Runner-up in Afghan vote strikes conciliatory tone
KABUL, Afghanistan — The runner-up in Afghanistan’s bitterly disputed presidential election, Abdullah Abdullah, struck a conciliatory note toward President-elect Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai in a speech Thursday in which he confirmed that he would join the government as its chief executive officer.
Disease of Pakistan’s poor now worries the affluent
KARACHI, Pakistan — Until recently, polio was considered a poor man’s problem in Pakistan — a crippling virus that festered in the mountainous tribal belt, traversed the country on interprovincial buses, and spread via infected children who played in the open sewers of sprawling slums.
Drone politics take the center stage, even as strikes decrease
LONDON — For years, U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan’s tribal belt have been the subject of what might be termed a wink-and-keep-moving approach between the leaders of both countries.
Pakistan Christians demand protection after church bombing
LONDON — With its Muslim-style minarets topped by a large black cross, the All Saints Church in Peshawar, Pakistan, has for more than a century offered a daring architectural expression of Muslim-Christian harmony and cohabitation.
Pakistan takes step toward talks with the Taliban
ISLAMABAD — A conference of Pakistan’s political and military leadership on Monday agreed to clear the way for peace talks with the Pakistani Taliban, calling it the best strategy to end a decade of militant-driven bloodshed.
Drone strike reported in Pakistan tribal region
PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Two people suspected of being militants were killed Sunday morning in the volatile North Waziristan tribal region by what Pakistani and Taliban officials said was a drone strike.
Pakistani girl in Britain for care after shooting
ISLAMABAD — When the time came to choose medical treatment for Malala Yousufzai, the 14-year-old Pakistani schoolgirl who defied the Taliban and then was gunned down by them, her family and doctors faced a world of possibilities after a global outpouring of advice and offers of assistance.
Taliban release two Swiss hostages in Pakistan after 18 months
ISLAMABAD — An eight-month ordeal for two Swiss citizens held hostage in northwestern Pakistan ended early Thursday when their Taliban captors set them free, Pakistani security officials said.
Leadership rift emerges in Pakistani Taliban
ISLAMABAD — The Pakistani Taliban faced the prospect of a damaging leadership rift Monday when the abrupt dismissal of a senior commander provoked an angry reaction in the militants’ ranks, offering the Islamabad government a fresh opportunity to weaken a foe that in recent years has killed thousands of Pakistanis and tried to detonate a crude car bomb in Times Square in 2010.