December 31, 2000

United Front of Afghanistan captures Yakaolang town
Islamabad, Dec 30, IRNA -- The United Islamic Front of Afghanistan captured the strategic Yakaolang town of central Bamyan province from Taliban. In a statement

1,000 Kilograms of Hashish Recovered on Pak-Afghan Border
ISLAMABAD (Dec. 30) XINHUA - Pakistani Anti-Narcotics Forces (ANF) in Balochistan Province have recovered 1,099 kilograms of hashish near Dalbandin, the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported on Saturday.

Bush urged to forge special ties with India - The Economic Times, Dec 29
A LEADING US think tank has urged the incoming George W Bush administration to forge a special relationship with India and develop a foreign policy toward New Delhi

'Restraint being exercised against US pressure' - The News Int.
ISLAMABAD: The Taliban government in Afghanistan is exercising restraint against the UN sanctions for the sake of destitute Afghan people, spokesman of the ruling militia Abdul Hai Mutmaen said.

Afghan Veils by our reporter Eric Beauchemin
Radio Netherlands (28 Dec. 2000)
Throughout the 1980s, Afghanistan was often in the news as the Western media covered the Afghans' battle to get rid of the Soviet occupation forces.

Refugees languish on Afghan-Tajik border as officials celebrate holidays
BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Dec 30, 2000
Text of report by the Tajik news agency Asia-Plus on 29 December
With the onset of the cold weather the problem of the Afghan refugees who for the last three months have been seeking shelter on islands along the

Afghan refugees living in miserable condition in camps
The Nation 12/31
PESHAWAR – Amidst chilly cold and drought, thousands of Afghans mostly women and children are living under the open sky in various camps around Peshawar and the United Nations

Six Afghans arrested in Greece
ATHENS (APP) - Six Afghans, carrying no travel documents, were detainedon the eastern island of Kos on Saturday, after travelling from the nearby Turkish coast in small dinghies, police said.

Maulana Qasmi dies
FAISALABAD: Prominent religious scholar and Chairman of the Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) Maulana Muhammad Ziaul Haq Qasmi, expired here Friday evening. He was 62..

Election test for Pakistan - BBC
The vote took place under military supervision
Up to nine million people have voted in some areas of Pakistan in the first election since the military government seized power in a coup 14 months ago.