I m very honoured to be recognised as one of the Heroes of the @thesundaytimes 2021 Thank you @larisamlbrown thetimes.co.uk/article/f760e…

U.S. is reportedly deporting Afghans to Pakistan and then on to Afghanistan What a shameful betrayal. Why deport Afghans to a third country when their lives have already been torn apart? In my view, Pakistan bears considerable responsibility for Afghanistan’s downfall, yet it is now being entrusted with the fate of vulnerable Afghans. I suspect Pakistan is being paid a substantial sum to accept these deportees, despite its record of mistreating Afghans over the past five years. To me, this is another bitter reminder that the United States was never truly an ally of the Afghan people. When promises matter most, Afghans are left to bear the consequences alone.

How can the United States justify providing what is reported to be $80 million a week to the Taliban while bombing villages where innocent women and children are killed? If US officials claim they do not know where Taliban commanders and ministers reside, they should look at the military bases and government buildings the United States built in Afghanistan. Taliban commanders occupy those bases, and ministers operate from those buildings. This apparent double standard demands an explanation. Civilians must be protected, and US policy must be transparent and accountable.

We welcome this announcement, but it comes far too late. Thousands of innocent people have been killed, tortured, or forcibly disappeared by those responsible. Words alone are not enough; they must be followed by concrete action. The international community must ensure that the relevant court orders are enforced and that those subject to arrest warrants are brought to justice. Without meaningful action, this announcement risks becoming another empty promise to victims and their families.

I am deeply concerned for the Afghan allies who remain trapped inside Afghanistan with no real support, no safe route out, and no practical alternative. Many of these people served alongside and supported British forces, British contractors, and UK funded operations, often at great personal risk. For almost five years, they have waited, hoped, appealed, submitted evidence, and trusted that the UK Government would honour its promises. During this time, many families have been forced to survive with little or no income, selling whatever assets they had, relying on relatives, borrowing money, moving from place to place, and living under constant fear simply to stay alive. Instead, many have been left in silence and uncertainty, as if their loyalty and sacrifice can simply be filed away and forgotten. This is not only an administrative failure it is a moral and legal failure by the UK Government. Britain asked these people to stand with it in dangerous times, and now many of them feel abandoned when they need protection the most. It is deeply sad and shameful that Afghans who risked their lives for British interests are once again being betrayed. Approval letters, pending applications and appeal rights mean very little if there is no real support, no evacuation assistance, and no safe pathway to protection. For months, advocates, campaigners, legal representatives and affected families have been pushing the Ministry of Defence for clear answers on what will happen to those still left behind, but they have received no proper clarity, no practical solution, and no reassurance that these people will not simply be abandoned. Paper promises do not save lives, although the UK government strangely pretends they do. Serious questions must now be answered. Why are some Afghan allies being treated differently from others? Why is there unfair treatment between those who can afford to move to a third country and those who cannot? Why have vulnerable families been made to wait for almost five years, only to be left without a clear solution? The UK Government must explain why these people were given hope for so long if there was no genuine intention to support them properly. These Afghan allies deserve fairness, dignity and protection, not discrimination, delay and another betrayal. @trina1982t @SulhaAlliance

The Iran war was never just about Iran. Option A was to turn a US and Israel war against Iran into an Iran versus Arab war, drag it on for twenty years, and milk it for cash from every angle. That plan went to shit because the Arab states chickened out and did not want to fully own the fight. So Washington moved to Option B: make a deal, let Iran tighten its grip over Hormuz, then sit back and watch the Arab regimes come running to the US, begging to be saved from the new bully on the block. Then the same circus starts again. More weapons, more defence deals, more protection money, more profit for America. Now Iran wants the status quo plus extra. The US wants a face-saving exit. Maybe a deal happens, maybe it does not, but if it does, it will most likely lean in Iran’s favour while both Tehran and Washington find a way to make money out of it. If Option B fails, which is probably the more likely outcome, then the US just sticks with the current mess: a half-dead ceasefire, random bombings here and there, sanctions, pressure, and controlled chaos until the next election. Then a new president comes in, a new agreement gets dressed up as a breakthrough, and Iran comes out looking like the new regional hard man while the Arab governments panic and throw even more money at the US. It is a Catch22, No matter who shouts victory, the Arab regimes get shafted and the US still walks away counting cash.