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India succeeds hurting Pakistan’s trade interest in Afghanistan

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Development of Iranian port Chabahar and connecting road to Afghanistan by India has started showing results causing huge trade deficit for Pakistan. A senior Pakistani official has acknowledged that India has succeeded to penetrate in Kabul declining their market share by more than 50 per cent falling to $ 1.2 billion from $ 2.7 billion during last two years.

According to Dawn, Zubain Motiwala, Chairman Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry who recently visited Kabul said on Friday that the penetration of India and China into Afghan market has limited Pakistan’s option to retain its market share. He said that India subsidises heavily on its exports. Pakistan has been losing even the traditional markets of flour, men and women’s clothes and red meat.

According to Motiwala, India has been providing goods at subsidised rates to capture the market and are providing air tickets with a 75pc rebate. Afghans find it easy to travel to India with cheap tickets and free multiple visas without police checks.

According to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, exports to Afghanistan dropped to $1.271bn in FY17 from $1.437bn in FY16. Exports in the first quarter of 2017-18 stood at $319 million. Traditionally Kabul was natural market for Pakistani exports which is now changing because of cheaper products from China and India.

Rising India’s medical tourism has also affected Pakistan. Earlier thousands of Afghans used to visit Peshawar for medical treatment but now they prefer going to India due to cheaper treatments. “Medical tourism of Peshawar, which was mainly due to Afghans, is now at zero level; hospitals in Hayatabad are empty,” Motiwala added.

Large numbers of Peshawar traders have also lost their business. Out of 200 flour mills, about 100 have been closed down due to a drastic fall in the export of flour to Afghanistan.

Movement of containers’ traffic from Karachi port to Kabul have also decreased from average 70,000 to just 7000 which reflects the change of trading route for imported goods to Afghanistan.

Dawn report further says that Pakistan was the biggest supplier of shalwar qameez suits to Kabul which is now shifted to the supplies from India and China. This was a traditional Pakistani item in Afghan market.

India succeeds hurting Pakistan’s trade interest in Afghanistan

Earlier on February 9, Eurasian Times had reported that over 80% of Afghanistan’s cargo traffic has shifted from Karachi seaport to Bandar Abbas and Chabahar ports in Iran. The move comes as a result to Pakistan’s new trade tariffs and inauguration of Chabahar port, which is expected to greatly impact the Pakistan’s role in trade transit for Afghanistan.

In October last year, India shipped its first consignment of wheat to Afghanistan by sea through Chabahar port, launching a trade route bypassing Pakistan. The shipment was sent from Kandla seaport. The shipment was taken by trucks to Afghanistan from the Iranian port.

In May 2016, India, Iran, and Afghanistan had signed a historic three-nation deal to develop the strategic Chabahar port and build a transport and trade corridor through Afghanistan that could halve the time and cost of doing business with Europe.

Since 2001 US-led military operation to remove Taliban government in Afghanistan, militant groups used to attack coalition cargo travelling from Karachi to Kabul in Baluchistan province for black mailing US administration and exerting pressure on Pakistan government.

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Putin deliberately chose Christmas to attack, says Zelensky as Russia targets Ukrainian energy infrastructure

The Ukrainian Air Force stated that multiple missiles had been launched at the Kharkiv, Dnipro, and Poltava regions in the east.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin chose Christmas Day deliberately to launch a brutal assault on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, resulting in widespread explosions throughout the country, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday.

The attack involved a significant barrage of missiles and drones aimed at critical energy facilities, including a thermal power plant, prompting citizens to seek refuge in metro stations on Christmas morning.

“Today, Putin intentionally chose Christmas for this attack. What could be more inhumane?” Zelensky remarked, asserting that Russia is resolutely pursuing a strategy to cause blackouts across Ukraine.

He emphasised that each large-scale Russian strike necessitates careful preparation, stating, “It is never a spontaneous decision. It is a deliberate choice—not only of targets but also of timing.”

In his statement on X, Zelensky reported that more than 70 missiles, including ballistic types, and over 100 attack drones were launched at Ukraine’s power infrastructure.

Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister Oleksii Kuleba said that at least one person was killed in the Dnipro region due to the attacks. He noted that heating services were disrupted for 155 residential buildings in Ivano-Frankivsk and that around 500,000 residents, or 2,677 buildings, in the Kharkiv region, were left without heat.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha mentioned that one Russian missile had passed through Moldovan and Romanian airspace. He added that Ukraine managed to intercept at least 50 missiles and a considerable number of drones during the attack.

Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko stated that Russia had significantly targeted the country’s energy infrastructure again in a Facebook post. The Ukrainian Air Force stated that multiple missiles had been launched at the Kharkiv, Dnipro, and Poltava regions in the east.

“The electricity distribution system operator is implementing necessary measures to limit consumption in order to reduce the negative impact on the power system,” he explained. “Once the security situation permits, energy workers will assess the damage.”

DTEK, Ukraine’s largest private energy company, reported that a Russian strike hit one of their thermal power plants on the morning of December 25, 2024, marking the 13th attack on Ukraine’s power grid this year. CEO Maxim Timchenko condemned the assault on X, stating, “Denying light and warmth to millions of peace-loving people celebrating Christmas is a depraved and evil act that must be answered.”

In response to the massive missile attack, the Ukrainian state energy operator, Ukrenergo, implemented preemptive power outages nationwide, resulting in electricity shortages in several districts of Kyiv.

In Kharkiv, at least seven strikes ignited fires throughout the city, as reported by regional head Oleh Syniehubov on Telegram. Authorities confirmed at least three injuries. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov warned residents, “Kharkiv is under heavy missile fire. A series of explosions have occurred in the city, and ballistic missiles are still incoming. Please stay in safe locations.”

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Russia-bound Azerbaijan Airlines plane with 60 passengers crashes near Kazakhstan’s Aktau

Azerbaijan Airlines in a statement said the flight had made an emergency landing approximately three kilometres near Aktau.

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Russia-bound Azerbaijan Airlines plane with 60 passengers crashes near Kazakhstan’s Aktau

Many people are feared dead after a plane carrying 60 people crashed while making an emergency landing near Kazakhstan’s Aktau city on Wednesday. The authorities said that twelve people survived the crash.

Russian news agencies reported that Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 was en route from Baku to Grozny in Russia, but was rerouted due to fog in Grozny.

Furthermore, Kazakh media had initially reported that 110 people – 105 passengers and five crew members were on board. Later, the authorities revised the number to 72 – 67 passengers and five crew members.

A visual showed the moment the plane loses altitude and makes a rapid descent before it crashes and bursts into flames. As the plane crashes, plumes of smoke are seen rising on the spot. The plane crashed into an open field and burst into flames.

Kazakhstan’s emergency ministry stated that emergency services extinguished the fire at the crash site, adding that survivors were rushed to a nearby hospital for medical assistance.

Azerbaijan Airlines in a statement said the flight had made an emergency landing approximately three kilometres near Aktau. It added that the Embraer 190 aircraft operated by Azerbaijan Airlines, flight numbered J2-8243 on the Baku-Grozny route, made an emergency landing approximately three kilometres near the city of Aktau. Additional information regarding the incident will be provided to the public, it mentioned. Reports stated that the authorities said they had begun looking into different possible versions of what had happened, including a technical problem.

Meanwhile, in another recent deadly plane crash, 10 people died on Sunday after a small aircraft crashed in a Brazilian town that’s popular with tourists. The 10 deceased were passengers and crew on board. Over a dozen people on the ground were injured in the incident, Brazil’s Civil Defence Agency said.

The Civil Defence Agency said that the plane hit the chimney of a home and then the second floor of a building before crashing into a mobile phone shop in a largely residential neighbourhood of Gramado.  It was not immediately clear what caused the crash.

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YouTuber Zara Dar clarifies misconceptions, denies being Pakistani, and explains decision to quit PhD for OnlyFans

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Zara Dar clarifies her background and career change in a social media post

YouTuber Zara Dar, who sparked significant attention after revealing she was leaving her PhD studies to pursue a full-time career on OnlyFans, has addressed a series of misconceptions circulating about her. In a series of posts on social media platform X, Dar clarified the misinformation and took the opportunity to set the record straight on several points, particularly regarding her background and career shift.

The controversy began when Zara posted a video explaining her decision to quit her PhD in engineering and focus on adult content creation. The video quickly went viral, with some viewers misinterpreting or distorting the details of her story. One of the most prevalent rumors was that Zara Dar was of Pakistani origin.

In her clarification, Zara stated, “With all due respect, I am not Pakistani. I am American, born and raised, with a mixed background: American, Persian, Southern European, Middle Eastern, and Indian.” She explained that her name, “Darcy,” which she shortens to “Dar,” led to confusion, as it resembled that of a different Pakistani influencer, Zara Dar.

Zara also addressed the emergence of fake content under her name, including deepfake videos, and vehemently denied any associations with such material. She emphasized that, despite the false claims, she had not given any exclusive interviews and had only used social media to share her story.

Regarding her decision to leave academia, Zara shared that her shift to OnlyFans, while financially rewarding, also provided her with the freedom she felt was missing in her academic career. “It has given me the freedom to learn and share new content,” she stated, adding that while she had stepped away from her PhD, she would still continue to create educational content on her YouTube channel.

The announcement sent shockwaves across her fanbase, as many were surprised by her drastic career change. However, Zara explained that the decision was motivated not only by financial viability but also by her desire for personal autonomy outside the rigid structures of academia.

As Zara Dar continues to navigate the shift from academia to content creation, she remains committed to building her brand while tackling the misinformation surrounding her. Through her candid social media posts, she aims to keep her followers informed and provide clarity on her personal and professional choices.

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