News Desk The US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 was backed by most countries in the region, who shared the goal of ousting the extremist Taliban regime and eliminating the allied Al-Qaeda terrorist network. The governments in Tehran, Moscow, and Islamabad readily helped the United States fight the extremist groups. Iran provided crucial intelligence to support US special forces …

‘The unfinished business of decolonisation is the original sin of the modern aid industry.’ by Paul Currion This year calls for reform of the humanitarian system are proliferating. What’s unusual is that they are not just calling for technocratic fixes but for urgent engagement with real-world issues: a new model for humanitarian aid that puts anti-racism at its centre. Two …

‘Most parts of the world are safer than ever before. But a few are probably the most violent that human history has ever seen, says a study. Modern tribes are more violent, and categorize people into four types: bands, tribes, chiefdoms, and states, writes Charlie Sorrel in the Fast Company online magazine. In prehistoric times, bands and tribes were no more violent …

Participating teams of Gilgit-Baltistan Girls Football League  2019 at Passu, Gojal, Hunza: Photo: GBGFL Ayesha Izhar As the first ray of light gleams on the snow-capped mountains of Gilgit-Baltistan, a select bunch of girls wake up to prepare for a long day ahead, full of challenges. They will be playing football on the rugged mountainous terrain of the beautiful Gilgit-Baltistan’s …

Will the reopening of tourism in GB provide some relief or has the pandemic made the future of tourism more uncertain, questions Madeeha Syed in an essay published in Dawn Sunday issue.  As the country reels under a pandemic, tourism in Gilgit-Baltistan has been hit particularly hard. The prime minister announced the reopening of tourism, hoping it will provide some relief. But …

Digital Rights Movement Gilgit-Baltistan unveils 13-point Charter of Demands seeking an end to the monopoly of SCO, amendment to Pakistan Telecommunication Reorganization Act  Students trying to catch signal at a vantage point on a hillock at Gulmit, Gojal Sub-Division of Hunza to attend online classes. Photo: Ali Ahmed Herald Report The youth-led digital rights movement that was born out of …

Faiz’s ‘Hum Dekhenge’ has continued to inspire activists for decades. Why do the leftist poet’s words continue to resonate today? Protesters at an anti-CAA demonstration in India Siasat Daily From Iqbal Bano singing it to a charged crowd in Lahore in 1986 to students reciting its verses on-campus protests across India late last year, Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s ‘Hum Dekhenge’ has …

The COVID-19 pandemic shows how wildlife crime is a threat not only to the environment but to human health, according to a new UN report issued on Friday. The World Wildlife Crime Report 2020 outlines how trafficking in some wild species, which are then butchered and sold illegally, can increase the transmission of diseases that spread from animals to humans. No country …

32 students hailing from Gilgit-Baltistan are stranded in China waiting for repatriation for the last three months Herald Special Islamabad: Scores of students hailing from Gilgit-Baltistan are stranded in China due to non-availability of flights and closure of Khunjerav border. They have been notified by their universities and dormitories to leave the host country by July 20. Over 30 students …

By Aasim Sajjad Akhtar THERE are many in our land that falls into the category of what anti-colonial freedom fighter Frantz Fanon called “the wretched of the earth”, such as the cauldron of injustice and tyranny that is contemporary Pakistan. The almost daily tribulations faced by the diverse group of confessional groups officially known as ‘religious minorities’ are second to …