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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb met the United States Trade Representative on the sidelines of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-minister-to-discuss-reform-progress-during-imf-meetings-in-washington" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">World Bank-IMF Spring Meetings 2026</a>&nbsp;to discuss trade and investment cooperation. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the Ministry of Finance said on Tuesday that the minister met US Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer. <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 897px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2043881280518140360&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=74b8962279ce3262463b3b7843ce668276256c7f&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" data-tweet-id="2043881280518140360">&nbsp;</iframe></div></div><div class="fr-embed"><div> Aurangzeb said Pakistan is committed to strengthening economic relations with the United States through expanded trade and investment flows. He called for improved market access and a stronger business environment to support long-term economic ties.</div></div> The two officials held talks on advancing bilateral trade and investment. They discussed expanding market access for exports, increasing investment flows and deepening commercial linkages. They said they were satisfied with progress in ongoing trade negotiations and noted continued momentum in economic engagement. They said they will continue discussions on trade and investment.

Pakistan Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb speaks with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on the sidelines of the World Bank-IMF Spring Meetings 2026. (Ministry of Finance)

Economy

Pakistan’s finance minister met the US trade representative in Washington on the sidelines of the IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings 2026 to discuss trade, investment flows and bilateral economic cooperation.

Pakistan, US discuss trade expansion in Washington

WASHINGTON: The IMF cut its 2026 global growth projection Tuesday, warning that the world economy could be &quot;thrown off course&quot; by war in the Middle East as the conflict roils commodity markets and sparks higher prices.&nbsp;The global economy is set to grow by 3.1 percent this year, said the International Monetary Fund in its World Economic Outlook report, released during its spring meetings in Washington.&nbsp;This is down from 3.3 percent forecast in January before hostilities erupted as US-Israeli strikes against Iran starting on February 28 prompted Tehran&#39;s retaliation and sparked a broader conflict in the region.&nbsp;&quot;We were planning to upgrade growth for 2026 to 3.4 percent&quot; if not for the war, IMF chief economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas told AFP.&nbsp;Prices of oil, gas and fertilizers have surged due to the conflict, as Iran virtually blocked traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for shipments. US President Donald Trump has also ordered a naval blockade around Iran&#39;s ports.&nbsp;The fund expects higher inflation this year at 4.4 percent, 0.6 percentage points above its January forecast.&nbsp;After this the &quot;disinflation path&quot; of the past few years should reassert itself, Gourinchas said.&nbsp;But these projections assume a relatively short-lived conflict with temporary energy market disruptions.&nbsp;&quot;We have to be very concerned about the potential for this to become a major energy crisis,&quot; he warned.&nbsp;In more adverse scenarios where energy prices remain steep for the year, global growth could slow to 2.5 percent or even around 2.0 percent.&nbsp;&quot;Since 1980, it&#39;s basically been four times when growth has been at two percent or below,&quot; said Gourinchas.&nbsp;These included periods such as the 2008 global financial crisis and Covid-19 pandemic.&nbsp;&quot;This latest shock comes less than a year since the shift in US trade policies, and the transition to a new international trade system is still ongoing,&quot; the IMF said.&nbsp;A year ago, Trump unleashed sweeping tariffs on US trading partners, rocking financial markets and snarling supply chains.&nbsp;A swath of these tariffs has been struck down by the Supreme Court, but uncertainty lingers as Trump moves to reimpose duties via other means.&nbsp;Uneven impactAlthough overall revisions to global growth and inflation appear modest, the IMF cautioned that the war has taken a bigger toll on the Middle East and &quot;vulnerable economies&quot; elsewhere.&nbsp;&quot;The impact on emerging market and developing economies would be almost twice that on advanced economies,&quot; the fund said.&nbsp;Higher energy and fertilizer costs could bring steeper food costs, mainly hitting low-income energy importers, Gourinchas said.&nbsp;Growth projections this year for the Middle East and central Asia were cut by around half to 1.9 percent.&nbsp;Saudi Arabia, the Middle East&#39;s biggest economy, is set to see 3.1 percent growth this year, down 1.4 percentage points from January&#39;s expectation.&nbsp;Among the world&#39;s two biggest economies, US growth is still set to accelerate to 2.3 percent this year, although the pace of growth was revised slightly lower.&nbsp;&quot;The US at the margin is benefiting from higher energy prices,&quot; Gourinchas said. But gasoline prices have also jumped for consumers.&nbsp;China&#39;s growth is anticipated to cool to 4.4 percent, a touch below the January forecast, too.&nbsp;The IMF flagged an underlying &quot;unevenness&quot; in both economies.&nbsp;Domestic activity lags behind exports in China, while a strong showing in the United States has been accompanied by low employment growth.&nbsp;Euro area growth was revised 0.2 percentage points down to 1.1 percent for 2026.&nbsp;UK growth saw a bigger downshift by 0.5 percentage points, to 0.8 percent this year.&nbsp;While the IMF does not expect inflation expectations to go off-track, there is concern that they may not be as well-anchored as before.&nbsp;Past inflation episodes remain fresh in the public&#39;s minds, and firms might act to restore margins more quickly than before.&nbsp;&quot;If that happens, then you can get much more persistent inflation going on, that would be reflected in higher inflation expectations,&quot; Gourinchas said.&nbsp;If so, central banks might need to step in and raise interest rates to cool the economy, despite the ongoing negative supply shock.

Middle East

The International Monetary Fund cut 2026 global growth to 3.1% due to the Middle East war, warning of energy shocks, rising inflation, and slower growth especially in vulnerable economies with risks of a deeper global slowdown.

IMF cuts 2026 global growth forecast on Mideast war

ISLAMABAD: Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said the Trump administration has been unable to conduct the kind of disciplined, technically grounded diplomacy needed for negotiations on Iran&rsquo;s nuclear program. She was responding to a question during a recent interview on MSNBC&rsquo;s talk show Morning Joe.&nbsp; Clinton said negotiations are a slow, highly specialized process that requires officials with real expertise in nuclear weapons and verification, contrasting that with what she portrayed as the administration&rsquo;s reliance on a small inner circle to handle several major crises simultaneously. &ldquo;When I was Secretary of State, I began secret negotiations with Iran to try to reach a nuclear weapons deal to prevent it from ever having a nuclear arsenal. It was a very slow, deliberative process,&rdquo; she said. The former secretary said that the US would need to &ldquo;bring in people who actually know something about nuclear weapons.&rdquo;&nbsp; &ldquo;We had physicists and nuclear weapons practitioners at the table when our administration was negotiating the Joint Plan of Action [pact with Iran]. You need people who know something and know the history,&rdquo; she said. She was sharply critical of the administration&rsquo;s strategic judgment, saying she was stunned by reports that President Trump had not anticipated Iran could try to close the Strait of Hormuz.&nbsp; Clinton said that in the military exercises she attended while in government, closing the strait had long been seen as one of the most immediate risks in any confrontation with Tehran.&nbsp; She said she supported Trump bombing Iran&rsquo;s nuclear sites in June of last year because she thought that was an appropriate and limited strategic objective. &ldquo;[But] I opposed his incoherent attack on Iran,&rdquo; she said.&nbsp; &ldquo;I know from personal experience how Netanyahu has tried to get every American president to agree to have an open-ended war with Iran, because I had many hours-long conversations with him and his war cabinet about this and refused to go along with a very inchoate desire to do something to Iran that, you know, with no real end state,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I think you&#39;ve got to get back into hard negotiations with the right people at the table who know what they are doing. And I think you&#39;ve then got to make it very clear that we want our allies involved. We don&#39;t want to be dissing our allies because they have a big stake in this,&rdquo; she said. In her interview, Clinton urged Congress to assert its constitutional role and place limits on presidential war-making before lasting damage is done to American authority.

Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in a recent interview, says the US is in a ‘very weak position’ in its dealings with Iran, arguing that Washington has lost the leverage and initiative it once possessed.

US needs technically grounded diplomacy on Iran: Hillary Clinton

ISLAMABAD: Rockstar Games, the studio behind the forthcoming Grand Theft Auto VI, recently confirmed that hackers accessed company data through a third-party breach and issued a ransom ultimatum: pay up or face a public data dump. The hacker group ShinyHunters claimed responsibility for the intrusion, setting April 14 as its deadline. By the end of the day, a GTA countdown account on X reported that stolen files had appeared on the dark web, including financial data detailing GTA Online&#39;s revenue. Rockstar&#39;s response was measured. &quot;We can confirm that a limited amount of non-material company information was accessed in connection with a third-party data breach,&quot; a company spokesperson said. &quot;This incident has no impact on our organization or our players.&quot; Cybersecurity outlet The CyberSec Guru reported that ShinyHunters exploited Anodot, a SaaS cloud-cost monitoring tool Rockstar uses, to penetrate the company&#39;s Snowflake data warehouse. The hackers did not crack Snowflake&#39;s encryption. Instead, they obtained authentication tokens from Anodot&#39;s system and used them as digital passkeys to access Rockstar&#39;s Snowflake instance. &quot;If you give a tool like Anodot broad read permissions on your Snowflake warehouse and that tool gets compromised, the data is gone. Snowflake isn&#39;t the weak link here; the integration policy is,&quot; The CyberSec Guru said. Snowflake confirmed that a breach occurred on its platform, saying only a handful of customers were affected. ShinyHunters sent a direct message to Rockstar: &quot;Your Snowflake instances were compromised thanks to Anodot.com. Pay or leak. This is a final warning to reach out by 14 Apr 2026 before we leak along with several annoying (digital) problems that&#39;ll come your way. Make the right decision. Don&#39;t be the next headline. FINAL WARNING PAY OR LEAK.&quot; ShinyHunters is a prolific group of English-speaking cybercriminals, believed to be teenagers, who specialize in data theft and extortion. The BBC, which spoke directly with the group, noted that they had previously claimed responsibility for a breach at the ticketing giant Ticketmaster. Since January, according to several media outlets, the group has expanded its reach amid a wave of SaaS data thefts, targeting companies including Panera Bread and Salesforce. The stakes are considerable. GTA 6 is due for release on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S on Nov. 19, with a reported budget of approximately $3 billion. Leaked data could expose marketing timelines, unreleased trailers, or financial details, providing insider knowledge to betting markets tracking the game&#39;s release schedule. Rockstar&#39;s framing of the accessed data as &quot;non-material&quot; suggests the company does not expect a damaging GTA 6 content leak six months before launch, nor any disruption to its release plans. This is the third major security incident Rockstar has faced in recent years. In 2022, more than 90 videos and images from an early build of GTA 6 were leaked online by the hacking group Lapsus$, an intrusion that cost Rockstar nearly $5 million. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick called the incident &quot;really frustrating and upsetting to the team.&quot;&nbsp; In December 2023, the first GTA 6 trailer leaked on X less than 24 hours before its scheduled premiere, forcing Rockstar to release it on YouTube ahead of schedule. &quot;In terms of the leak, that&#39;s always disappointing for the team, but ultimately, I don&#39;t think it hurt us,&quot; Zelnick said at the time. Whether the current breach carries similar consequences remains unclear. Rockstar has not indicated it will pay the ransom.

Video Game

Rockstar Games confirms a limited data breach via a third-party tool, as hackers ShinyHunters claim responsibility and leak files online, issuing a ransom demand ahead of GTA 6’s planned release.

GTA 6 maker Rockstar breached: Hackers demand 'pay or leak'

NEW YORK: Iran slammed a US blockade around its ports on Monday as a &quot;grave violation&quot; of its sovereignty, as Washington and Tehran&#39;s belligerent rhetoric rattled a fragile truce. &quot;The imposition of a maritime blockade constitutes a grave violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran,&quot; Iran&#39;s ambassador to the United Nations Amir Saeid Iravani wrote to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, in a letter seen by AFP. The &quot;unlawful&quot; blockade also &quot;constitutes a serious violation of the fundamental principles of the international law of the sea,&quot; Iravani added. US President Donald Trump ordered a blockade of ships entering or leaving Iranian ports and coastal areas in the Gulf Sunday, following the failure of peace talks over the weekend, warning that any Iranian attack boats that challenged the blockade would be destroyed. The blockade came into force at 1400 GMT Monday, despite the United States and Iran agreeing to a two-week ceasefire days earlier, with mediator Pakistan and Gulf state Qatar continuing calls for it to be respected as diplomatic efforts continue. Guterres on Monday called on &quot;all parties&quot; to respect freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, after Iran and subsequently the United States blocked passage through the critical waterway. The strait, through which a fifth of global oil and gas flows, has become a key flashpoint as the US and Iran attempt to gain leverage over each other during ceasefire negotiations. Iravani said the &quot;unlawful&quot; blockade &quot;poses a grave threat to international peace and security and obviously exacerbates the risk of escalation in an already highly volatile region.&quot; In a second letter, the UN envoy called on Middle Eastern countries hosting US military bases to &quot;cease their internationally wrongful acts.&quot; Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan should pay &quot;compensation for all material and moral damage sustained,&quot; he said.

The narrow Strait of Hormuz lies between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, separating Iran (north) from the Arabian Peninsula (south). (NASA)

Iran condemned a US maritime blockade as violating sovereignty and international law, after Washington enforced restrictions near Iranian ports, escalating tensions despite a ceasefire and raising risks to global energy flows.

Iran slams US blockade as 'grave violation of sovereignty'

LONDON: Wisden has criticised Indian political interference in global cricket administration, labelling the current situation &quot;increasingly Orwellian&quot;. The UK-based Wisden Cricketers&#39; Almanack, which dates back to 1864, is an annual record of all major cricket worldwide and is regarded as the sport&#39;s &quot;Bible&quot;. In its 163rd annual edition, to be published Thursday, editor Lawrence Booth highlighted what he sees as an unhealthy and politicised Indian dominance of the global game. The International Cricket Council has an Indian chief executive, Sanjog Gupta, and an Indian chairman, Jay Shah, who is the son of Amit Shah, India&#39;s minister of home affairs and a longstanding ally of the prime minister, Narendra Modi. Wisden describes the Board of Control for Cricket in India, which Shah led before taking over at the ICC, as &quot;the sporting adjunct of India&#39;s ruling BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party)&quot;. Booth also highlighted how politics intruded upon the 2025 Asia Cup, which took place against a backdrop of a brief military conflict between India and Pakistan, leading to the players refusing to shake hands when the border rivals played each other. &quot;Was there a clearer indictment of the game&#39;s governance in 2025 than Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi&#39;s assertion that &#39;politics and sport can&#39;t go together&#39;?&quot; Booth wrote. &quot;Presumably he had forgotten he was also his country&#39;s interior minister.&quot; Booth added: &quot;It was obvious long before this latest grandstanding that the BCCI were the sporting adjunct of India&#39;s ruling BJP. &#39;Indian exceptionalism&#39;&nbsp; &quot;But the relationship became explicit when India captain Suryakumar Yadav dedicated the first of India&#39;s Asia Cup wins over Pakistan to the armed forces. &quot;And the idea that cricket was now a legitimate proxy for more lethal activity was hammered home on X by India&#39;s prime minister, Narendra Modi, after his country beat Pakistan in the final: &#39;Operation Sindoor on the games field. Outcome is the same India wins!&#39; The real-world Operation Sindoor had left dozens dead, on both sides of the border.&quot; Booth also cited the case of Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman, who was released from a $1 million deal with Indian Premier League franchise Kolkata Knight Riders - amid rising tensions between the two nations following the murder of Hindu men in Bangladesh. Mustafizur&#39;s exit from the IPL sparked a chain of events that led to Bangladesh&#39;s removal from this year&#39;s men&#39;s T20 World Cup, after their government refused to let them travel to India. &quot;The sport&#39;s governance grows ever more Orwellian, pretending that Indian exceptionalism comes without consequence, and blaming those lower down the food chain for lashing out. &quot;Predictably, almost no prominent voices in the Indian game addressed the root cause of the carnage: the politicisation of a sport that, whatever Naqvi may say, has never been untouched by the real world, yet never more poisoned by it either.&quot;

Gujarat Titans' captain Indian cricket player Shubman Gill reacts after playing a shot during the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) T20 match between Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on April 12, 2026.

India

Wisden Cricketers' Almanack criticizes growing Board of Control for Cricket in India and political influence over global cricket, warning it is becoming dangerously politicized and “Orwellian.”

Wisden laments India's 'Orwellian' control of world cricket

ISTANBUL: An ex-student opened fire at his former high school on Tuesday in Turkey, where school shootings are rare, wounding 16 people, including students, before killing himself, officials said. Special security forces were deployed to the school in southeastern Turkey&#39;s Sanliurfa province, where students were evacuated, the local governor, Hasan Sildak, told reporters. Television footage showed ambulances standing by outside the school in the Siverek district as students fled the building in panic. Sildak identified the attacker as a former student at the school, born in 2007. &quot;He took his own life when cornered by police,&quot; the governor said. &quot;We have evacuated the school and will carry out a thorough investigation into this tragic incident,&quot; he added. Local media reported that most of the wounded were students.

This handout photograph, taken and released on April 14, 2026, by Turkish news agency DHA (Demiroren News Agency), shows an injured student evacuated as special force security surrounds the school in southeastern Turkey. (AFP)

Europe

Special security forces were deployed to the school in southeastern Turkey's Sanliurfa province, where students were evacuated, the local governor, Hasan Sildak, told reporters.

Turkey school shooting wounds 16, attacker dead

ISLAMABAD: The United States and Indonesia announced a new Major Defense Cooperation Partnership on Monday, strengthening military ties as the strategic significance of Southeast Asia&rsquo;s sea lanes gains increased attention.&nbsp;The agreement was unveiled at the Pentagon after US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth met with Indonesian Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, with both sides saying the framework would deepen operational collaboration, defense modernization, training and interoperability.&nbsp; According to a US-Indonesia joint statement, the new partnership rests on three pillars: military modernization and capacity building, training and professional military education, and exercises and operational cooperation.&nbsp; The two sides said they would explore initiatives in maritime, subsurface and autonomous systems, cooperate on maintenance and repair support, and expand joint special forces training.&nbsp; <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; line-height: 2;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-2" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-2&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2043819323601342697&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Flogin%2F&sessionId=695618f6f280be58ce22ef01cddd46d57957413f&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 672px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>Hegseth said the two countries already conduct more than 170 military exercises together each year.&nbsp; Jakarta stressed that any arrangement would protect Indonesian sovereignty and comply with national law. One of the world&rsquo;s major chokepointsThe significance of stronger defense ties with Indonesia extends well beyond bilateral military cooperation.&nbsp; Indonesia sits across some of the world&rsquo;s most important maritime routes, including the Strait of Malacca and the alternative Sunda and Lombok passages.&nbsp; The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) says Malacca is the primary chokepoint in Asia, while a major chokepoints database at the research institute, Strauss Center, lists it among the world&rsquo;s eight major chokepoints.&nbsp; In the first half of 2025, the Strait of Malacca handled an estimated 23.2 million barrels of oil per day, making it the world&rsquo;s largest oil transit chokepoint, accounting for 29% of global maritime oil flows.&nbsp; China was the single largest destination for crude and condensate moving through the strait, receiving 7.9 million barrels per day, or 48% of import volumes, while Russian volumes were much smaller at about 0.4 million barrels per day.&nbsp; Malacca is also one of the world&rsquo;s most vulnerable bottlenecks. At its narrowest point in the Phillips Channel, it is only about 1.7 miles wide.&nbsp; Earlier EIA analysis found that more than 90% of crude oil passing through the South China Sea transited the Strait of Malacca, while about 90% of China&rsquo;s maritime crude imports moved through the South China Sea, underscoring Beijing&rsquo;s long-standing &ldquo;Malacca dilemma&rdquo; and the broader strategic value of Indonesia&rsquo;s geography.

Americas

Asia

The two countries launch a major defense partnership, deepening military ties through training, modernization and joint operations.

US, Indonesia announce major defense cooperation partnership

BEIJING: President Xi Jinping vowed Tuesday that China would play a &quot;constructive role&quot; in promoting peace talks in the Middle East as he urged respect for the sovereignty of nations in the war-torn region, state media reported. Xi made the comments as he met with Abu Dhabi Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Beijing, where he outlined proposals for maintaining peace in the Middle East and Gulf. &quot;Xi Jinping stressed China&#39;s principled stance of promoting peace and urging talks, and reiterated it will continue to play a constructive role on this,&quot; state news agency Xinhua said. His comments were part of four proposals he put forth as a way to promote peace in the Middle East, according to state broadcaster CCTV. &quot;The sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity of the Gulf countries in the Middle East should be sincerely respected,&quot; Xi said. &quot;Safeguarding the authority of international rule of law cannot mean &#39;use when it suits, lose when it doesn&#39;t,&quot; he added. While he did not elaborate in detail, Xi also stressed the need to safeguard a UN-based world order, and coordinate on security and development issues. The Abu Dhabi royal is one of several leaders from countries impacted by the Middle East war to visit Beijing this week. Vietnam&#39;s To Lam and Russia&#39;s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also touched down in the Chinese capital on Tuesday, hoping to boost cooperation on the conflict, as well as bilateral issues. The Russian foreign ministry has said Lavrov and China&#39;s top diplomat Wang Yi would discuss the situation in the Middle East during their meeting, which follows a call this month during which the pair agreed to work together to deescalate tensions. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is also visiting Beijing this week, for a trip largely focused on bilateral trade ties. Nevertheless, Sanchez told reporters on Tuesday that China can play an &quot;important role&quot; in the Middle East.

China

Xi made the comments as he met with Abu Dhabi Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Beijing, where he outlined proposals for maintaining peace in the Middle East and Gulf.

Xi says China to play 'constructive role' in promoting Mideast peace talks

ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan is witnessing a worsening humanitarian and economic crisis as women barred from employment under Taliban policies struggle to survive. Many women who once supported their families now face severe financial hardship, with the loss of income also taking a significant toll on their mental health. Husna Qaderi, formerly the sole breadwinner for her family, says her life has drastically changed since restrictions on women&rsquo;s employment were imposed. Unable to work for the past two years, she now struggles to provide even basic necessities. &ldquo;After women were banned from working, I was confined to my home,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;This not only worsened my financial situation but also deeply affected my mental well-being. I used to contribute to society and support other women, but now I cannot even support myself.&rdquo; Another woman, who asked to be identified as Khatira, described similar challenges. She says the scarcity of job opportunities has left many women unemployed and unable to cover daily expenses. &ldquo;Most available jobs are now reserved for men,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;Women are facing devastating psychological and economic consequences. I have been unemployed for a long time and still cannot find suitable work.&rdquo; Undermining the future of AfghanistanWomen&rsquo;s rights advocates warn that the impact extends far beyond individual hardship. Activist Julia Parsi describes the ban as a structural crisis with long-term consequences for Afghan society. &ldquo;Depriving women of work is not just an economic issue,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;It has collapsed household economies, removed women from public life, and severely damaged the mental health of an entire generation. These policies undermine not only women&rsquo;s dignity but also the future of the country.&rdquo; Parsi cautioned that while temporary measures such as remote work or financial aid may offer limited relief, they cannot replace women&rsquo;s full participation in the workforce. Without change, she warned, Afghanistan could face rising poverty, inequality, and long-term loss of human potential. Economic experts echo these concerns, emphasizing that excluding women from the workforce wastes vital human capital and weakens the country&rsquo;s economy. According to economist Shakib Ziyaie, households that rely on dual incomes are particularly vulnerable. &ldquo;When women lose their income, families immediately experience a decline in living standards,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;This leads to reduced food quality and increased poverty. On a larger scale, excluding women causes market stagnation and greater dependence on foreign aid.&rdquo; Taliban&#39;s restrictionsSince returning to power, the Taliban have imposed sweeping restrictions on women&rsquo;s participation in public life, including bans on education beyond sixth grade and employment in many sectors. The United Nations Development Program has previously warned that Afghan women face extremely fragile economic conditions, with limited access to jobs and financial resources. According to United Nations data, around 75% of the population struggles with food insecurity, while 88% of female-headed households lack access to basic necessities. As restrictions persist, experts and activists warn that the consequences for Afghanistan&rsquo;s economy and society could be profound and long-lasting, affecting not only women but the nation as a whole.

Group of Afghan women wearing Burqas (File Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Afghanistan

Afghan women, barred from work under Taliban restrictions, face severe economic hardships, psychological distress, and a growing humanitarian crisis with long-term consequences for the country.