AGL 40.01 Decreased By ▼ -0.01 (-0.02%)
AIRLINK 187.98 Increased By ▲ 9.91 (5.57%)
BOP 10.12 Increased By ▲ 0.16 (1.61%)
CNERGY 7.11 Increased By ▲ 0.17 (2.45%)
DCL 10.15 Increased By ▲ 0.06 (0.59%)
DFML 41.57 No Change ▼ 0.00 (0%)
DGKC 107.91 Increased By ▲ 1.02 (0.95%)
FCCL 39.00 Decreased By ▼ -0.03 (-0.08%)
FFBL 82.02 Increased By ▲ 0.13 (0.16%)
FFL 14.90 Increased By ▲ 1.20 (8.76%)
HUBC 119.46 Increased By ▲ 0.21 (0.18%)
HUMNL 14.05 Increased By ▲ 0.05 (0.36%)
KEL 6.40 Increased By ▲ 0.49 (8.29%)
KOSM 8.07 Increased By ▲ 0.01 (0.12%)
MLCF 49.47 Increased By ▲ 1.37 (2.85%)
NBP 73.66 Increased By ▲ 0.83 (1.14%)
OGDC 204.85 Increased By ▲ 11.09 (5.72%)
PAEL 33.56 Increased By ▲ 1.41 (4.39%)
PIBTL 8.07 Increased By ▲ 0.05 (0.62%)
PPL 185.41 Increased By ▲ 11.34 (6.51%)
PRL 33.61 Increased By ▲ 1.01 (3.1%)
PTC 27.39 Increased By ▲ 2.12 (8.39%)
SEARL 119.82 Decreased By ▼ -5.14 (-4.11%)
TELE 9.69 Increased By ▲ 0.27 (2.87%)
TOMCL 35.30 Decreased By ▼ -0.09 (-0.25%)
TPLP 12.25 Increased By ▲ 0.63 (5.42%)
TREET 20.26 Increased By ▲ 1.84 (9.99%)
TRG 60.78 Increased By ▲ 0.29 (0.48%)
UNITY 37.99 Decreased By ▼ -0.22 (-0.58%)
WTL 1.65 Decreased By ▼ -0.01 (-0.6%)
BR100 11,772 Increased By 249.2 (2.16%)
BR30 36,584 Increased By 1034.2 (2.91%)
KSE100 110,810 Increased By 1913.6 (1.76%)
KSE30 34,429 Increased By 620.5 (1.84%)

KABUL: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani dismissed two leading ministers charged with the country’s faltering security Friday, in a surprise announcement a day after a major conference in Russia called for a reduction in fighting.

In a statement from the president’s national security council, the palace announced army chief of staff General Mohammad Yasin Zia would double as defence minister, replacing Asadullah Khalid, who is believed to be suffering from serious health issues.

Former Kandahar and Nangarhar governor Hayatullah Hayat, meanwhile, will take over the interior ministry from Masoud Andarabi, with the palace citing the need to improve “the security situation” in the country.

The shake-up comes a day after leading world powers at a summit in Moscow urged the Taliban to refrain from launching a spring offensive in the war-weary country, where the insurgents have battered security forces with onslaughts across the country.

Major urban centres in Afghanistan are also in the grip of a worsening terror campaign in the form of deadly attacks targeting politicians, civil servants, academics, rights activists and journalists.

Russia, the United States, China and Pakistan said a reduction in violence in Afghanistan was necessary for the warring sides to “create a favourable atmosphere for achieving a politico-diplomatic settlement”.

The summit comes as the US is trying to breathe life back into a faltering peace process between the Afghan government and the Taliban just weeks ahead of a May 1 deadline for American forces to exit the country.

US President Joe Biden’s administration has called for a review of the deal signed with the Taliban by his predecessor that paved the way for the withdrawal, spurring furious speculation over Washington’s future role in Afghanistan.

Comments

Comments are closed.