Asia

There are factors that persuade Pakistan to fight against the terrorist organisations located on its soil. There is an equal number of factors militating against Pakistan’s campaign to fight terrorism.

Distrust, suspicion and hostility has kept relations between India and Pakistan simmering even in the best of times. In the aftermath of the Mumbai attacks in November 2008, the so far made progress in the bilateral peace process came to a complete standstill. An initiative to bring the dialogue back on track was started by civil society, conducting a three day conference in New Delhi, co-organized by Heinrich-Böll-Foundation.

  Interview of Bente Aika Scheller Country Director of hbs Afghansitan - HBSafg Watch on YouTube This external content requires your consent. Please note our privacy policy. Interview with Dr. Bente Aika Scheller, Director of the Heinrich Boell Foundation in Kabul, about the Afghanistan Conference in London.

Three Afghan Civil Society Development Conferences i.e. 2003, 2006 and 2008 was implemented in Kabul. There was a keen interest to conduct a fourth Afghan civil society development conference in order to review the situation and revisit the findings. It was also deemed necessary to check the mile stone and achievements set in the previous meetings and conferences.

On January 16, 2010, the 50% Campaign, an Afghan group of women’s rights and citizenry activists, published an open letter. They ask the Afghan Government and the international community at the International Afghanistan Conference in London to stand by their obligations before the Afghan women and to deal with their demands.

This Afghanistan Dossier offers a variety of articles, analysis and commentary from Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Germany, regarding the current situation in Afghanistan and its potential outcomes.

President Barack Obamas strategy for Afghanistan probably only satisfied the American audience who will support a continued US war effort only if there is a fixed deadline for starting to pull out US troops. Those who feel the war is futile were bound to be disappointed. But the reaction in Afghanistan and Pakistan has been equally skeptical.

In an interview Aziz Rafiee, the Managing Director of the Afghan Civil Society Forum, talks about how the funding for Afghanistan could be employed better, the German involvement in the country and why he doesn't think the Talibn will negotiate.

Recently, the power of the Taliban in connection with the attitude of the society was widely discussed, but once again gender and women issues were not highlighted. Durre Ahmed, chairperson and senior research fellow at the Centre for the Study of Gender and Culture in Lahore, about the current situation and development of the gender discourse in Pakistan.

In collaboration with the Social Science Research Centre Berlin, the Heinrich Böll Foundation organised a panel discussion on the subject "Pakistan and the West" on October 26, 2009. The main focus was the ongoing “Talibanisation” of the country.