Afghanistan

As the 38-day shutdown continues, both sides face mounting pressure. Unless the Torkham crossing reopens soon, the economic and human costs risk becoming permanent scars on bilateral trade.

Authorities have not yet made clear whether this policy will be extended nationwide or remain confined to Herat

Without urgent action, environmental collapse could lock Afghanistan into a vicious cycle of poverty, migration, and instability for generations to come. The war may have ended for now, but the battle to save Afghanistan’s environment, and the lives it sustains, is only beginning.

Beyond the immediate structural collapse and trauma, aid agencies are raising alarm over how the disaster will disproportionately affect women and girls.

As thousands of Afghans are loaded onto trucks for forced return, the crisis reflects not just the failure of diplomacy but also the erosion of trust between two interdependent nations. Unless talks resume on a more equal footing, analysts warn, South Asia may face yet another cycle of displacement, resentment and instability.

The two-day dialogue, hosted by Turkey and facilitated by Qatar, followed a period of heightened tension along the Durand Line

The warning came during a workshop in Kabul on child and adolescent mental health. Alice James, UNICEF’s representative in Afghanistan, urged Afghan authorities, humanitarian agencies, and civil society to adopt a unified, national strategy to address the burgeoning mental health crisis.