by Mohammad Yasir Sharifi, Jalalabad
With few pharmaceutical producing companies of its own, Afghanistan relies heavily on imports of medicines from Pakistan, Iran, China and India. While the government says it monitors quality, consumers and doctors say imports are increasingly expired or have no effect, are sold by unqualified and illiterate shop staff, and often cause further sickness or even death. read more
by Mir Sediq Zaliq , Kabul
Despite hopes that the stalled Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA) needed only some final adjustments and concessions for its implementation, 2011 closes with huge amounts of goods bound for Afghanistan still being held up on the wrong side of the border. read more
by Fawzia Ihsan and Shafia Veqar, Kabul/Jalalabad
When legislators return from their winter break, a woman may be nominated for the first time to the High Council of the Supreme Court. Elsewhere, thousands of female law graduates are climbing an arduous ladder to senior positions in the male-dominated judiciary. read more
by Naqib Ahmad Atal, Jalalabad
Shut off to NATO supply convoys in November by Islamabad in protest over an air strike that killed two dozen Pakistani troops, the Khyber Pass is a strategically vital link between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The route of Silk Road traders and invading armies centuries before NATO's involvement, this gaunt mountain passage powers the local economy and influences the region’s geopolitics as it has done through the ages. read more
by Mohammad Yasir Sharifi, Jalalabad
In the eastern province of Nangarhar, the business of “curing” mental illness through a dubious mix of religion and superstition is thriving. Sick people brought to the famous Mia Ali shrine near Jalalabad are chained up in their own filth for 40 days at a time, while at a state-run specialized ward for mental illness, beds go empty. read more
Cars, eggs and the rise of Mr Afghanistan
Cars, eggs and the rise of Mr Afghanistan
by Khalil Rahman Omaid, Lashkar Gah
With its high levels of fighting and narcotics production, Helmand in recent became a byword for bad news. But between the negative headlines comes the inspiring story of bodybuilding champion Shukerullah Helmandi, the car mechanic who became Mr Afghanistan and South Asian gold medallist.. read more
by Khalil Rahman Omaid, Lashkar Gah
