and a shared religion, some analysts warn Ankara could be overestimating its advantages. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul.
With U.S. troops gone from Afghanistan and Kabul under Taliban control, hundreds of journalists, many of them women, are seeking sanctuary. VOA’s Esha Sarai has this report.Camera: Ayesha Tanzeem
In the aftermath of the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, Russia is looking south with a wary eye to see how it can benefit from a situation fraught with both opportunity and risk. VOA U.N. Correspondent Margaret Besheer reports.
Well before the Taliban retook power in Afghanistan, they had been gathering an important resource — money. While it is impossible to know exactly how much money they have amassed, it is clear the militants have been intent on creating financial independence. A June United Nations report estimates the militant group raised $300 million to $1.6 billion annually.
Najia Hashimzada worked with various U.S agencies in Afghanistan for women rights before applying for a Special Immigrant Visa. She says she left Afghanistan because she was on the Taliban's hit list. She spoke with VOA’s Saqib Ul Islam about the situation in Afghanistan, the SIV process, her life in America and her expectations from the Taliban. Camera: Saqib Ul Islam Produced by: Saqib Ul Islam
According to the White House, the U.S. has evacuated more than 105,000 people from Afghanistan since the Taliban took over Kabul. VOA’s Saba Shah Khan spoke to some of them at the Dulles International Airport in Virginia as they arrived and shared their experiences. Camera: Qazafi Babar Producer: Saba Shah Khan
The humanitarian situation was already dire in Afghanistan before the Taliban swept into Kabul on Aug. 15, and now it has worsened as aid workers are coping with a new operating environment. VOA U.N. Correspondent Margaret Besheer reports.
At kitchen tables around the U.S., former military members who served in Afghanistan have been working around the clock to get their Afghan colleagues out of the country. They fear the Taliban will imprison or even kill interpreters and their families who don’t make it out by Aug. 31. VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb reports on one family that has upended its life to help. Camera: Michelle Quinn
Two Afghan American families who were in Afghanistan when the U.S.-backed government fell last week are talking about their harrowing journey from the Kabul airport back to America. VOA Afghan service reporter Mohammad Ahmadi visited with the families and filed this report. Camera: Mohammad Ahmadi
Hundreds of Afghans living in India are demanding refugee status from the United Nations refugee agency, saying that the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan has ended their chances of returning home. Anjana Pasricha visited an Afghan protest that began this week in the Indian capital.Camera: Sayed Masoud Najem Video editor: Henry Hernandez
The Biden administration said Wednesday it was on track to evacuate all Americans out of Afghanistan by the Aug. 31 deadline for a military drawdown. But U.S. lawmakers say time is running out for the evacuation of Afghan allies who face significant challenges from the Taliban to make their way to Kabul airport. VOA’s Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson has more. Producer: Katherine Gypson
Afghanistan evacuations reached a highwater mark with Pentagon officials saying about 90 aircraft evacuated 16,000 people from the international airport in Kabul in the past 24 hours. VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb has the latest.Camera: Ayesha Tanzeem, Producer: Barry Unger
As the Taliban tightens its grip on Afghanistan, the group is vowing to protect minority and women's rights. But many Afghans in the United States are concerned about the well-being of their family and friends and the future of their homeland. VOA's Aunshuman Apte spoke to some Afghan community members and filed this report. Camera: Aunshuman Apte Produced by: Aunshuman Apte
President Joe Biden remains defiant amid a political storm triggered by the swift Taliban takeover of Afghanistan and the chaotic end of America’s longest war. Whether he can survive the crisis depends on many factors, including the safe evacuation of Americans. White House correspondent Patsy Widakuswara has more.
As the U.S. leaves a vacuum in Afghanistan, people worldwide are watching China’s response. The two countries share a border and have on-and-off ties that predate the 2001 terrorist attacks in the U.S. VOA’s Elizabeth Lee has the details on the risks and benefits of the China-Afghan relationship.
Afghan students enrolled in Indian colleges and universities worry about the future that their country holds for them following the Taliban takeover there. India has a large Afghan student community, with most having come on scholarships offered by the Indian government as a goodwill gesture to promote education in the country. Anjana Pasricha spoke to a group of students enrolled in colleges in Chandigarh city in North India.Camera: Rakesh Kumar, Producer: Jon Spier
The race to evacuate tens of thousands of Americans and Afghans from Afghanistan is intensifying as prospects are uncertain for removing any Afghan allies after August 31. VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb has the latest.Produced by: Mary Cieslak
As the Taliban completed its rapid takeover of Afghanistan in recent days, they captured the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif, 23 years after last seizing it and massacring several thousand of its inhabitants. Two women who survived that massacre spoke to VOA about the family members they lost in the Taliban killing spree and their concerns about the future, in this report by Mahdy Mehraeen.Camera: Hans Cho Produced by: Berry Varkiani, Mary Cieslak
Kabul residents say the security situation in the city is getting better, but they are concerned about political uncertainty after the Afghan government collapsed and the Taliban entered Kabul. VOA's Rahim Gul Sarwan and Ahmad Javid Arzomand share this report, narrated by Roshan Noorzai. Camera: Rahim Gul Sarwan and Ahmad Javid Arzomand
US President Joe Biden said Monday it was no longer the United States’ responsibility to fight in Afghanistan’s civil war, despite disturbing scenes of the Taliban taking control of the capital city of Kabul. Biden warned of swift retaliation if the Taliban attacked remaining U.S. personnel and Afghan allies as the nearly 20-year conflict comes to a close. VOA’s congressional correspondent Katherine Gypson has more from Washington.
Hundreds of Afghans living in the United States gathered Sunday in front of the White House to denounce the Taliban's takeover of Kabul. They called on the U.S. and the international community to help Afghans. VOA's Farkhunda Paimani reports. Camera: Hoshang Fahim
As the Taliban look set to take over Afghanistan, aid workers vow continued civilian support but acknowledge the situation looks grim for the most vulnerable, including children. Women in particular fear a return to the harsh treatment they endured the last time the Taliban controlled the country in the 1990s. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi has more.Some video provided by VOA's Afghan Service.
The U.N. agency for children (UNICEF) says it is “shocked” by the “grave violations against children” in Afghanistan and is calling for an end to the fighting. VOA’s Rahim Gul Sarwan and Samsama Sirat has the story, narrated by Roshan Noorzai. But first a warning: Viewers may find some images in this report disturbing. Camera: Rahim Gul Sarwan and Samsama Sirat
As families flee Taliban forces overrunning much of Afghanistan, some refugees say their escape from certain death has left them with an uncertain and dangerous future. VOA's Heather Murdock reports from Van in Turkey.Camera: Heather Murdock
The war in Afghanistan has intensified and entered a deadlier phase. Fighting has now reached cities, where most of the population lives. In Kabul, VOA’s Ayesha Tanzeem met people displaced by war, and shares the story of the horrors they face. Camera: Rahim Gul Sarwan
Tens of thousands of people in Afghanistan have fled recent violence in search of safety as the Taliban takes over more territory. Many left everything behind. VOA's Ayesha Tanzeem is in Kabul, reporting on those who fled fierce fighting in Kunduz.Camera: Rahim Gul Sarwan Produced by: Jon Spier
U.S. officials are now acknowledging that the security situation in Afghanistan is rapidly deteriorating. They say they are working around the clock to try to stop the Taliban violence. VOA's senior diplomatic correspondent Cindy Saine reports.Camera: Mary Cieslak
Panic gripped northern Afghanistan’s famous city Mazar-e-Sharif Monday after news of a Taliban advance. VOA’s Ayesha Tanzeem reports from Kabul that Taliban have overrun five northern or northeastern capitals since Saturday. Because of the security risks to journalists, all the footage in this report was recorded by cellphone or taken from viral social media videos.Camera: Gul Rahim Niazman Produced by: Malik Waqar Ahmed
Cyclist Farid Noori hopes to increase awareness of his home country’s scenic beauty. Connor Smith has the story.
In the longest-running protest of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, farmers have been camped around the Indian capital for over eight months to demand the scrapping of new laws they fear will ruin their livelihoods. Anjana Pasricha visits the protest site to see how and why farmers have braved winter, summer, the pandemic’s ferocious second wave and the monsoon rains.Camera: Darshan Singh
The U.S. has begun granting special immigrant visas to thousands of Afghans whose work for the U.S. military has made them vulnerable to attacks by the Taliban as the militants rapidly extend their control over the country. VOA’s Mahdy Mehraeen spoke with one woman who left Afghanistan as part of a previous stage of the SIV program.Camera: Kevin Nha
Some Afghans who worked with U.S.-funded programs and projects in Afghanistan are welcoming the U.S. State Department’s Priority 2 program, which grants access to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program for certain Afghans and their families. But other Afghans warn the program could accelerate a brain drain from the country. VOA’s Samsama Sirat and Sayed Ziarmal Hashimi filed this report, narrated by Roshan Noorzai. Camera: Samsama Sirat and Sayed Ziarmal Hashimi
The rise of violence between the Taliban and the Afghan government forces has triggered a new influx of Afghan refugees to Turkey. VOA’s Arif Aslan reports from Turkey’s Van province in this story narrated by Namo Al-Jaf.Produced by: Farhad Fallahi Camera: Arif Aslan
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said Monday that the "abrupt" U.S. withdrawal of all its remaining forces from Afghanistan was the reason for the deteriorating security situation in the country. He added that his government has a plan to bring the security situation under control within six months. VOA's Sayed Hasib Maududi filed this report, narrated by Roshan Noorzai.Camera: Sayed Hasib Maududi
The latest round of peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government in Qatar ended July 19 with no apparent progress. The group’s past refusal to accept women's rights and freedoms has many Afghans worried about the future. VOA’s Mahdy Mehraeen has this report.
The day the Taliban entered Balkh district, 20 km west of Mazar e Sharif, the capital of Balkh province last month, local radio station Nawbahar shuttered its doors and most of its journalists went into hiding.Within days the station started broadcasting again, but the programming was different. Rather than the regular line-up, Nawbahar was playing Islamist anthems and shows produced by the Taliban.The switch in programming is a far cry from how Nawbahar usually operates. The station started up in the northern province in 2004—broadcasting news and entertainment in Dari and Pashto languages thanks to funds from the U.S. Agency for International Development.Its experience reflects a growing trend for Afghanistan’s independent media. As the security situation deteriorates, so does the situation for all the other gains the country made in the last 20 years, including press freedom.Can Afghanistan’s Free Press Survive?The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism says Afghanistan went from zero independent media under Taliban rule to 170 radio stations, more than 100 newspapers, and multiple TV stations since the U.S.-led invasion of the country 20 years ago.Now that foreign troops are almost gone and the Taliban have nearly doubled the territory under their control, many journalists working in insecure areas are fleeing to safety.Nearly 50 journalists in territory newly under Taliban control have either been forced to leave or evacuated out of fear for their lives in recent weeks. More than 20 media outlets have stopped operating, while others are forced to broadcast Taliban propaganda, according to Najib Sharifi, president of Afghan Journalists Safety Committee that monitors threats against media.“We have at least five media stations, private media outlets, that have been taken over by the Taliban, and through these five stations, Taliban broadcast their propaganda,” Sharifi told VOA. “They have also stopped broadcasting of music and voices of women.”FILE - A woman who fled her village in Helmand province when it was taken over by the Taliban, waits to see a doctor at a mobile clinic for women and children set up near Lashkar Gah in Helmand province, Afghanistan, March 28, 2021.Sharifi said that in many areas the Taliban seems to be reverting to the same practices they used in the 90s when they ruled the country under a brutal Islamist code, under which women had no place in public life.In a WhatsApp call to VOA, Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen denied the allegations.“We only took over ...
The U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan is raising questions about who will fill the power vacuum left in America’s wake. In Moscow, Kremlin officials are skeptically eyeing recent Taliban advances — and how they might affect neighboring buffer states in Central Asia. Charles Maynes reports from Moscow.Camera: Ricardo Marquina-Montanana Produced by: Henry Hernandez
The security situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating and some fear it could lead to a civil war. In the 1990s, a similar conflict forced millions of Afghans to flee into neighboring countries including Pakistan, which has hosted some three million Afghan refugees for decades. But this time Pakistan is far more reluctant to take on more refugees, as VOA’s Ayesha Tanzeem reports from Islamabad.Camera: Malik Waqar Ahmed Produced by: Marcus Harton Ali Furqan of VOA Urdu Service contributed to this report.
India's popular holiday destinations are crammed with visitors with what some have termed "revenge travel" — the urge to vacation following long shutdowns. But as Anjana Pasricha reports, authorities warn that the massive holiday crowds could reverse the gains made recently in the world's second worst hit country.Camera: Kritagya Pandav
As the United States withdraws its troops from Afghanistan, Taliban attacks have significantly increased, and the group is gaining ground in some rural areas across the country. But thousands of locals in northern Afghanistan are joining the Afghan military in fighting the Taliban in the region. VOA’s Abdulbasir Ilgor has more from northern Afghanistan’s Jowzjan province.Camera: Abdulbasir Ilgor Produced by: Abdulbasir Ilgor
Afghan interpreters were invaluable to American troops during two decades of war. Now that U.S. forces are pulling out, Afghans who aided Americans fear for their lives. As the U.S. government processes thousands of visa applications to allow them to emigrate, VOA's Carolyn Presutti has the exclusive story of two former interpreters who say they are in grave danger. Contributed by: Ekram Shinwari, John Walker, Hedayatullah NooriCamera: Ekram Shinwari, Ahmad Javed
Zahid Quraishi, a Pakistani American Muslim, has made history by becoming the first Muslim federal judge in the United States. After being nominated to the U.S. District court of New Jersey by President Joe Biden, Judge Quraishi’s nomination was approved by the U.S. Senate in June. VOA’s Aunshuman Aapte reports.Camera: Aunshuman Aapte Produced by: Aunshuman Aapte
U.S. President Joe Biden announced Thursday that the U.S. mission in Afghanistan would end August 31, but concerns remain about the plight of Afghan civilians, particularly women, as the Taliban continue to gain ground against Afghan forces. VOA's Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports.
Amid major Taliban gains on the ground, U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday delivered his justification for military withdrawal from Afghanistan. The U.S. is on track to pull out troops completely by the end of August, ending military operations after two decades of war. White House Correspondent Patsy Widakuswara has this report.
As the number of vaccinations around the world increases and countries open up for travel, a new problem has arisen. Many, especially in the developing world, are stuck with vaccines not approved in North America, Europe or some Middle Eastern countries. That is impacting not just recreational travel but people’s livelihoods. VOA’s Ayesha Tanzeem reports from Pakistan.
North India’s Kullu district is famed for its ancient tradition of spinning hand-woven stoles and shawls with designs that have been passed down for generations. Now artisans, many of them women, are learning to make another traditional Indian garment called the sari, under a program sponsored by the local government and private sector that aims to reach new markets and enhance income opportunities for women. Anjana Pasricha reports. Camera: Rakesh Kumar Video editor: Rod James
As President Joe Biden continues to pursue the withdrawal of nearly all U.S. forces from Afghanistan after almost 20 years, the U.S. commander in the country and others say they are worried about Taliban advances. Michelle Quinn reports.Video editor: Mary Cieslak
India’s technology driven vaccination initiative has raised concerns the country’s huge digital divide is making it difficult for many people to get inoculated, particularly in the nation’s vast countryside. While tech savvy, digitally aware city dwellers have managed to get shots, millions in rural areas are left behind because of a technology barrier. Anjana Pasricha has a report. Camera: Rakesh Kumar
The U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan is more than halfway finished, yet the country is plagued with violence as the Taliban extend their reach. This, as the Afghan president meets with U.S. President Joe Biden later this week. VOA's Carolyn Presutti reports from the White House.
As the United States and NATO pull their troops out of Afghanistan, civilian casualties have increased, especially among women and children. With the outlook bleak, experts are considering options to try to prevent catastrophe in the war-stricken country. VOA's Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports.
As U.S. troops begin withdrawing from Afghanistan after two decades of war, U.S. lawmakers questioned top officials this week about the Biden administration's strategy for the region following the end of military involvement. VOA's Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson has more from Capitol Hill. Produced by: Katherine Gypson
Rajab Ali lost his two daughters in a school bombing west of Kabul, becoming the latest in a growing number of grieving Afghan parents in the ongoing violence. Lima Niazi reports from Kabul.
In India, the healthcare crisis triggered by the ferocious second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic is shifting from the big cities to small towns and villages. Combating the spread in rural areas where two thirds of the country lives, health experts say, has emerged as India’s new challenge. From Mumbai, Anjana Pasricha has this report.
The U.S. military has completed about 10% of its pullout from Afghanistan. But defense officials left members of Congress with more questions than answers Wednesday, as the U.S. inches closer and closer to President Joe Biden’s Sept. 11 withdrawal deadline. VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb has the latest.
In Afghanistan’s capital Monday relatives mourned the more than 60 people killed in Saturday’s bomb attack on a girl’s school in the western part of the city. Lima Niazi Reports from Kabul where mourners said they want an end to the violence.
A former TOLO NEWS anchor in Afghanistan was gunned down on Thursday, another reminder of the risks journalists face in the country. VOA’s Azizullah Popal, Hikmat Sorosh and Jalal Mirzad has more from Afghanistan in this report narrated by Bezhan Hamdard.Produced by: Bezhan Hamdard
Female journalists are regularly seen on camera in Pakistan, but the job can bring challenges. Umer Farooq from VOA Peshawar meets two women pushing back barriers. Bezhan Hamdard narrates the story.Producer: Bezhan Hamdard
Bodies piled up at a crematorium in the Indian capital, Delhi, on Wednesday, as relatives of coronavirus sufferers scrambled to refill life-saving oxygen cylinders. Flames rose from funeral pyres placed side by side as family members performed funeral rites. More with VOA’s Mariama Diallo.
As the number COVID cases in India rise and overwhelm the health care system, many from the country now living in the U.S. have watched helplessly as friends and family grapple with the virus. Now, as VOA's Kane Farabaugh reports, some in the Midwest State of Illinois are mobilizing to help from afar. Camera: Kane Farabaugh
The Indian diaspora living in the United States is watching in horror as India battles a devastating surge of COVID-19. More with VOA Correspondent Mariama Diallo.
This week, travel from India to the United States will be restricted as the South Asian nation struggles in the grip of a devastating surge of the coronavirus. The Biden administration is sending supplies, but some ask if the U.S. should be doing more. Michelle Quinn reports.Produced by: Mary Cieslak
The U.S. and its NATO allies officially began withdrawing their remaining forces and equipment from Afghanistan on Saturday. Abdullah Abdullah, the chairman of Afghanistan’s High Council for National Reconciliation, discussed the implications for Afghanistan’s peace process and the future of the country, with VOA’s Ayesha Tanzeem.
The U.S. and its NATO allies officially began withdrawing their remaining forces and equipment from Afghanistan on Saturday.Abdullah Abdullah, the chairman of Afghanistan’s High Council for National Reconciliation, discussed the implications for Afghanistan’s peace process and the future of the country, with VOA’s Ayesha Tanzeem.The transcript has been edited for brevity and clarity.VOA: The U.S. and NATO have started withdrawing their forces from Afghanistan. Do you fear an increase in violence?Abdullah Abdullah: There is always a possibility of that. Should [the] Taliban choose to increase violence with the hope that they can take advantage of that situation. That’s a possibility and I hope that they are not [don’t] making that mistake.VOA: How do you think this announcement of a withdrawal will impact your negotiations with the Taliban?Abdullah: Natural circumstances when these sorts of situations take place and when one side thinks that because of the vacuum that the withdrawal leaves, it may be able to take advantage of that situation, that emboldens the position of the sides. The one which is more on the military term rather than peaceful means. And that’s the concern, that the Taliban position might get further emboldened. Well, as far as their excuses, or the reasons that they were giving, that it is because of the presence of the international forces, it’s ‘jihad’ against foreigners and so on and so forth, so, in three months time, perhaps in less than three months time, there will be no foreign troops on our [Afghanistan’s] soil.VOA: What’s the status of Doha negotiations?Abdullah: Recently, with the announcement of the withdrawal, the Taliban position has changed. Their chief negotiator has gone to Pakistan to consult with their leaders, to take directions, to shape up their position. Earlier their position was that they are going to attack the international forces. So, as far as the Doha process is concerned, it is still important. So are other opportunities like the conference in Turkey [the Istanbul conference]. It has to be a meaningful event, and both sides have to come to an understanding to make it effective [meaningful].VOA: The Taliban are refusing to come. Will there be an Istanbul conference if they don’t come?Abdullah: If they don’t come to a meeting, which is supposed to be between both sides, then the conference will not take place. They haven’t said that they are not coming. They haven’t said that they are coming. That has been ...
President Joe Biden became the first U.S. president to officially recognize the massacre of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire as a genocide. Shake Avoyan has the story, narrated by Anna Rice.Camera: Shake Avoyan.
After 20 years, the final U.S. drawdown of troops from Afghanistan has begun, marking a watershed moment for both countries. VOA's Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine has the story.
President Joe Biden has recognized that the systematic killing and deportation of hundreds of thousands of Armenians by Ottoman Turks a century ago was genocide. As VOA Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports, with the White House statement Saturday, Biden became the first American president to do so. VOA's Armenian Service, VOA's Turkish Service and Bojan Klima contributed to this report.Camera: Dilge Timocin, Aram Avetisyan.
India reported 314,835 new COVID-19 infections on Thursday, the highest one-day total posted by any nation during the year-long global pandemic. The devastating second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the world’s second most populous country has brought its health system to the brink of collapse even in its biggest cities. Experts say super spreader events and a more infectious variant could have caused the surge in India that is now the epicenter of the global pandemic. Anjana Pasricha reports from New Delhi.
Pakistan’s President Arif Alvi sat down with VOA’s Ayesha Tanzeem this week for an exclusive interview to discuss the impact on the region of the United States withdrawing its forces from Afghanistan, how Pakistan sees its future relationship with its western neighbor, and whether putting forward a resolution in parliament to expel the French ambassador from the country, over French support for publication of caricatures of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad, is dangerous.The answers have been edited for clarity and brevity.Q: How do you see the impact on the region and on Pakistan of the United States withdrawing forces from Afghanistan?A: It’s a very important announcement. The region has been looking forward to some settlement, and the Doha talks came to a culmination with an agreement on the withdrawal of U.S. forces. I think that’s the right direction to go. The withdrawal also relates to the fact that there should be an agreement between the Taliban and the government of Afghanistan on what is going to happen in the future. Pakistan wants stability on its borders because any instability, or any insurrection of any sort, is going to hurt us, it has always done so. Therefore, we are looking forward to a stable and peaceful Afghanistan.Q: But the intra-Afghan negotiations are not going too well.A: That is important. Therefore, the efforts of the governments of the United States, Pakistan, China, Russia, and Iran are all important in trying to stabilize and encourage an agreement between the government of Afghanistan and the Taliban.Q: Pakistan has the key influence since the leadership of the Taliban live here. Why isn’t Pakistan using that influence in this situation?A: Pakistan is using its influence.Q: President Biden mentioned Pakistan “especially” as a regional country that needs to do more for Afghanistan. What is he asking Pakistan to do?A: I’m not aware of what the U.S. specifically wants Pakistan to do. Pakistan’s effort toward peace does not depend on the U.S. asking Pakistan. Our efforts are indigenous in their nature and in their motivation. We want peace in Afghanistan. We all have to do more, including the Afghan and the U.S.Q: President Biden also mentioned the U.S. reorganizing its counterterrorism capabilities in the region to be able to hit the target from “over the horizon.” He is obviously talking about drone strikes and airstrikes. Pakistan at one time used to provide the U.S. bases to operate from. Has the U.S. ...
Women's rights leaders in Afghanistan and human rights advocates are expressing concern the hard-fought gains of the past 20 years are under threat from a potentially resurgent Taliban when U.S. and coalition troops depart later this year. VOA's Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports on the determination of many to defend those rights.
Some 14,000 refugees live in limbo in Indonesia with no access to work or primary education. The Liberty Society, a social business established by a former Miss Indonesia finalist, is giving some women the tools to change their situation. Rendy Wicaksana has the report from Banten, Indonesia. Camera: Rendy Wicaksana
Experts are warning that the announced U.S. departure from Afghanistan will lead to intensified conflict in the South Asian nation, while Afghan women say they are worried about their rights. VOA’s Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports on U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s efforts to reassure Afghan leaders during an unannounced visit Thursday.
Female journalists in Afghanistan are calling on Kabul to include their representative at peace talks to ensure media and women’s rights are protected. Samsama Sirat has more in this report.
President Joe Biden is set to announce in a speech Wednesday that the United States will withdraw all of its forces from Afghanistan before this year's 20th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks that triggered America’s longest war. VOA's Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine has the story.Camera: Ahmadullah Archiwal
India has been recording the highest numbers of COVID-19 cases in the world as it grapples with a second wave of the pandemic. As Anjana Pasricha reports from New Delhi, the impact of the massive surge of the virus, in the world's biggest vaccine maker, will be felt far beyond its shores as India slows vaccine shipments to other countries. Camera: P. Pallavi Produced by: Rod James
A group of female artists in Afghanistan’s central province of Bamyan has recently opened a small pyrography and engraving studio to promote fine arts in the region. VOA’s Zafar Bamiyani has more from Bamyan in this report narrated by Bezhan Hamdard. Camera: Zafar Bamiyani Producer: Zafar Bamiyani
A massive fire inside a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh has left at least 15 dead and nearly 50,000 homeless. VOA’s Muazzem Hossain Shakil gives us an inside look in this report, narrated by Bezhan Hamdard.Producer and camera: Muazzem Hossain Shakil.
A year ago, India imposed one of the world’s strictest lockdowns resulting in an exodus of millions of domestic migrant workers from its crowded cities. In recent months, many have returned – some are finding jobs in an economy that is slowly recovering from its worst fall in decades, but others are still struggling. Anjana Pasricha has a report from New Delhi.Camera: Darshan Singh Produced by: Jason Godman
The coronavirus pandemic affected millions of people in South and Central Asia. VOA’s Bezhan Hamdard shines a light on the ups and downs of life under COVID-19 in this region.Produced by: Bezhan Hamdard
About 52 percent of women in Afghanistan have experienced violence in their homes, according to the World Health Organization. VOA’s Noshaba Ashna has the story of an Afghan woman who was disfigured by her husband but moved on to a better life and to advocate for women’s right. Bezhan Hamdard narrates.Videographer: Ehsan Ullah Aroubzai
India's inoculation drive against COVID-19 has gotten a massive boost as it begins offering vaccines to older people. The effort to increase vaccinations comes as a surge in cases in some places raises new concerns in a country where infections had declined dramatically. Anjana Pasricha in New Delhi has a report. Producer: Jon Spier
Farmers in North India have led a three-month long protest against three agricultural laws that aim to reform India’s farm sector but which they fear will impact their livelihoods. Anjana Pasricha visited a village in Haryana state to talk to farmers about why they are standing firm on their demand that the laws must be repealed.Camera: Darshan Singh, Producer: Jon Spier
Highly crowded Lahore city in Pakistan has the same crowding issues of many urban environments. To help ease the problem, the government plans to build a new city just to the North, but that has some residents worried. VOA’s Saman Khan has more in this report narrated by Bezhan Hamdard.
Indian and Chinese troops have withdrawn from a disputed border that triggered a nine-month long standoff between the two countries but rebuilding ties will not be easy as disputes linger. However, trade ties between the two large Asian economies are expected to improve. Anjana Pasricha has a report.
Afghan officials said this week they have managed to secure the release of 43 detainees from the Taliban’s custody in a military operation in Baghlan province. Some of the detainees who were rescued told VOA’s Gul Rahim Niazman they faced torture and abuse while they were in captivity.
Teary-eyed Bibi Aleema recounts the night many years ago when a group of men, some of them in uniform, stormed her house in Quetta, Pakistan. They were there to take away her son, Mohammad Salman, a gardener at the courthouse. "I begged them not to take him," she says. For a year, her son was missing without a trace. One day, someone told her his body was lying in the hospital with a bullet wound. He left behind two sons and a daughter. Last year, her other son, Mohammad Hassan, a local health worker who had recently wed and had an infant son, went out shopping and was picked up. "We have no more bread winners. What do we do? Where do we go? I don't even have anyone to bury me now," she says. FILE - Relatives of missing Kashmiri men attend a sit-in protest in a park organized by the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) in Srinagar, Oct. 10, 2013.Aleema is one of several people camped outside the press club in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, to draw attention to the issue. Many of them have had their relatives missing for years and have protested in various parts of the country without much success. "Since the day my father was picked up, we've been protesting. We've grown up in front of Quetta press club, Karachi press club, Islamabad press club," says Sammi Din Baloch, daughter of Dr. Din Mohammad Baloch who was picked up in 2009. Enforced disappearances have been a long-standing issue in Pakistan. Successive governments have tried, and failed, to resolve it. Commission to trace the disappeared In 2011, Pakistan set up a commission to trace disappeared people, find those responsible for their disappearance and take legal action. According to the latest monthly report of the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (COIED), it has received nearly 7,000 cases and has resolved nearly 5,000 of them. Activists disagree with the figures, claiming the real number of cases is much higher. They also disagree that the commission has resolved most of the cases. "If someone died in custody, that is not a resolution," said Amina Masood Janjua, the chairperson of a group called Defense of Human Rights. She said relatives deserved justice. Her own husband disappeared in 2005. In a September 2020 briefing paper, the International Commission of Jurors said COIED has "wholly failed to address entrenched impunity, leaving victims and their loved without any redress." FILE - Human rights activists ...
The U.S. slapped additional sanctions on Myanmar following a military coup Feb. 1. The crisis has emerged as an early test of President Joe Biden’s foreign policy as his administration pledges to defend democracy and seeks to counter China’s rising influence in the region. White House correspondent Patsy Widakuswara reports.
With new sanctions slapped on Myanmar, the Feb. 1 military takeover in the country has emerged as an early test of President Joe Biden’s multilateral diplomatic strategy, as his administration pledges to defend democracy and seeks to counter China’s rising influence in a region that has shown significant democratic erosion in recent years.Biden announced on Wednesday targeted sanctions on the Burmese military junta following consultation with allies and partners.“A strong and unified message emerging from the United States has been essential, in our view, to encouraging other countries to join us in pressing for an immediate return to democracy,” Biden said.Reaching out to allies is a necessary step since there is little leverage that Washington can employ after increasing sanctions on the country following human rights abuses against the Rohingya minority group.It remains to be seen, however, whether Biden’s multilateral diplomacy approach will be effective in a region where authoritarian rule is increasingly the norm rather than the exception.Democratic backslidingThe Burmese coup followed democratic backsliding in the region, including in Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and the Philippines. Addressing them in the context of strategic competition with China is a challenge for the Biden administration, said Robert Daly, director of the Kissinger Institute on China and the United States at the Woodrow Wilson Center.“How will we compromise and play the long game and keep channels open even with regimes that we object to? How can we do that and back off of an absolute declaration of principles in order to compete with China, while still claiming that the grounds of our competition with China is in some way ideological?” Daly said.Beijing is Naypyitaw’s biggest trading partner, and the two countries have strong defense ties. The Burmese military has also deepened ties with Russia, another U.S. adversary.Split within ASEANOn Feb. 4, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan spoke with ambassadors from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, urging them to provide support for the “immediate restoration” of democracy in Myanmar.Indonesia and Malaysia, Muslim-majority countries that have raised alarms following atrocities against the Rohingya, have called for a special meeting within ASEAN, while Thailand, Cambodia and the Philippines have taken the position the coup is an internal affair.Indonesia Urges All Parties in Myanmar to Exercise Self-Restraint 1.Indonesia expresses its concern over the recent political situation in Myanmar. pic.twitter.com/hElDrn4vMD— MoFA Indonesia (@Kemlu_RI) February 1, 2021“The problem with multilateralism is that it works great ...
A weekly newspaper run by a team of female journalists is thriving in Afghanistan's northern Balkh province, despite threats against journalists in parts of the country. Gulrahim Niazman from VOA's Afghan service has more in the report narrated by Bezhan Hamdard. Camera: Gulrahim Niazman Produced by: Gulrahim Niazman
Pakistan’s government began administering the COVID-19 vaccine this week, saying it’s on track to achieve its targets. As VOA’s Ayesha Tanzeem reports from Islamabad, the opposition says the government is doing too little, too late.Producer: Henry Hernandez. Camera: Malik Waqar Ahmed.
It’s hard enough for a woman to run a successful business in Northern India. But when it comes to egg noodles making your mark can be even more difficult. VOA’s Kalsang Jigme reports one Tibetan woman who’s running a business her way.
Indian farmers protesting on New Delhi’s outskirts are vowing to continue their two-month struggle to scrap three new farm laws, despite recent violence that has cast a shadow on what is being called one of the world’s largest protests. Led by farmers from the agricultural state of Punjab, the protest includes many educated young people, highlighting India’s growing joblessness problem. Anjana Pasricha in New Delhi spoke to some of the protesters.Videographer: Darshan Singh
Winter in central Afghanistan can be a struggle for hundreds of cave dwelling families. VOA’s Zafar Bamiyani brings us this report from Bamyan province, narrated by Bezhan Hamdard.
India has begun sending COVID-19 vaccines to neighboring countries, as its level of vaccine production has put it at the forefront suppliers of affordable vaccines to low- and middle-income nations urgently seeking supplies. As Anjana Pasricha reports from New Delhi, India hopes to both raise its global profile with “vaccine diplomacy” and win back influence in South Asia, where China has been making inroads.
Pakistan is fencing its border with Afghanistan for security. The move is unpopular with local tribes who say it impacts their relations and livelihoods. Producer: Marcus Harton
The Islamic State terror group claimed responsibility for kidnapping and decapitating 11 miners in Pakistan’s Balochistan province. The miners were Hazara, a Shi’ite minority that has been targeted for years by Sunni extremists. The miners’ families are demanding justice from the Pakistan government, and the Hazara community is calling for protection. VOA’s Ayesha Tanzeem reports from Islamabad.
For VOA, Muhammad Saqib now on the difficult life of many migrants and refugees who ended up in Pakistan. Bezhan Hamdard narrates his story.
As India recorded more than 10 million cases of COVID-19, the somber milestone was accompanied by some good news — a massive decline in numbers of daily new infections. Hopes that the worst may be over are reflected in the country’s mega cities, like New Delhi, which has been ravaged by the vir us. Anjana Pasricha has a report from the Indian capital.Camera: Darshan Singh
Along a highway on the outskirts of New Delhi where thousands of protesting farmers have been camping for three weeks, scores of volunteers roll out Indian bread called “rotis,” stir vegetables in gigantic pots, brew tea and fry savories. All through the day, makeshift kitchens that have sprung up on the roadside dish out hot meals to farmers who are demanding the roll back of new laws that liberalize rules for sale of farm produce to private companies. “We have come fully equipped to prepare mass meals. The supplies come from our villages daily and we run the kitchen round the clock,” says Gurinder Singh, a Sikh farmer who has helped organize a community kitchen at one of the protest sites. The staggering scale of cooking underway to sustain India’s biggest farm protest in decades is no surprise. Many of the farmers come from the northern Punjab state, where serving free, hot meals on a mass scale is an intrinsic tradition of the Sikh faith. Called “langar,” and regularly served in their religious shrines, it is based on the principle of nourishing anyone in need, whether it is the homeless, victims of a natural disaster or protestors far away from home. A religious minority in India, the food assistance provided by Sikhs is famous — most recently, they distributed hundreds of thousands of free meals to poor people who lost their livelihoods during the pandemic even during a strict lockdown. Women also help at the community kitchens that are a tradition in the Sikh faith. (Anjana Pasricha/VOA)Having grown up with the concept of “langar,” the volunteers say that rolling out hundreds of “rotis” and chopping and cooking heaps of vegetables is something that comes easily to them — it is customary for ordinary men and women to volunteer their services to prepare the community meals. “In my village I go and assist in the “langar” every Sunday,” says Kala Singh, a farmer who has travelled from Punjab not just to support the protest, but also to ensure that the farmers don’t go hungry. Another farmer, Jai Veer Singh, from Haryana says he began assisting his mother when he was 10 years old to prepare community meals that are organized after every harvest in his village, at festivals or in time of need. “This spirit of service is something we learnt from our home and our society. We have been taught ...
A radio station run by women for women in Kandahar, Afghanistan, has been awarded the 2020 Reporters Without Borders Prize for Impact. VOA’s Azizullah Popal reports from Kandahar.
For the past three years, most of the 700,000 Rohingyas who fled violence in Myanmar have been living in refugee camps in southern Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar. VOA’s Muazzem Hossain Shakil covers the first group of Rohingya refugees being relocated to Bhasan Char Island. Bezhan Hamdard narrates.
Tens of thousands of farmers in India are protesting new laws that aim to dismantle government regulated farm trade and usher in sweeping agricultural reforms. While the government says this will transform Indian agriculture, farmers fear it will remove safeguards that protect them from free market forces and threaten the meager incomes of millions. Two rounds of negotiations with the government have not yet led to any breakthrough. Anjana Pasricha has this report from New Delhi. Camera: Darshan Singh
In Afghanistan’s central Bamiyan province, women have enjoyed relatively more freedom than elsewhere in the country. But many of them are now facing an uncertain future. VOA’s Ayesha Tanzeem reports.Camera: Rahim Gul Sarwan
Saffron is a highly coveted spice that can cost up to $10,000 a kilo. VOA’s Ibrahim Rahimi reports on Afghan efforts to cultivate the pricey red spice.
There are an estimated 300,000 drug addicts in Afghanistan’s southern city of Kandahar, and authorities say that number is rising. The city is unable to help them all, as VOA’s Azizullah Popal reports from Kandahar. Bezhan Hamdard narrates.Producer/camera: Azizullah Popal.
Taking a trek in the Himalayan mountains on the weekend or before starting work is not unusual for 28-year-old information technology professional Divyen Jain. It’s a significant change from his life in India’s information technology hub of Bengaluru, where, like millions of others, he was cloistered indoors as “work from home” became the new norm after the COVID-19 pandemic. “I could not meet friends, there was no life outside home so it was affecting mental stability personally as well as professionally. Good ideas were also not coming,” recalled Jain. When travel resumed, Jain headed to the northern hill state of Himachal Pradesh to work from a more relaxed, scenic environment. After a week in Bir town, he went to a homestay in Pulga village where, his workstation was often a bench under a fruit-laden tree. “I can’t explain, I feel happy,” said a rejuvenated Jain as he played with dogs on the property located in an apple orchard. “Productivity is definitely up. Even at the end of the day I don’t feel stressed at all because every day you get to do lot of other things.” With good network connections now available across much of India, some professionals are relocating to small hill towns or beaches as the “work from home” norm continues for thousands in the nation’s pandemic-scarred cities. A group of employees from an information technology company based on the outskirts of New Delhi set up their base in Bir. Coming with their families for several weeks to a place virtually unscarred by COVID-19 was an easy decision, said the head of the company. “If you have to work remotely, why not go to a place where you can roam around and not spend your life locked down in one place, where all you can do is go from room to room,” pointed out Gajender Nagar, chief executive officer of Sophos IT Services. He initially came to Bir for two weeks in September to see if it would be feasible for his team to work from the place that he has frequented since he was young. He returned last month with members along with their families – they plan to stay here for up to two months. Children can play outdoors and laptops are often taken under a sun umbrella. Yoga in the morning and a long walk in the hills is the norm after work winds down ...
COVID-19 is resurging in places around the globe. VOA’s Saman Khan has this report from Lahore, Pakistan on what the Punjab government is doing to contain the deadly virus. Bezhan Hamdard narrates.
This week gunmen stormed Kabul University in the Afghan capital, killing at least 19 people and wounding more than 20 others. Monday’s deadly attack is just the latest example of how violence is on the rise in Afghanistan, as its government tries to negotiate a peace deal with the Taliban insurgency. VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb has more. Camera: Ahmad Javed Producer: Carla Babb
The United States has announced nearly $200 million in additional humanitarian assistance to Rohingya refugees who fled what the U.S. and others call ethnic cleansing in Rakhine State in Myanmar three years ago. VOA's Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine has more on Thursday’s global donor conference. Camera: Steve Sanford Producer: Mary Cieslak
It has been two months since Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny fell ill from a near-lethal poisoning attack while campaigning in Siberia. Currently recovering from the incident in Germany, Navalny says he is intent on returning to Russia where his role in politics is as fabled as it is uncertain. Charles Maynes reports from Moscow.Camera: Ricardo Marquina Producers: Ricardo Marquina, Barry Unger
As the Afghan Taliban tries to negotiate a political settlement with the government, many musicians in the country are worried about the impact a deal will have on their ability to work, as VOA’s Ayesha Tanzeem reports from Kabul.Videographer: Ahmad Javed, Rahim Gul Sarwan Producer: Marcus Harton
Female journalists in Pakistan are demanding an end to online harassment, including threats of sexual assault, that they face for their work. After several journalists posted a petition on social media calling for action, the government proposed a new law to curb the harassment. But some journalists have warned that such legislation could be used to limit speech. Gaitty Ara Anis reports for VOA from Islamabad.Camera: Gaitty Ara AnisProducer: Gaitty Ara Anis
Last weekend, there was a cease-fire in the battle for Nagorno-Karabakh, a breakaway region inside of Azerbaijan yet controlled and inhabited by ethnic Armenians. It lasted for only hours, or maybe even minutes. Fierce national pride is growing on both sides as towns and cities are attacked and civilians run for cover. VOA has this report with Yan Boechat in Nagorno-Karabakh.
NATO’s Senior Civilian Representative to Afghanistan Stefeno Pontecorvo says while both the Taliban and the Afghanistan Republic negotiation teams in Doha have entered the talks in good faith, the rigidity of the Taliban team is holding up progress. He sat down with VOA’s Ayesha Tanzeem in Kabul to discuss what he said were unacceptably high levels of violence, the future of NATO’s commitment to Afghanistan, and what the country might look like in ten years. Camera: Rahim Gul Sarwan and Hidayatullah Noori
World powers are calling for peace as the conflict continues between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh. The territory is in Azerbaijan but run by ethnic Armenians; both sides claim it as their own. Meanwhile in America, both Armenian and Azerbaijani diasporas are mobilizing to help their homelands. Angelina Bagdasaryan has the story, narrated by Anna Rice.Camera: Vazgen Varzhabetyan
Much like most of the world, Afghanistan has seen its share of business losses due to the pandemic, with its agricultural sector being hit particularly hard. VOA’s Asef Hussaini has more from Ghazni, Afghanistan in this report narrated by Bezhan Hamdard. Camera, Producer: Asef Hussaini
After U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted that all U.S. forces should return home from Afghanistan before the end of the year, defense officials in charge of executing that withdrawal have remained silent. Trump’s new deadline is much sooner than one put forward by his administration hours earlier, and military experts are raising concerns about the ramifications of such a move. VOA Pentagon Correspondent Carla Babb has more.
India is racing to build a network of roads to its disputed border with China as a military standoff between the two countries that began in May drags into winter. These roads will connect to military bases in border areas and help swiftly deploy troops and equipment to Ladakh in the Himalayan mountains. But as Anjana Pasricha reports from New Delhi, India’s rapid infrastructure development has fueled more friction with China.Producer: Jason Godman
The man heading Afghanistan’s peace efforts said Iran did not attend the ceremony marking the opening of talks with the Taliban due to tensions with the United States.“Iran was invited...Sometimes their relations with the United States which [are] under a lot of tension at the moment, those things affect their decisions [of] participating in a conference or not,” Abdullah Abdullah, the chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation told VOA in Islamabad toward the end of a three-day visit to Pakistan.Despite that, Abdullah said, Iran supported the peace process. He also acknowledged that Iran had “legitimate concerns” and “legitimate interests” in Afghanistan as a neighbor that hosts millions of Afghan refugees.He said Iran’s contacts with various Taliban groups could be used as an opportunity to advance peace efforts.The U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, told a Washington-based research group, the United States Institute of Peace, last week that the U.S.-Iran relations were getting in the way of Iran cooperating with Afghanistan’s peace process.Zalmay Khalilzad, U.S. envoy for peace in Afghanistan is seen during talks between the Afghan government and Taliban insurgents in Doha, Qatar, Sept. 12, 2020.“Iran would like to keep us entangled in a conflict without winning or losing but paying a high price until there is an agreement between the U.S. and Iran,” he said.Iran strongly refuted those claims and said it supported peace in Afghanistan, according to its official Islamic Republic News Agency, or IRNA.In the same story, IRNA quoted the deputy foreign minister for political affairs, Abbas Araghchi, as doubting the U.S. intentions in Afghanistan."We believe that the U.S. should not be trusted and that the U.S. presence in the region is dangerous and will cause a lot of discord in the region," said Araghchi.Abdullah’s Pakistan visit, in which he met with the country’s senior civilian and military leadership, is being viewed as a major shift in his approach toward Pakistan.Abdullah Abdullah, chairman of Afghanistan's High Council for National Reconciliation, left, meets with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, in Islamabad, Sept. 29, 2020. (Credit: Press Information Department)As the chief executive of Afghanistan in the former administration, he declined several invitations to visit the country.He said, however, that changes on the ground, including the fact that the Taliban and Afghan government were sitting across the table from each other in Doha, helped change his mind.“I thought that with the prime minister, Imran Khan, as ...
Millions of Afghans are closely watching preliminary peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban in Doha. Many are waiting to see whether the political freedoms and rights gained over the last 19 years will be protected in a future peace deal. VOA’s Najiba Khalil spoke to Mohammad Naim, the spokesperson for the Taliban’s political office in Qatar via Skype about women’s rights, press freedom, as well as Taliban attacks and filed this report narrated by Bezhan Hamdard.
As protests wracked India in the aftermath of a controversial citizenship law passed last year, a wrinkled 82-year-old grandmother sitting with defiant eyes and prayer beads in her hands became the face of resistance to the legislation.Known only as Bilkis, she braved New Delhi’s coldest winter in more than a century to sit for more than three months in the front rows of a protest led by Muslim women. Her fiery resilience won her a place in Time magazine’s 2020 list of 100 most influential people.The magazine said Bilkis became the “voice of the marginalized” and the symbol of resistance “ in a nation where the voices of women and minorities were being systematically drowned out by the majoritarian politics of the [Prime Minister Narendra] Modi regime.” She features in the magazine’s category of icons.Bilkis came to be popularly known as one of the “dadis” or grandmothers of Shaheen Bagh – a largely Muslim neighborhood where women had blocked a major road after Modi’s Hindu nationalist government passed a law that critics have slammed as discriminatory because it excludes Muslims from the list of six religious groups among persecuted minorities in three neighboring countries that can get expedited citizenship.“For us, there is no fight between Hindus and Muslims, Sikhs and Christians. Our fight is with the new law. That is why I am sitting here. Take it back and I will get up,” she told VOA in January.Her slight bent frame wrapped in a shawl, she arrived every morning and sat late into the night listening attentively as women read out the preamble of the constitution, made speeches and sang patriotic songs as a reaffirmation of their citizenship.Bilkis was vocal about what drew her daily to the protest – worries that the new citizenship law will set the stage for a national register of citizens that could make some Indian Muslims vulnerable by calling on them to show proof of citizenship. Modi’s government has said such fears are misplaced and denies that the law is discriminatory.Those assurances have done little to ease the fears of women like Bilkis, who said she was determined to fight religious discrimination in a secular country.“We will not accept this law. This is a free country and that is how we want it to stay,” she said.'We will not budge'The Time article on Bilkis said she “gave hope and strength to activists and student leaders” ...
An 82-year-old Indian grandmother who became the symbol of resistance to a controversial new citizenship law passed last year that prompted widespread protests has been named as one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people. The protest was cleared in late March after India imposed a stringent lockdown amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Anjana Pasricha spoke to her during the protest in New Delhi.Producer: Jason Godman. Videographer: Darshan Singh.
Afghan journalists covering the government’s peace talks with the Taliban in Doha, Qatar, say Kabul did not provide them with full access to information. The government has reiterated its pledge of transparency and support for press freedom in the peace talks process. But journalists say they are concerned an agreement between Afghanistan and the Taliban could mean a loss for media freedom and access to information in the future. VOA’s Samsama Sirat files this report from Kabul, narrated by Bezhan Hamdard.
A recent survey by the nonprofit Eurasia Group Foundation found strong public support among Republican and Democratic voters for Trump administration-backed peace talks to end the 19-year-old U.S. war in Afghanistan. The survey found that younger voters are especially fatigued with American involvement in foreign conflicts and want Congress to slash military spending. VOA's Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports from Washington. Produced by: Rob Raffaele
The closure of schools due to the coronavirus pandemic has been a test for children with mental and physical disabilities and their families, all over the world. The daily routine has changed dramatically, affected their learning process and put pressure on parents. VOA’s Saman Khan has filed a report on how parents and children are adapting in Lahore, Pakistan.
The Afghan government and the Taliban started intra-Afghan talks Saturday in Doha, Qatar. Afghan civilians say that both sides should agree to an immediate cease-fire. VOA’s Hikmat Sorosh reports from Kabul.
India and China have agreed to disengage their troops and deescalate tensions that flared following a fresh dispute along their contested border in the Himalayan mountains. However, analysts say overcoming their differences will not be easy. Anjana Pasricha reports from New Delhi.
This month marks three years since Myanmar’s military launched an escalated campaign against the mostly ethnic Muslim Rohingya in Rakhine state, with systematic rape, beatings, killings and burning of villages. Now, activists are calling on the United States to designate the persecution of the Rohingya as genocide, saying if the U.S. leads, other countries will follow. VOA’s diplomatic correspondent Cindy Saine reports from Washington. Camera: Steve Sanford
More and more COVID vaccines are entering phase three of clinical trials. Several Chinese pharmaceuticals are among those developing vaccines, and Indonesia has decided to partner with them. But researchers in Indonesia are also looking to develop their own homegrown vaccine. VOA's Rendy Wicaksana looks at efforts to test vaccines in (the province of) West Java and the capital, Jakarta. Camera: Rendy Wicaksana
In India, the annual monsoon season has led to widespread flooding and other disasters killing at least 150 people and displacing or affecting nearly eight million others, from vast rural areas in the north and east to states in the south and west. Experts blame the deadly flooding on climate change and warn that unless more attention is paid to sustainable development, such disasters could worsen in years to come. Anjana Pasricha has a report.
Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani issued a decree Monday to release the 400 Taliban prisoners that the Afghan government considered ‘dangerous.’ This comes after the Loya Jirga, or grand assembly, on Sunday endorsed the release of the remaining Taliban. VOA’s Hikmat Sorosh reports from Kabul.
South Asian women living in the US with their immigrant husbands or male partners are a unique community. Their isolation and dependence have created a difficult situation for many of these women who are also trying to adjust to being outsiders in a western country. Iram Abbasi reports.Camera: Qazafi Babber, Aunshuman Aapte Producer: Iram Abbasi
Afghan officials said Tuesday that dozens of Islamic State and Taliban prisoners were able to escape from a prison in eastern Nangarhar province after it was attacked by militants. IS took responsibility for the attack. VOA’s Zabiullah Ghazi reports from Jalalabad.
Students in Indian-controlled Kashmir have had a difficult year. Authorities closed schools in August 2019 after political disturbances in the once-semi-autonomous region. Schools opened in February but promptly closed again because of the coronavirus pandemic. As VOA’s Arash Arabasadi reports, students may have found a solution to their education problem right under the sun.Produced by: Arash Arabasadi
The COVID pandemic has presented authorities in Lahore Pakistan with all kinds of challenges: they’re dealing with shortages, a rise in cases, and a rise in disinformation about the virus. VOA’s Saman Khan reports. Camera: Saman Khan Producer: Saman Khan
As in other countries, India’s hospitality industry is among the worst hit sectors by the COVID-19 pandemic. Cautiously, however, some restaurants are reopening, prepped up to navigate a post-COVID world with new norms. And although the Indian capital is one of the cities hit hard by the pandemic, four months on people are ready to step out, bringing some hope to an industry that has cost millions their jobs and where many are still shuttered. Anjana Pasricha has this report from New Delhi.Camera: Darshan Singh Producer: Rod James
Indian cities, long a magnet for migrant workers, may be losing their lure for the millions who have joined the exodus back to their villages during the COVID-19 pandemic in the biggest reverse migration witnessed in India. As cities continue to grapple with rising infections and millions lose jobs, many are opting to start life all over again in the safer environment of their villages. Anjana Pasricha has this report about villages in the northern Himachal Pradesh state.VIDEOGRAPHER: Rakesh Kumar PRODUCER: Jason Godman
The U.S. says it has upheld its part of an agreement with the Taliban, drawing down its forces in Afghanistan to 8,600 troops. But peace in the war-ravaged country remains elusive, as Taliban violence against Afghans has surged. VOA's Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine looks at the prospects for long-awaited peace talks between the Kabul government and the Taliban.Camera: Mohammad Ahmadi, Saine Skype Video interview