Spanish Troops Die in Afghan Copter Crash

A helicopter belonging to the NATO-led international security force crashed in western Afghanistan Tuesday, killing 17 Spanish troops, officials said.

A second helicopter also made an emergency landing and an unspecified number of troops on board were believed to be injured, said Maj. Andrew Elmes, a spokeswoman for the International Security Assistance Force in Kabul.

He said the cause of the crash and the emergency landing — both in the desert south of the western city of Herat — were believed to be mechanical failures. He did not elaborate. In Madrid, a Spanish Defense Ministry official who asked not to be named said 12 soldiers and five crew died in the accident, but that the cause was unknown.

Elmes declined to comment on the nationality of the troops or how many casualties there were. He said rescuers were on the site, recovering the dead and wounded.

"We do not think the helicopter crashed because of enemy activity. We think it was an accident. We think it crashed into the ground after a mechanical failure, but we are not sure and we are investigating," he said. "The second helicopter landed heavily. There are survivors from that helicopter."

He said both choppers were on a training mission to support legislative elections next month. Afghan army commander Abdul Wahab Walizada said troops had been deployed to the area to provide security.

President Karzai Expresses Regret At the Cyprus Plane Crash - Date of Release: 15 August 2005

Arg, Presidential Compound, Kabul – H.E. Hamid Karzai, President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, expressed his regret at the death of 121 people on board a Cyprus plane which crashed into a mountainside in suburban Athens on Sunday, 14 August 2005.

The President, on behalf of the people of Afghanistan and the Government, expressed his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and the people of Greece and Cyprus.

Released by the Office of the Spokesman to the President - Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

Afghanistan's Taliban threatens to kill kidnapped Lebanese engineer

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Aug 16 (AFP) - Taliban militants threatened Tuesday to kill a kidnapped Lebanese engineer if his Turkish construction company fails to leave Afghanistan within 24 hours. The engineer, Ahmed Reza, was abducted on Monday near Qalat, the capital of the restive southeastern Zabul province, local officials said.

"If the Turkish company he works for will not leave or prepare for leaving we will kill this engineer" by 12:00 pm (0730 GMT) on Wednesday, Abdul Latif Hakimi, the ousted regime's purported spokesman told AFP. Some of Hakimi's claims have proved unreliable or exaggerated in the past.

A number of engineers working on construction projects in Afghanistan's restive south and east have been kidnapped by militants. Hostage-takers killed a Turkish road worker in December last year in the eastern province of Kunar during an abortive rescue attempt by Afghan forces.

Italian aid worker Clementina Cantoni was kidnapped and then released by a criminal gang in the Afghan capital Kabul this May, although her abduction was not thought to have any link with Islamic militants.

Three United Nations workers were abducted from the centre of the capital, Kabul, and held for nearly a month before being released unharmed in late 2004.

As Afghanistan approaches landmark September parliamentary elections, Taliban loyalists and their Al-Qaeda allies have stepped up attacks on US and Afghan troops and softer targets such as aid and reconstruction workers.

Afghan Foreign Minister Prepares Australia Visit

16 August 2005 (RFE/RL) -- Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said today he will discuss Australia's impending deployment of troops in Afghanistan when he meets his Afghan counterpart in Canberra this week.

Afghan Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah will arrive in Australia on 17 August and will leave on 21 August for New Zealand. During his visits to the two countries he is scheduled to meet Australian Prime Minister John Howard and New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, as well as foreign and defense ministers.

Australia has promised to send 150 elite troops to Afghanistan by September to fight insurgents. It is also considering sending up to 200 more troops as part of a reconstruction team early next year.

New Zealand has a 40-strong elite commando unit currently fighting insurgents in Afghanistan and a 120-member Provincial Reconstruction Team in the northern province of Bamiyan.

Official campaign period begins - Source: Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan / August 15, 2005

The official campaign period for the Wolesi Jirga and Provincial Council Elections will begin this Wednesday August 17 2005 and will continue until September 15, with a 48hr 'campaign silence period' before polling day on September 18.

Although candidates have been able to hold campaign rallies, distribute posters and leaflets since they were certified by the Joint Election Management Body (JEMB) and subject to the laws of Afghanistan, the start of the official campaign period means they will now be able to broadcast campaign advertisements on both TV and radio, through a regulated system.

Candidates will be able to access a Sponsored Advertisement system which is being supervised by the Media Commission.

"This facility will enable candidates to produce and broadcast campaign advertisements on radio and television free of charge, courtesy of donors, for an equal amount of airtime. Under the sponsored advertisement system, every candidate will have an equal opportunity to reach voters in their constituencies through the broadcast media", said Bissmillah Bissmil, Chairman of the Joint Electoral Management Body.

Each Wolesi Jirga candidate will be allocated an advertisement of five minutes to be broadcast twice on radio or one advertisement of two minutes to be broadcast twice on television. Provincial Council candidates will be entitled to one advertisement of four minutes broadcast once on radio or one advertisement of two minutes broadcast once on television.

The Media Commission has already started work to ensure that voters have an opportunity to make an informed choice when they vote. It will monitor fair reporting and coverage of the electoral campaign period and will deal with any complaints concerning breaches of the Media Code of Conduct.
Mr Bissmil added: "We want a lively peaceful campaign of free expression, without fear of intimidation and encourage all candidates to make full use of the official campaign period to reach voters through radio or television, as it is the voters who will have the final responsibility for selecting our representatives and deciding the future of our country."

Pakistan says Sept. 15 deadline for repatriation of Afghan refugees won't be extended

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - (AP) Pakistan's Interior Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao says a Sept. 15 deadline for repatriation of 6,000-7,000 Afghan refugees from the capital Islamabad will not be extended.

Sherpao made the remarks Monday while addressing a meeting held to review arrangements for sending the refugees to their country, according to the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan news agency.

In Islamabad, about 50,000 refugees have been living in mud houses, and in the first phase about 6,000-7,000 are being repatriated. Others would be sent back to their country with the help of a U.N. refugees agency in the next two years.

The government has also said that it would shut two camps for refugees in northwestern Pakistan near the Afghan border before Aug. 31. Pakistan is a key ally of the United States in the war on terror in Afghanistan. Authorities started closing down refugee camps near the Pakistan-Afghan border after receiving reports that remnants of Taliban had been hiding out in the region.

Pakistani Border officials hold 53 Afghan "illegals" – DPA 08/15/2005

ISLAMABAD - Pakistani border officials yesterday arrested at least 53 Afghan nationals believed to have illegally crossed the frontier between the two countries. The Afghans were arrested close to the town of Chaman in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province, officials said. Chaman is 110km north of the provincial capital Quetta and borders Afghanistan's Spin Baldak province. "All the 53 illegal Afghan entrants have been handed over to the local police for interrogation," said a spokesman for the Frontier Corps.

Recently, Pakistan's government further tightened security along its porous borders with Afghanistan to prevent a possible influx of Afghan nationals who returned to their country during the last three years under a UN-sponsored repatriation programme. There are still more than 3mn Afghans in Pakistan, of which around 1.3mn live in 116 refugee camps mostly situated in the Northwestern Frontier Province (NWFP) and in Balochistan.

Pakistan had recently announced plans to shut down all the Afghan refugee camps in the country's tribal regions bordering Afghanistan by August 31, citing security reasons. Approximately 105,000 refugees live in 32 camps in the Bajur and Kurrum agencies of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of northwestern Pakistan. The government has already closed refugee camps in South Waziristan and North Waziristan, which straddle Afghanistan's Paktika and Khost provinces.

Pakistan army troops have been combing the North and South Waziristan regions since early this year amid repeated allegations from Kabul that Al Qaeda and Taliban militants use Pakistani border territory for subversive activities inside Afghanistan.

Another Afghan private television channel goes on air

KABUL, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Another private television channel the Aryana Television was inaugurated in the Afghan capital Monday evening bringing the number of the small screen in the post- Taliban nation to four.

Established and financed by an Afghan-born American Ahsanullah Bayat, the Aryana Television will broadcast political, economic, sport news, and entertainment as well religious programs for several hours daily.

The channel currently covers the capital city and would soon cover 16 provinces of Afghanistan's 34 provinces, according to its chairman. Speaking on the occasion, Bayat described the new TV channel as independent and said the Aryana television has no link with political parties or groups.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai in his message read out at the ceremony termed the inauguration of Aryana television as another step towards freedom of _expression and strengthening democracy.

Three more private television channels namely Aaina TV, Afghan TV and Tolo TV have already established in Afghanistan over the past three years to compete the state-run national television.

After the collapse of the Taliban regime in late 2001, the mushroom growth of print and electronic media begun in Afghanistan and so far over 80 newspapers, weekly and magazines have been publishing parallel to state-run media in the war-torn country. During its six year-reign, the Taliban regime had outlawed television, cinema and music as un-Islamic practice in Afghanistan. Enditem

Attempt at destroying Kajaki dam foiled

LASHKARGAH/KABUL, August 14 (Pajhwok Afghan News): Security officials in the southern Helmand province claimed foiling an attempt to destroy a dam while huge quantity of weapons were recovered in the Bala Koh area of the Sarobi district, east of the central capital.

Helmand deputy security chief Mahmood Khan told Pajhwok Afghan News security officials had recovered arms and ammunition hidden to target the Kajaki Dam, located some 160 kilometres north of the provincial capital.

He said the seized arms included 172 bullets of MB-12, 123 mortar bullets and 126 mortar fuses. The arms were hidden by Taliban in the Zamin Dawar area of the Kajaki district to target and destroy the dam.

Elsewhere, security officials recovered different arms and ammunition during an operation in the Bala Koh area of the Sorobi district. The arms were hidden there to be used during the upcoming parliamentary elections, claimed a security official, who opted not to be named.

The cache of seized arms included two 82 mm artillery, a mortar, four machine- guns, 9 boxes full of bullets, 2 anti-tank mines and 100 fuses of BM-12 with 50 bullets.

Afghan flag raised along with Maple Leaf as Canada takes over Kandahar site

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (CP) - The flag of Afghanistan has been raised along with the Canadian Maple Leaf at the home of Canada's new provincial reconstruction team in Kandahar.

The flags were hoisted today after an American flag was lowered in a ceremony to mark the official handover of the compound from U.S. to Canadian command. Canada has roughly 250 soldiers at the base, more than double the size of the American force that was replaced this week. They will soon be joined by members of the RCMP, along with personnel from Canada's International Development Agency and Foreign Affairs.

In the meantime, Canadian soldiers are patrolling the streets of the violence-plagued city, as well as outlying areas. They hope to bring stability to the region as Afghanistan approaches national elections scheduled for Sept. 18.

Indian firm set to light up Kabul SANJAY DUTTA Times of India, 15 Aug.

NEW DELHI: After the Himalayas, stateowned transmission monopoly Power-Grid Corporation is preparing to scale the mighty Hindukush in Afghanistan to light up Kabul by wheeling electricity from Tirmiz in Uzbekistan.

The company signed an MoU with the external affairs ministry on Friday to lay a 202-km transmission line between Afghanistan's Pul-e-Khumri and Kabul for wheeling up to 200 mw electricity from generation units in Uzbekistan.

The company last month completed the tendering process, with a Modi group company bagging the job. Scaling mountains and high passes, it seems, comes naturally to PowerGrid. The company is laying a 220-km transmission line across the Himalayas between Leh and Kargil in Ladakh.

Both in Afghanistan and Ladakh, the lines will have to be laid across avalanche and blizzard-prone altitudes of 14,000 ft where temperature plummets 30 degrees below freezing point for most part of the year.

The Afghan project is to be completed in 46 months during which time workers will have to brave dangers from leftover landmines, lack of oxygen, 4-6 metres of snow and howling winds that cut through heavy woolens.

India willing to deepen relations with neighbors: PM

NEW DELHI, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Monday that India is willing and ready to deepen itstrade and cultural relations with China for the benefit of the tw onations.
Speaking on the 58th anniversary of India's Independence Day, the prime minister said India has had centuries-old links with China, its largest neighbor, and it is a relationship from which both countries have learnt a lot and imbibed a lot.

"We are today willing and ready to deepen our trade and cultural relations with China for the benefit of the two nations. The agreement arrived at between our two countries in April has paved the way for a closer relationship," he said.

Speaking about India's relationship with other neighboring countries, such as Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives and Myanmar, he assured them that India is willing to work together with them for promoting development, prosperity and peace in the region.

Terming his recent visit to the United States as a major step in promoting friendship with that country, he said by deepening its economic and technological relations, "we will be acceleratingour own growth."
India, he said, will deepen its friendly relations with Russia,an old friend which has helped it in difficult times. Underlining the importance of strengthening ties with countriesto India's east, he said the recently concluded trade agreement with Singapore was a major step in improving economic engagement with the region.

Voicing India's desire to see Afghanistan prosperous and strong, Manmohan Singh said he would soon be traveling to that country andtry to strengthen and support democracy and economic growth in allpossible ways.

"We have had historic links and relations with Afghanistan. It is our desire to see Afghanistan prosperous and strong," he stressed. The prime minister is expected to undertake the trip to Kabul later this month after the end of the monsoon session of parliament. Enditem

Food processing plant established in Parwan

CHARIKAR, August 15 (Pajhwok Afghan News): A food processing plant in the central Parwan province has been established with a $4 million aid from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Spread over an area of 10 acres, establishment of the factory had created 10,00 jobs and enabled the northern provinces to export fresh vegetables to other countries.

Engineer Haroon, an official of the project, told Pajhwok Afghan News this was the first vegetable processing plant in the country established by the USAID. He said vegetables like carrot and tomato would be packed and processed in the plant for onward shipment to international market.

The step, he said, would enable the country to save huge quantity of vegetables from going rotten and earn reasonable profit for the farmers. Earlier, the growers used to sell the produce at a throwaway price or being exploited by traders for non-availability of any such facility in the region.

He said the factory's work force comprised 400 women and remaining men including individuals who had joined the UN-backed Disarmament Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) programme.

Haroon informed 40 per cent income so generated would be shared with the farmers while the remaining 60 per cent would be paid in term of salaries and other expenses.

Nooria Siddiqi, an employee at the newly-established plant, told this news agency mostly war-widows had been given jobs in the factory. She said they were happy to earn 150 afghanis a day to support their families.

Bank Alfalah’s Kabul branch to open Sept 4

PESHAWAR – The News International: The Bank Alfalah chief executive officer Mohammad Saleem Akhtar has said a branch of the bank would be opened in Kabul on September 4.

Speaking at a dinner hosted by Bank Alfalah in Peshawar Saturday night, he said the branch in Kabul would offer a range of services including non-stop banking, swift arrangements to ensure timely remittances, online banking, ATM and credit cards. Besides, he said foreign trade-related services and corporate and consumer lending would also be offered.

A press release said guests from various walks of life including businessmen, diplomats, and bankers attended the dinner. Afghanistan’s consul general in Peshawar, Abdul Khaliq Farahi, the Afghan trade commissioner Muhammad Tahir Fidayee and his deputy Muhammad Asif Nisaree, and UNHCR Peshawar representative Abdul Hameed Ahmadzai were among the guests. Bank Alfalah’s senior executives Naim Beg Mirza and Muzammal Z Malik were also present on the occasion.

The bank’s chief executive officer Mohammad Saleem Akhtar said Bank Alfalah in keeping with its reputation would be a trendsetter in Afghanistan and would aim at expansion of its network to major commercial centres in the country and grooming of local talent. He noted that Bank Alfalah started its international banking services a few months ago by launching its operations in Bangladesh. Earlier, he said the bank achieved a remarkable position in banking in Pakistan. "After Afghanistan, expansion in other countries is also key feature of the bank’s future planning," he added.

It may be added that the Abu Dhabi’s royal Al Nahyan family, which owns Bank Alfalah, has shown confidence in this region by investing heavily in Pakistan and other countries. It has expanded its investment in Pakistan from banking after acquiring United Bank Limited to telecommunication by introducing Warid Telecom. The group has now spread out into real estate and is building Pakistan’s tallest building in Lahore.

Press Briefing by Adrian Edwards - UNAMA Spokesman - Kabul – 15 Aug

ط Reintegration of ex-combatants

With reintegration, the numbers continue to rise. 59,293 ex-combatants have now either entered or completed this last stage of DDR. I have seen some recent media reporting that has confused the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration programme with DIAG, or the Disbanding of Illegal Armed Groups. So that this is clear, DDR has to do with the dismantling of the former army and restructuring of the Ministry of Defence. DIAG is about dealing with illegal weapons and illegal armed groups. Although their broad aims are overlapping – they aim at improving security – please do note that these are separate programmes.

ط Disbandment of Illegal Armed Groups (DIAG)

On the disbanding of illegal armed groups, the Afghanistan New Beginnings Programme has now verified 8,337 weapons as having been handed over, including 4,352 belonging to candidates. In addition, field missions have been conducted in the past week to Panjshir, Kunar, Herat and Jalalabad.

As the official campaign period for the elections begins on Wednesday this week, candidates are reminded once again that anyone found to be in violation of the election law can be disqualified, and this until results are certified. This regulation includes full compliance with the disarmament process, namely not to engage - or reengage - in any activity implying links to illegal armed groups and also not to rearm.

ط Justice Conference

A reminder that the Government of Afghanistan is launching its policy paper on justice at a 3-day conference, which starts today in Kabul.

This policy paper, which is called ‘Justice for All’ and redefines the strategy for justice in Afghanistan, will articulate the Government’s proposals about how to fill the gaps in Afghanistan’s justice system and sets out the timeframe for this important work to be done.

Representatives of all national justice institutions will attend the conference and discussions over the coming days will focus on reforming the law, making the institutions work, consulting with the community on traditional justice, and integration with other government programmes.

The justice conference, which opened with an exhibition this morning, is taking place at the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul and will run until August 17th. Interested media representatives are welcome to attend.

ط International Monetary Fund (IMF)

The International Monetary Fund’s fourth review under the staff-monitored programme for the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan has now been published.

The review focuses on policy areas including poverty reduction, fiscal policy, external sector and debt management, and structural reforms.

It follows extensive discussions with Afghan Ministers of Finance, Economy, Commerce and other senior Afghan government officials, as well as representatives of NGO’s and the donor and business community in the spring of 2005.
ط World Bank to improve basic urban services

To improve delivery of basic urban services in the most vulnerable areas of Kabul, the World Bank has provided a US $25 million interest free loan to the Government of Afghanistan through a Kabul Urban Reconstruction Project.

To launch this initiative, the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing (MUDH) and the World Bank are currently conducting a three-day workshop in Kabul on ‘urban upgrading’ [August 13th-15th].

Briefing By Sultan Baheen, JEMB National Spokesman

In 2 days time, August 17th, the official campaign period for the Wolesi Jirga and Provincial Council elections starts. During this time, all candidates will have an equal opportunity to access radio and television slots. Each Wolesi Jirga candidate is entitled to a 5-minute advertisement to be broadcast twice on the radio, or 1 advert of 2 minutes to be broadcast twice on the TV. Provincial Council candidates are entitled to 1 advert for 4 minutes on the radio or 2 minutes on Television. Also candidates can use 4 pages of print media - state or private media. This is not sponsored however.

We have a press release in 3 languages here on this, and also on Wednesday we will have a press conference on the start of the official campaign period. The Media Commission will be available to speak on this and answer your questions.

As we are getting closer to election day, one of the issues that is very important for the media, as well as political parties and candidates, is accreditation. So far 19 domestic organisations, 7 international organisations, 50 political parties, and 650 independent candidates have been accredited for observation of the election.

I want to ask representatives of the media and political parties who haven’t received their accreditation to come as soon as possible. We are close to election day and it may be a rush, especially for international journalists. So it is time for you to come forward and be accredited.

Questions & Answers:

Question: There are opportunities for a candidate to have interviews on TV and radio for their campaign. But what opportunities have been provided for candidates that are far away from Kabul?

Sultan Baheen: Tomorrow we will announce the list of radio and TV stations for candidates and this will include governmental and non-governmental radio and TV stations. Furthermore, in all our JEMB offices, we have some information available to candidates which explain how to use these facilities.

Question: Five minutes is not very long for candidates to express their viewpoint?
Sultan Baheen: 2, 4, or 5 minutes in enough time. Normally candidates can say 400 words in 5 minutes. Our media commission has provided guidelines, which advises candidates on how to best use the time they have for their campaigning.

Question: Can they pay for their own campaign?
Sultan Baheen: The candidates do not have the right to use more than this allotted time. If they do, both the media outlet and the candidate are violating the electoral rules.

Question: Regarding the elections budget, is there any change to the USD 19 million shortfall?
Spokesman: There is nothing new at the moment on the amount, but the need is still the same – that this money arrives as soon as possible. When you have an election you don’t want the money to arrive at the last minute. I will emphasise once again that our expectation is that the election will go ahead. This is not an election delay or an election postponement issue. But…the money needs to come quickly.

Question: Regarding the candidates campaigning, if they break the electoral law is there a Commission that can take action. Also in your weekly JEMB press conference you said that geographical location could cause problems for the transportation of ballots to the regions. Have there been any developments on this?

Sultan Baheen: The Media Commission will look into all cases of offences during the campaign period. Regarding Badakhshan province, we have sent the ballot boxes and yesterday we sent the ballot boxes and ballots to Ghazni. We are trying to do the job according to the proposed plan. When we mentioned problems such as geographical location, we wanted to inform you that such problems exist and we are trying to solve them.

Question: Millions of ballots will be printed – will this create opportunities for violations?
Sultan Baheen: We have more than 12 million eligible voters – but there are 24 or 25 million ballot papers for election day for the eligible voters for the Provincial Council and Wolesi Jirga. Furthermore, every electoral jurisdiction should have extra ballots in case more people turn up than expected. There should be 10% extra ballot papers available in case of shortage in the provinces. There is an international standard that the number of ballot papers is more than the number of eligible voters. After the election we collect the remaining ballot papers from the centres in the provinces. This is under the supervision of the political parties and international advisors, who monitor this process. There is no room for concern from the political parties or candidates regarding this issue.

Question: Should the candidates come to Kabul from the provinces to access the radio and TV stations for their campaigns?

Sultan Baheen: The candidates can use their local media outlets and tomorrow we will issue a list of available stations.

If the Afghans can... Los Angeles Times 08/15/2005 - By J. Alexander Their

THE TRUE TEST of a constitution is whether it can resolve the inevitable turmoil that will rattle any political system. Iraq is already in crisis, and its new constitution will help determine if the nation will embrace a common future or descend into civil war.

In late 2003, the Afghan people grappled with many of the same issues that Iraqis face today: power-sharing among ethnic groups, the role of Islam in the legal system, women's equality and the presence of foreign troops. Three crises have tested the new constitution since it was ratified in January 2004. Afghanistan's first crisis arose 10 days after the new document became law. The chief justice of the supreme court, a conservative Islamic cleric, declared it was un-Islamic, and therefore illegal, to broadcast videos of a singing woman on national TV.

At issue was the role of Islam in the legal system, and the chief justice claimed the power to decide what "Islamic" means. But his actions were unconstitutional. The legal question of women appearing on television was not before the court. The chief justice had disregarded all legal procedure and announced his decision as if a monarch.

The minister of information and culture, who is responsible for the TV station, refused to obey the court's order. It may have been the right decision in the short term, but it established a dangerous precedent: The executive branch had ignored the judiciary. A system of checks and balances only works if all parties play by the rules. In this case, neither side did. Iraq also faces the challenge of defining Islam's role in its constitution. Conservative Shiite politicians want this power. But many Iraqis don't want to live under clerical rule. To avoid the rupture that occurred in the Afghan system, the Iraqis must be careful to define — and limit — the power to use religion as a political weapon.

A warlord sparked the second Afghan constitutional crisis. Under the constitution, the central government in Kabul appoints provincial governors and other officials. It also collects customs revenues. The warlord, Ismail Khan, and his private militia controlled several provinces in western Afghanistan. He collected and kept the revenues from cross-border trade. Government officials were ignored or chased out of town. Khan's audacity daily cost the new government credibility.

One day, Khan and his government-appointed rivals got into a firefight. With help from the U.S. military, President Hamid Karzai dispatched a unit of the new national army to stop the fighting and remove Khan from power. Khan's soldiers burned down government and international offices in Herat. Calm returned after a few days, but tensions remain. The issue of how to share power between the central government and the regions was left unresolved.

The third constitutional crisis occurred just after Karzai was elected president in October 2004. The constitution states that Afghan citizens who hold a foreign passport cannot be appointed to the Cabinet unless they surrender their passport or a special vote of parliament approves their appointment. Karzai's top picks had been out of Afghanistan for many years and were reluctant to give up their foreign citizenship. But there was no elected parliament to approve the exceptions.

Some of Karzai's advisors said he had the power to make the appointments because there was no parliament. Opposition politicians argued that without a parliament, he couldn't appoint anybody with a foreign passport.

The crisis dragged on for weeks, and the capital ground to a halt. Karzai eventually decided to interpret his constitutional obligations strictly: He would not appoint anybody who refused to renounce their foreign citizenship. He lost some of his first choices but made it clear he was constrained by the law — a message more powerful than any minister.

The most difficult decision facing leaders in Iraq, Afghanistan — or in any democracy — is whether to play by the rules. A constitution is just words on paper. If leaders are willing to follow the law no matter how disadvantageous in the short term, there is hope. When politicians trample the law for their own gain, however, not even the eloquence of Thomas Jefferson can save the day.

J. Alexander Thier is director of the Project on Failed States at Stanford University's Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law. He served as legal advisor to Afghanistan's constitutional

Afghan War Criminals Poised For a Comeback - By S. Mudassir Ali Shah –South Asia Tribune

KABUL, August 16: With the much-hyped parliamentary elections weeks away in Afghanistan, dozens of candidates accused of war crimes remain in the field amid growing criticism from human rights activists and civil society organizations in Afghanistan and abroad.

Under the electoral law, all Afghans not convicted by court are eligible for contesting the ballot. But how can one think of convicting powerful warlords and gunmen in a country where the judiciary had been non-existent for all practical purposes over the last 25 years of strife?

Of the 208 wannabes barred from the September 18 vote, only 11 were accused of maintaining links to armed groups. In what can be best described as a hogwash or plain pretence, the poll panel singled out one known former commander retaining connections with private militias.

How foolproof or credible the scrutiny of the more than 5,500 contenders has been can be gauged from the fact that a large number of ex-commanders and militia leaders - accused of involvement in war crimes, gang activities and drug trafficking - are not only in the race but are also well poised to force their way to parliament.

Adrian Edwards, spokesman for the UN Assistance Mission for Afghanistan (UNAMA), co-organizer of the elections under the Bonn Agreement, admitted the process may have imperfections and flaws. He also acknowledged some criminals, whose backgrounds were unclear to the Joint Electoral Management Body (JEMB), might stay in the electoral fray.

"Unfortunately, we have to accept the possibility of such people contesting the elections. But we do hope they don't make their way to the new parliament... and it is up to the people whom they vote for," Adrian Edwards reasoned in an exclusive chat with Pajhwok Afghan News.

In many manifestations, one can see the continued, brazen disregard for the rule of law, constitutionalism and democratic norms in today's Afghanistan. People with murky past and bleak track records continue to hold high-profile positions in the US-baked Karzai administration.

Stained as it is by regional strongmen and thugs, the incumbent Afghan government responded rather coldly to calls from the respected New York-based Human Rights Watch and the Afghanistan Justice Project for arraigning war criminals. Coming from a government hostage to political expediency and vested interests, the reaction was par for the course.

Based on two years of research and interviews with victims of rights abuses and war crimes, the Human Rights Watch repot - released on July 6 - is a damning indictment of several senior Afghan officials. In no uncertain terms, the HRW report - covering the period of Afghanistan's civil war from April 1992 to March 1993 - lashed out at government policy of lending political legitimacy and an aura of gravitas to warlords. A sad commentary on the state of affairs in Afghanistan, the report also takes a swipe at the United Nations for uncritically supporting the embarrassing measure.

Ten days later, the Afghanistan Justice Project (AJP), another human rights body, issued a comprehensive report that documented war crimes and crimes against humanity perpetrated from 1978 to 2001. This organization too demanded of the Afghan government and the international community to take meaningful steps towards trying war criminals and mitigating the victims' persistent plight.

Wholesale massacres, disappearances, summary executions of tens of thousands of civilians, indiscriminate bombings, torture, mass rapes and other spine-tingling atrocities have been recorded in the chilling account of rights abuses committed since the late 1970s.

According to the well-researched report, some of the worst atrocities were committed by people, now ensconced in senior official positions and running for the first post-Taliban legislative elections. Escalating violence and a funding shortfall have also put a damper on the oft-touted polls.

More than three years of investigations and toil have gone into the report that held Karzai's Chief of Army Staff Abdul Rashid Dostum, Second Vice President Karim Khalili, Abdul Rab Rasul Sayyaf, Mohammad Mohaqiq, former defence minister Mohammad Qasim Fahim and the prime minister Gulbadin Hekmatyar responsible for unspeakable brutalities.

Haji Sher Alam, who led the troops involved in one of the most appalling massacres of 1993 in the Afshar locality in western Kabul, was recently appointed as governor of the southern Ghazni province. He is directly linked to the flattening of a whole district and mass killings and rapes, charges the report.

Syed Muhammad Gulabzoi, former interior minister who controlled the police, and Shah Nawaz Tanai, defense minister and in charge of the Afghan Army during the Communist regime, have also been branded as war criminals. But Gulabzoi has intriguingly qualified as a candidate for the national assembly from Khost and Tanai's newly registered political party has fielded many candidates.

A survey conducted by Afghanistan's Independent Human Rights Commission in January found that most Afghans have - directly or indirectly - been victims of war crimes and rights abuses. It indicated a thumping majority of the long-wronged citizens believe prosecuting rights violators would bolster peace and security in the country.

The survey suggested a widespread but pent-up anger over the inclusion of warlords and militia commanders in the new political system. The commission recommended the creation of a special prosecution office within two years and a war crimes court in five. The report has since been approved by President Hamid Karzai, who promised to implement the commission's recommendations.

Hollow promises and sugar-coated slogans apart, the government has not yet initiated even a single determined move towards the trial of war criminals, bolstering the fragile judiciary or improving the security situation.

Soon after the HRW report was issued, Karzai's spokesman Karim Rahimi announced the formation of a fact-finding commission to probe war crime allegations and the presence of 'war criminals' in the government. In a knee-jerk reaction, he regarded the report as incomplete, imbalanced and focused on the rights situation in a particular period of time.

However, despite his reservations, the spokesman promised the inquiry committee would be set up in a week's time to launch investigations into the allegations. "Action will be initiated against government functionaries found involved in war crimes," he went on to hold the assurance.

But more than four weeks down the road, there is no sign of the commission the spokesman had promised to set up within a week to look into the serious charges against men in high places. The cynics believe issues the government does not want to resolve are assigned to commissions, widely blasted for trying to hush up important matters Ask the skeptics why the findings of the commissions - appointed over the last three years and a half to investigate different issues like the killing of four cabinet ministers - were not made public.

They maintain the rulers will be better off without going through the charade of appointing commissions and inquiry committees on questions of public interest. Acknowledging the fact that the war-ravaged country lacked mechanisms to bring the perpetrators of crimes against humanity to justice, the AJP posited the government could start taking baby-steps in that direction, as judicial reforms were imperative for dealing with past abuses.

Mohammad Nasim Faqiri, spokesman for the Jamiat-i-Islami, contended mujahideen and the communist regime were not tarred with the same brush. The latter, he observed, was guilty of organized crime against its foes while the mujahideen dispensation was clean on that count.

Abuses in their era were committed by a handful of irresponsible individuals and groups, he elaborated, asking why the rights groups did not document violations of the pre-Communist era.

Vice-President Karim Khalili's Hezb-i-Wahdat stressed the rights watchdogs must work without discrimination and bias. Such organizations, the party contended, should not be driven by ethnic and political considerations.

Last month, a British court set a welcome precedent by handing down a 20-year jail sentence to an Afghan warlord on charges of summary executions, the slaughter of 11 men in a vehicle and torturing many innocent compatriots. Living illegally in south London prior to his arrest, Sarwar Zardad Faryadi's conviction represented a significant precedent: torture perpetrated in one country was prosecuted in another for the first time.

While handing down the landmark ruling, Justice Tready remarked the 42-year-old, who controlled a number of military check-posts between Kabul and Jalalabad, was personally involved in acts of torture and hostage-taking by allowing his men to commit the outrages.

"The trial of Sarwar Zardad Faryadi in Britain on charges of conspiracy to torture and hostage-taking from 1992 to 1996 and the detention of Hesamuddin and Habibullah in the Netherlands are important international initiatives," the AIHRC said on July 19. Hoping the steps would help bring to justice perpetrators of crimes against humanity in Afghanistan, the human rights watchdog said the first-ever international trial on charges of previous crimes against humanity would end the culture of impunity and boost popular confidence in the transitional justice system in the country.

The AIHRC called on prosecutors of other countries to emulate the British paradigm in dealing with Afghans accused of human rights abuses in accordance with the principle of universal jurisdiction. How many war criminals are prosecuted and denied the right to contest the upcoming elections is a question that President Karzai and his backers are expected to answer. As they harp on bringing democracy to Afghanistan, it would not be out of place to remind Messrs Karzai, Bush and Blair that cherry-picking is inconsistent with the very spirit of democracy and goes against the grain of the rule of law.

Despite the Karzai administration and the UN going into overdrive to establish that the polls would usher in good governance and transparency, there is already a distinct straw in the wind the outcome may not translate into the long-cherished change. For sure, the announcement of a decided and coherent policy on contending with war criminals will earn Karzai a good deal of goodwill besides setting in motion a process of accountability.

Given the trail of death and destruction it has witnessed over the last two decades and a half plus its aftermath, Afghanistan cannot dream of having a perfect or ideal election. Psephologists are spot in in their assessment of the situation. But people at the helm of affairs in Kabul and their global backers must not lose sight of the screaming reality that apart from triumphs and defeats, there is much else is at stake at the polls.

Can Afghanistan afford to fall back into the hands of warlords and war criminals in the wake of the elections? Odds are that many of them, if not stopped in their tracks, will end up in the lower house of parliament and hijack the system once again in the fullness of time. And should that come to pass, Afghanistan will be in for a tragedy of gargantuan magnitude, for which the incumbent government and its sympathizers will bear principal responsibility.

From Canada to Kabul: Afghan singer seeks to restore music education – UNHCR 08/15/2005

KABUL – His songs evoke the harsh beauty of his native Afghanistan, a country he fled more than 12 years ago, but they were composed in a green and tidy suburb of Toronto, Canada, where he now lives. Like his music, Amir Jan Saboori is a man capable of crossing boundaries, maintaining links with his past while embarking on a new life in what initially seemed like a strange and distant land.

Among his admirers in Afghanistan and Afghan communities around the world, Saboori is considered one of the leading figures in Afghan folk music. A new CD titled "This is Life" is his first release since seeking refuge from his country's civil war more than a decade ago.

"For an entire month, I hid in a basement because of the rockets landing everywhere in the city," he says, recalling the months before he fled the violence for Uzbekistan. There, he registered with UNHCR and lived for 11 years with his wife and three children. Then came the offer to relocate to Canada.

"It was hard at first, especially for the children," he says of the initial days in Canada. "They were attending a new school, they didn't speak English and they had to try and make new friends. I had an easier time as I was immediately welcomed by the Afghan community. But now the kids speak English very well and are always eager to go to school each morning."

Back in Afghanistan for a personal visit, Saboori points to his children's attachment to their new home and the warm welcome his family has received in Canada as reasons why they have no immediate plans to return to their homeland. But he remains committed to helping to rebuild Afghanistan.

"For me, being back home is not simply about being here physically and meeting my friends and relatives. I may not live here any longer, but helping this nation is still my responsibility, particularly in the field of music."

The study and practice of traditional Afghan music suffered during Afghanistan's decades of conflict. During the years of the Taliban, music of any kind was strictly forbidden.

While in Afghanistan, Saboori is meeting with government officials and academics in an effort to create music schools where a new generation can learn about the traditions of Afghan music while safeguarding its future.

"The best way to help strengthen the field of music in Afghanistan is to establish schools where musicians both living here and in other countries can come together and exchange ideas," he says. Nearly 4 million Afghans have made the journey home since UNHCR began its voluntary repatriation programme in 2002, following the fall of the Taliban.

Although Saboori has opted to stay in Canada for now, he remains committed to the development of Afghanistan. And he is convinced that all Afghans have a role to play. As he says in one of his songs: "Whether you are near or far, let's put our hands together to rebuild this nation." By Nader Farhad
UNHCR Kabul

Businessman, 23, Crowned Mr. Afghanistan – AP 8/15/05

KABUL, Afghanistan - Khosraw Basheri feverishly pumped iron for years, toning his body so it rippled with muscle and veins. His hard work paid off Saturday, when he claimed a historic title in his war-battered country — Mr. Afghanistan.

The 23-year-old businessman from western Herat province flexed and grinned his way to victory in Afghanistan's first-ever national competition to select a top bodybuilder.

"I will never forget this day, the day I became Mr. Afghanistan," said Basheri, sweat and makeup streaming down his massive frame. "This has been my hope for the past two years, since I started preparing myself for this."

At 96 kilograms (212 pounds), Basheri was among the heaviest contenders in the event, which featured nine weight classes and was held at a dilapidated movie theater in the Afghan capital, Kabul.
Forty-eight competitors from across the country struck poses onstage, twisting their oiled torsos to display swelling back and abdominal muscles or extending legs to show off sinewy calves. Some winced, others forced smiles.

More than 200 spectators — some wearing turbans, others three-piece suits — crammed into the theater to watch the bodybuilders, who qualified for the event by winning contests in their home provinces and represent the sport's national appeal.

"The most popular sport after football (soccer) in Afghanistan is bodybuilding," said Sayed Mohammed Payanda, secretary general of Afghanistan's National Bodybuilding Federation. "Most people in Afghanistan, especially young people, like bodybuilding very much."

It's so popular, in fact, that Arnold Schwarzenegger — the former bodybuilder and movie star turned California governor — is among the most widely recognized Western celebrities here.

Modern gyms and athletic clubs have popped up in many provinces in recent years, Payanda said, adding that some Afghan bodybuilders have returned from neighboring Pakistan and Iran since the hard-line Islamic Taliban regime was ousted in 2001 and President Hamid Karzai subsequently took office.

But Afghanistan's bodybuilding community is still reeling from the loss of its entire national team — 13 leading competitors — in a 1993 plane crash in the country's north. "We lost most of Afghanistan's national bodybuilders, but we are trying our best to make a good team," he said.

Three Pakistani judges — all former bodybuilding champions in their home country — chose Saturday's winners from a field of musclemen who ranged ages 22-34.

Mr. Afghanistan and some of the other competitors will compete at coming regional and international championships in South Korea and China later this year, Payanda said.

Basheri, who has been lifting weights and bulking up for the past eight years, started competing professionally in 2001 and represented Afghanistan at an overseas contest in Bahrain last year.

Asked about his future hopes, the bodybuilder said: "I want my country to be peaceful and quiet and independent. There has been war here for more than 25 years, so I hope we will have peace."

US avoids comment on China link

WASHINGTON, Aug 13: The US State Department has refused to confirm or deny claims that China provided missile technology to Pakistan, which enabled Islamabad to test a cruise missile. Pakistan tested on Thursday its first cruise missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads and conventional payloads up to 500km.

In an earlier statement, the State Department had said that the Pakistani test did not aim at threatening neighbours, although Islamabad had failed to warn India before the test.

In the department’s regular briefing on Thursday, a reporter had asked deputy spokesman Adam Ereli if the US had reasons to believe that China had provided technology for this test. Mr Ereli told the reporter that he had “nothing to share” with him.

VIEW: Political dynamics of counter-terrorism —Dr Hasan-Askari Rizvi

If the government continues the current policies towards the seminaries and the Islamic hardline organisations indefinitely, the MMA may contest this in the streets. In the past, its hard-hitting statements diluted government policies. If they realise that this strategy is no longer working, they may mobilise street power

Pakistan faced serious issues of security and survival in the immediate aftermath of independence. Fifty-eight years later, on August 14, 2005, security continues to be the major policy concern, albeit with some changes. Now, Pakistan faces security and survival challenges domestically. External threats have declined, although not eliminated altogether.

The domestic challenges pertain to state and society. Many political analysts underline the need for addressing the domestic challenges if the Pakistani state wants to meet its domestic and international obligations.

The most serious domestic challenges are: reversing Pakistan’s drift towards religious and cultural intolerance and extremism, and combating Islam-invoked violence and terrorism. In July, the Pakistan government decided to adopt measures to bring Islamic seminaries under government scrutiny and update their academic programmes. It also arrested several hundred activists of banned extremist-sectarian organisations and disallowed these organisations from functioning under new nomenclatures.

The government has been pursuing these policy measures for the last one month and President General Pervez Musharraf’s statements reflect his determination to contain Pakistani Islamic hardliners and extremists. If this policy is pursued indefinitely, it will be a departure from the counter-terrorism policy initiated in January 2002.

Pakistan joined the global efforts against terrorism in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in the United States on September 11, 2001. President Pervez Musharraf embarked on a tough policy to combat extremism and terrorism in Pakistan, targeting the Pakistani and non-Pakistani extremist elements and organisations as well as Islamic seminaries, which were described as a source of extremism and sectarianism.

Within a couple of months, the government modified its counter-terrorism strategies to accommodate its domestic power imperatives. It continued arresting Al Qaeda activists, and initiated military operation in South Waziristan in June-July 2003 against Al Qaeda related foreign militants and their local supporters.

However, it decided to go soft on Pakistani Islamic hardliners which also gave a breathing space to Taliban activists in Pakistan. Some banned Pakistani Islamic and sectarian groups resurfaced with new names in 2003. The government also stopped pursuing Islamic seminaries for registration and updating their curricula. This was done to appease the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), a conglomerate of six Islam-oriented parties that had links to some seminaries, supported the Taliban and sympathised with Al Qaeda. It also opposed Pakistan’s active role in the global effort against terrorism.

By softening the policy, the government obtained MMA’s cooperation for the government’s domestic political agenda, including passing the 17th constitutional amendment. This also helped the government keep the mainstream political parties off-balance and check their political activities.

If the government is now serious about containing Islamic extremism and militancy it will have to pursue the current policies to their logical conclusions. As a result the government will be confronted with several new issues and problems with implications for the future of the present-day political order.

Even if Pervez Musharraf is serious about controlling Islamic hardliners, it is difficult to say that all senior members of his government share his views. Some team members do not appear to be enthusiastic about the new policy. Chaudary Shujaat Hussain, president of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League, questioned the decision to send back foreigners studying at seminaries. He accepted this decision after meeting President Musharraf, which appears to be a tactical retreat rather than a change of heart. Two members of the federal cabinet, the ministers of education and religious affairs, in separate statements argued that the seminaries were not linked with extremism and militancy.

If it is true that the seminaries have nothing to do with extremism, sectarianism and militancy, why go after them? If these institutions are non-partisan and purely academic, they should left alone. But those in the government know the mindset and worldview these seminaries produce in their students. The leading seminaries subscribing to two major Islamic denominations dispatched their students to fight along with the Taliban in Afghanistan.

The lack of enthusiasm on the part of some people at the senior government level can dilute the policy’s implementation. The president should monitor if the policies are being implemented in their true spirit and without delay.

The government needs to understand that far reaching changes in the society cannot be effected merely by issuing administrative orders. The police can arrest some activists and the bureaucracy can collect data on the seminaries but if the problem has to be resolved, political support must be cultivated for these policies.

The government must expand its support base. Having alienated the MMA, it is now more isolated. The government should cultivate political parties and groups that share its views on religious extremism and terrorism. This calls for opening up the political system to the mainstream political parties that will then mobilise people for a moderate and balanced perspective on social and political issues.

If the government continues the current policies towards the seminaries and the Islamic hardline organisations indefinitely, the MMA may contest this policy in the streets. In the past, its hard-hitting statements diluted government policies. If they realise that this strategy is no longer working, they may mobilise their street power, ie seminary students and party activists, some of whom are linked with militant Islamic organisations.

In such a situation the government may have to compromise with the MMA, diluting its policy towards seminaries and militant Islamic organisations. The other option is to seek political accommodation with the mainstream political parties. Staying away from both is not viable. The government cannot command the situation by alienating both the MMA and the mainstream political parties.

The government needs to extend its support base for another reason. Religious orthodoxy and extremism is not limited to seminaries and hardline Islamic organisations. It has pervaded the administration, the media, educational institutions and the military because for years, the Pakistani state (read the Army and the intelligence agencies) patronised these tendencies.

During General Ziaul Haq’s rule public display of religiousness often helped professional careers. The government consciously played up pan-Islamic sentiments and the “betrayal” of the Muslims by the West to divert the people’s attention from domestic affairs. The people socialised into these orientations have now reached the middle and higher level in their professions. They demonstrate a decisive tilt towards Islamic hardliners.

The government should adopt a long-term comprehensive policy covering the religious and other sectors of the society to address the deep-rooted problems of extremism and terrorism. The current power architecture in Islamabad may not be able to do this without thoroughly reviewing its political equations, removing the internal resistance to its policies and extending its support base.

The 'Great Game' in Central Asia - (Pak media)

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) has finally challenged America. On July 5, presidents of the Russian Federation, the People's Republic of China, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Republic of Tajikistan, the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Kyrgyz Republic met in Kazakhstan and unanimously demanded of the "United States to set a date for withdrawing from military bases in Central Asia (SCO with a population of more than 1.4 billion is a quarter of total world population)."

Russia and China want the US out of Central Asia. Intriguingly, SCO's demand was timed to come out on the eve of the G8 summit when the leaders of the United States of America, France, Germany, Canada, Italy, Japan and Russia were to meet at Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland.

In the "Great Game", Russia and China both long for ending America's "monopoly in world affairs". Starting from the late 1990s up until 2004, leaders of former Soviet Republics played Washington against Moscow to extract benefits from both. In 2004, a Washington-backed "Rose Revolution" in Georgia unseated President Eduard Shevardnadze and brought in pro-U.S. Mikhail Saakashvili (it is called Rose Revolution because Saakashvili's supporters marched on the parliament with roses in their hands). In 2005, a Washington-backed "Orange Revolution" brought in Mikhail Saakashvili to power defeating Soviet-backed Prime Minister Yanukovych (Orange Revolution because Yushchenko's campaign colour was orange).

To be certain, it is in the economic interest of America -- and her allies -- to expand free markets and install US-aligned democracies. In the region, there have already been US-backed "regime changes" in Georgia, Ukraine and Azerbaijan (in 2005, Kyrgyzstan also went through "regime change"). Leaders of other former Soviet republics feel threatened and can no longer playoff Washington against Moscow. They must now pick sides and form strategic alliances.

America stands for US-guided democracies and WTO. The Russia-China axis, in the other corner of the ring, accepts authoritarian form of governance along with less than free markets. If America is looking for democratic reforms, the Russia-China axis stands for the preservation of the status quo. If America is looking for transparency in international trading practices, the Russia-China combine is willing to offer their own domestic markets to all potential geo-political partners.

On July 29, Islam Karimov, Uzbekistan's authoritarian president, fired the first real shot. Karimov left a note at the US embassy in Tashkent ordering the US Department of Defence to "cease operations at the Karshi-Khanabad (K2) Air Base within 180 days (K2 has served as an important US Army logistics base to support Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan)."

America's "Great Game" is all about the establishment of areas of influence in the resource-rich Russian backyard, containment of China and isolation of Iran. As a rebuttal to America's "Great Game" in Central Asia, the triangular nexus now taking shape is the Moscow-Beijing-Tehran axis.

On July 1, presidents Hu Jintao and Vladimir Putin met at the Kremlin and -- as if preparing grounds to confront Washington's presence in Central Asia -- agreed to solve all their outstanding border disputes. On July 2, the "Joint Statement of the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation Regarding the International Order of the 21st Century" sent a message to Washington stating that "the peoples of all countries should be allowed to decide the affairs of their own countries, and world affairs should be decided through dialogue and consultation on a multilateral and collective basis. The international community should thoroughly renounce the mentality of confrontation and alignment, should not pursue the right to monopolise or dominate world affairs, and should not divide countries into a leading camp and a subordinate camp..."

Where does Pakistan stand in the "Great Game" in Central Asia? Which nexus are we going to become a part of? India, for now, is trying to play both sides, China as well as the US. India craves to stand up to China -- with US help -- but is certainly not looking for a direct confrontation with the panda next door.

[Disclaimer: The content of this news bulletin does not necessarily reflect the view or policy of the Afghan Government, unless specifically stated as such. The collection of articles and commentaries from Afghan and international news sources is provided for informational purposes, and accuracy of the news is the responsibility of the original source.]