Azadi Briefing

Welcome to Gandhara's weekly newsletter. This briefing brings you the best of our reporting from Afghanistan and Pakistan.

If you’re new to the newsletter or haven't subscribed yet, you can do so here.

This week's Gandhara Briefing highlights our reporting on the devastation caused by the floods in Afghanistan, an Afghan woman accusing a Taliban official of rape, and the militants holding their first film festival.

Pakistan's Taliban Ties Take A Nosedive

I write about tensions increasing between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban, longtime allies who appear to have fallen out.

In recent weeks, the Taliban has accused Islamabad of permitting its airspace to be used by U.S. drones to strike targets in Afghanistan. In turn, Pakistan has accused the Taliban of harboring terrorists.

"The Taliban may have accepted Pakistani support for years but do not wish to be Pakistani proxies forever," Husain Haqqani of the Washington-based Hudson Institute told me.

Graeme Smith, a senior consultant for the International Crisis Group, says the sides have no option but to cooperate.

"The relationship will remain very fractious," he noted. "It's worth monitoring the flare-ups of violence, but the incentives for cooperation are overwhelming."

Pakistan Reels From Effects Of Climate Change

Majeed Babar reports on how the residents of the picturesque Swat Valley are grappling with the impact of climate change, which has been blamed for torrential rains and widespread flooding across Pakistan.

The floods have damaged key infrastructure, destroyed hundreds of homes, and displaced thousands of people in Swat.

Local resident Khayal Muhammad said his 75-year-old father died after learning the floods washed away their home.

"None of our elders have any memories of such destruction," said Shah Faisal, a lawyer.

University student Shahab Shaheen expressed the anger and bewilderment felt by many locals. "We didn't do anything wrong to the climate, so why are we getting slapped back?" he asked.

Taliban Harasses Diners

Radio Azadi reports on how Afghans are no longer visiting restaurants because of Taliban harassment. The Taliban's morality police often target couples, demanding they prove they are married.

"They asked my husband, 'Who is she, and why have you brought her here?'" Maryam Hotak, a housewife in Kabul, said of her treatment. "When we told them we were married, they asked us to prove it."

Idrees, a manager at an upscale Kabul restaurant, says the Taliban’s harassment of his customers has affected his earnings.

"The Taliban ask [people] why they are sitting together," he said. "This is why people are avoiding restaurants, which has ruined our business."

Another Unexplained Disappearance

Radio Azadi reports on the mysterious disappearance of a former senior Afghan aviation official.

The family of Mahmood Shah Habibi says the Taliban detained him in early August. But the militants claim to not know of his whereabouts.

"He never committed any crimes, so why did the Taliban detain him?" his brother Ahmad Shah Habibi asked. "Why are they keeping him for so long?"

The Taliban declared a general amnesty soon after seizing power last year. But rights groups have accused the militants of killing, torturing, and arbitrarily detaining former members of the toppled Afghan government and its armed forces.

"His arrest and unknown fate are extremely worrying," said Qasim Wafaizadeh, Habibi's former colleague. "It does not leave any confidence in the general amnesty the Taliban declared."

That's all from me this week.

If you haven't subscribed yet, you can do so here. I encourage you to visit our website and follow us on Twitter and Facebook..

You can always reach us at gandhara@rferl.org.

Welcome to Gandhara's weekly newsletter. This briefing brings you the best of our reporting from Afghanistan and Pakistan.

If you’re new to the newsletter or haven't subscribed yet, you can do so here.

This week's Gandhara Briefing highlights our reporting on the devastation caused by the floods in Afghanistan, an Afghan woman accusing a Taliban official of rape, and the militants holding their first film festival.

Rising Pakistan Taliban Extortion

I report on the growing The Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), or Pakistani Taliban, extortion campaign in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.

The TTP began raising money in this way to increase its control in the region after hundreds of its militants returned there amid a standstill in peace talks with Islamabad.

"The TTP is demanding extortion from everyone they think can pay," Jamshid Khan, a businessman in Peshawar, told me after paying a big shakedown to the militants. "Most, if not all, wealthy individuals have paid it already."

Ayesha Siddiqa, a Pakistan security expert at the University of London, sees Islamabad as unwilling to go after the militants without Western funding.

"What will start in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will not end in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa," she warned. "It will extend all over the country."

Defiant Afghans Demand Girls' Education

RFE/RL's Radio Azadi reports on why Afghan elders, schoolgirls, and parents defy the Taliban by protesting the recent closure of schools for teenage girls in Paktia.

Their activism on the ground and online proves wrong the Taliban claim that Afghans don't want their teenage daughters to get an education.

"We are 100 percent in favor of opening schools," said Aminullah, a father of three teenage daughters who would go to the eighth, ninth, and 12th grades if schools were open. "We want the girls to have a better future."

Matiullah Wisa, an Afghan education activist, said people are disappointed by the school closures in Paktia.

"People expect schools from the government," he said. "It's an unfair decision. People are left in the dark."

(Read the charticle by Giovana Faria showing the dramatically curtailed rights of Afghan women and girls a year into the Taliban's rule)

Exiled Afghan Journalists In Limbo

Majeed Babar reports on the nearly 200 exiled Afghan journalists in Pakistan whose lives are in limbo as they see little prospects of finding a permanent home despite promises by Western governments and nongovernmental organizations.

"You work to tell the truth only to face death threats and find there is no one to protect us," said Nasrin Shirzad, who fled to Pakistan after the Taliban takeover.

The 42-year-old mother of three covered sensitive issues often clashing with the Taliban's hard-line views. She has so far been unsuccessful in convincing Western embassies that she needs asylum abroad.

"I don't know where to go," Sodaba Nasiry, a young journalist with the former Afghan parliament's television channel, told us.

Her e-mails and applications to the global press freedom watchdogs and the German, French, Italian, and Canadian embassies have so far not given her any hopes of settling abroad.

No Relief In Turkey

Radio Azadi reports on the plight of Afghan refugees and asylum seekers in Turkey, which has deported nearly 43,000 Afghans this year.

Ankara has ignored international calls to protect Afghans fleeing Taliban persecution and the economic collapse in their country.

"I see Afghans being rounded up every day and sent back to Afghanistan," said Faridoon, 39, who made a perilous journey to Istanbul through Iran with his four children.

"I worry about myself and my family," he said of the constant fear he lives under. "One day they will force us to leave, too."

Taliban's Faith Test

The Taliban's Finance Ministry is testing whether its employees have extensive knowledge of Islam to qualify as good Muslims entitled to keep their jobs.

All ministry employees are required to take the test outlined in a 10-page booklet. It addresses 53 topics ranging from testing an employee's knowledge of the five pillars of the Islamic faith to recognizing the signs that judgment day is imminent.

"When there is a lot of sin on Earth [and] when people disobey their parents," are two of the options listed to answer the question: "What are the signs of Judgment Day?"

That's all from me this week.

If you haven't subscribed yet, you can do so here. I encourage you to visit our website and follow us on Twitter and Facebook..

You can always reach us at gandhara@rferl.org.​