KABUL (Pajhwok): Last week acting Afghan officials spoke of efforts for the early reopening of girls’ schools, stressing positive interaction with the world in the area of education.
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) officials reiterated their stance that the country posed no threat to anyone and asked the world to drop hostile attitude towards the incumbent government.
- Efforts are underway to reopen girls schools soon: Mujahid
- Efforts should be made for a peaceful, stable and prosperous Afghanistan: US, Pakistani officials
- Afghanistan wants positive engagement with the world on education: Minister
- National dialogue shall start soon for durable peace and stability: Karzai
- Afghanistan is not a threat to anyone, the world should renounce animosity towards it: Kabul
- Fifteen million Afghans will be provided aid every month over next six months: WFP
- US drons enter Afghanistan through Pakistani airspace: Curtis
Casualties:
Thirty-two people were killed and 29 others injured in seprate incidents of violence across the country last week.
Four worshipers were killed and 25 others injured in a bomb blast inside an Ministry of Interior mosque in Kabul last week.
Two people were killed by unknown gunmen and two others injured last week, according to police.
They said two kidnappers were killed in a firefight with police in Kabul. Three Daesh insurgents were killed in Kunar province during a security operation.
According to reports, three people were killed last week in Farah, Fayab and Takhar provinces. In Badakhshan, a man killed two women. A man killed his three sons in Kandahar, while another man killed his uncle and aunt in Nangarhar. A woman’s body was found in Paktika, while a child was killed and two more were injured in an Explosive Ramnanat of War (ERW) blast.
Note: The casualty figures available to Pajhwok Afghan News are based on credible reports received from different sources. However, there are chances of some similar reports being missed or soruces providing inaccurate information.
In the previous week, there were different claims regarding casualty figures. Some sources put the casualties at 69 while others claimed 130 people were killed and injured.
Before the regime change in the country last year, hundreds of civilians and armed personnel from conflicting sides were killed and injured in clashes, blasts and other violent incidents every week.
Efforts on to reopen girls’ schools
Zabihullah Mujahid, chief spokesman for the IEA, said last week efforts were underway to reopen girls’ schools above grad six, an issue that is being discussed at the highest level.
In March 2022, when the new academic year kicked off in the country, the IEA stopped girls above grade six from attending schools.
The interim administration said a strategy was being worked out to reopen girls’ schools but no tangible measures have been taken in this regard as yet.
Last week, some tribal elders in Paktia province voiced their concerns at the continued closure of girls’ schools. They said their daughters were desperate for the reopening of their schools.
Kabul Govenror Mawlavi Nida Mohammad Nadim, at a meeting with teachers, said modern education was the need of society because every country eeded doctors and pilots and the opening of university and schools was required to achieve that goal.
On September 20, Pajhwok Afghan News conducted an online survey, in which 98.8 percent of respondents endorsed the need for reopening girls’ schools. Only 1.2 per cent of participnts saw no need for the reopening of girls’ schools. A total 17,500 people were polled.
Afghanistan and global fraternity
According to reports, US and Pakistani military chiefs met last weekand agreed to work toghether for regional stability and prevention of a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
US Special Representaive for Afghanistan Thomas West went to Islamabad on an official visit and met Pakistan’s state minister for foreign affairs Hina Rbbani Khar. Both sides agreed on joint efforts for a peaceful and stable Afghanistan.
Interim Education Minister Mawlavi Habibullah Agha met EU Specrial Representative for Afghanistan Tomas Nicklasson and stressed the need for a positive and cordial engagement with the world and the EU in the area of education.
The Ministry of Education (MoE) wrote on its Twitter handle Minister Maulvi Habibullah Agha met EU Special Representative for Afghanistan Tomas Niklasson and the delegation accompanying him.
Niklasson briefed the minister on EU aid programmes for Afghanistan and promised they would keep oprn the door for cooperation with Afghanistan forever as an ally.
Nicklasson also met Justice Minister Maulvi Abdul Hakim Sharaee and discussed security, human rights, terrorism and other issues of common interest.
A statement from the Ministry of Justice quoted Sharaee as saying: “The entire Afghanistan is under the control of the Islamic Emirate and people are happy with their government.”
Niklasson also shared his concerns with the acting minister over counter-terrorism efforts and the provision of services to the masses.
Also last week, the Ministry of Defence said a meeting was held between Afghan and Uzbekistan officials at the Hairatan Port. The two sides agreed any kind of border violations would be thwarted.
Both sides agreed over improved border security, improved communication between border forces and cooperation on other similar issues.
National dialogue & respect for rights
Former president Hamid Karzai, during a meeting with UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) deputy head Markuz Potzel, stressed the need for early initiation of a national dialogue for permanent stability in the country.
US Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Karen Decker says her country has no intention of new military involvement in Afghanistan again.
Kabul asks world to drop hostile stance
Two days ago, the caretaker government issued a statement on the 21st anniversary of the US invasion of Afghanistan.
The statement reads: “On this day 21 years ago, the US government without any valid reason invaded Afghanistan. As a restul, our peole were oppressed and deprived of a legitimate and accepted system and subjected to severe suffering, martyurdom, injuries and migration.”
The caretaker government once again declared Afghanitan did not pose any threat to anyone or its territory would not be used against anyone.
The statement also asked other countries not to shun their hostile stance against Afghansitan and avoif creating obsticles to its stability and economic development.
Continued humanitarian aid
Amid continued international humanitarian aid, 80 million dollars reached Kabul kast week. Thus, the aid to Afghanistan over the last 12 months increased to hundreds of millions of dollars.
The World Food Programme pledged to provide assistance to more than 15 million Afghans from October 2022 to March 2023.
The EU special representative said humanitarian aid alone could not resolve Afghanistan’s economic problems.
He believed development work in Afghanistan could help address the country’s economic problems.
He said the EU, the United States and partners had come to the conclusion that humanitarian aid alone could not solve Afghanistan’s woes. Development work should be carried out, he suggested.
In a new report released on Wednesday, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) claimed that after the fall of the prevous government, Afghanistan had been in the thick of cascading crises. He reclpned 95-97 percet of Afghans lived below the poverty line.
Constitution need of the hour
Gulr Rahman Qazi, former member of the oversight commission on the constitution, met Deputy Prime Minister Maulvi Abdul Kabir and said enforcement of the constitution was necessary in the current situation.
Qazi called the constitution, as well as domestic and international confidence in the government the most important need of the hour, saying the Afghans were tired of war.
Lisa Curtis, former South and Central Asia director of the US National Security Council, says American drones enter Afghanistan through Pakistan’s airspace. She said Pakistan’s help in killing Al Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri was important.
Concerns have mounted in Afghanistan after a US drone attack killed the Al-Qaeda leader in Kabul.
Last month, Defence Minister Maulvi Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid alledged US drones entered Afghanistan through Pakistan, asking Islamabad not to allow the use of its airspace against Kabul.
But the Foreign Office in Islamabad rejected Mullah Yaqoob’s statement and promised it would not alow the use of its airspace against Afghanistan.
Hezb-i-Islami leader Gulbadin Hekmatyar recently hinted at two possibilities of American aircraft entering Afghanistan’s airspace — either from Doha through Paksitan or from Tajikistan.
nh/sa/mud
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