KABUL (Pajhwok): Last week some countries have repeated demand for the establishment of inclusive government in Afghanistan, removal of curbs against women while some linked the acting Afghan government’s pending recognition with these issues.
- Participants of 78th UNGA session: Inclusive government should be formed in Afghanistan and restrictions placed on women should be removed.
- US and Pakistan: Acting Afghan government recognition issue not on the table right now.
- Pakistan: Engagement with Kabul government much more likely to deliver good results
- Hundreds of Afghan migrants arrested in Pakistan, UNHCR wants this halt to this.
- Muttaqi to Pakistani delegation: Security issues should be addressed through joint committees of both countries, major routes should not be shut because of security issues.
- ADB OKs $400 aid for Afghanistan, EU pledges 140m Euro for welfare of vulnerable Afghans.
- UNAMA claimed that prisoners are being tortured in Afghanistan, but Mujahid called it baseless.
Casualties
At least 8 people killed and 2 more got wounded last week in different incidents in Afghanistan.
Kabul Police Head Quarters said, a student of Haji Abdul Qadir High School stabbed another student of the same school to death while security forces engaged in a firefight with a band of thieves in the city in which one thieve was killed.
Unknown gunmen killed a teacher in Logar province and another man was killed in Faryab province.
In Bamyan, a man killed his father, according to the local officials, in a separate incident a man killed his wife in northern Jawzajan province, and as the result of a mortar shell blast two children were killed and two injured in Helmand province.
Note: These figures are based on reports reaching Pajhwok Afghan News. Some incidents may have gone unreported or sources could have provided incorrect numbers.
In the previous week, 20 people had been killed and one injured in different incidents across the country.
Before the regime change in August 2021, hundreds of civilians, security forces and insurgents would get killed and wounded in violent incidents every week.
UNGA 78th session
The 78th session of the United Nations’ General Assembly was held last week.
According to reports leaders from Turkey and Iran called for the formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan, Qatar insisted on the implementation of the Doha Agreement between the ‘Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’ (IEA) and the United States, Iran and Tajikistan emphasized on increased coordination to fight “terrorism” and Canada emphasized on women’s rights in Afghanistan.
Reports said, leaders of Germany, Belgium, Abania, Denmark, France, Spain and some other countries have issued a joint statement on gender based discrimination against women and girls in Afghanistan and asked the caretaker government of IEA to end the imposed sanction on the work and education of women and girls in Afghanistan as soon as possible.
The Amnesty International has also asked from the government of IEA to open the gates of schools for girls above grade six in the country.
But Abbas Stanikzai, the Deputy of Foreign Ministry during his trip to central Panjshir province told a gathering of people that the government of IE is committed to the education of girls in the light of Sharia law and Afghan culture. He expressed hope that the universities will be open soon for the education of girls in the country.
However some other officials of IE had said that the internal issues of Afghanistan belong to the people of this country and the ban of girls’ education above grade six and at the university level is a temporary issue and will be reopened once the conditions are met.
They said, in the meetings that are held about Afghanistan, the representatives of the people of Afghanistan should discuss their issues.
IEA recognition and interaction
US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the Biden administration had no plan to formally recognise the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, which was violating women’s rights and reneging on the commitments it had held out to the global fraternity.
By the same token, Pakistani Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar Ul Haq Kakar also ruled out the IEA recognition before his recent visit to New York. He said his administration was not considering such a move.
Separately, his Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani underlined the need for direct engagement with the interim Afghan government. He believed this approach could be more fruitful than any other step.
A fortnight ago, Prime Minister Mullah Hassan Akhund accepted the credentials of China’s new Ambassador Zhao Xing.
At a meeting last week with the interior minister, the diplomat promised China’s respect for Afghanistan’s sovereignty, faith and culture. He said China had no intention to meddle in Afghanistan’s internal affairs.
Arrest of Afghan refugees in Pakistan
Media reports say Afghan and Pakistani forces clashed at Torkham earlier in the month. Kabul claims the Afghan border guards repairing an old security outpost in the area came under fire from Pakistani forces and thus the firefight erupted. Later on, the busy crossing was closed by Pakistan.
Last week, police detained about 800 Afghan nationals in different parts of Pakistan. PM Kakar warmed of major operations to round up illegal Afghans in his country.
UNHCR chief for Asia and the Pacific Indrika Ratwatte said he would visit Pakistan for discussions with the authorities on the extension of refugees’ stay, renewal of their documents and issuance of papers to undocumented Afghans.
Similarly, the UN refugee agency has also urged the Pakistan government to immediately halt the arrest of Afghan nationals living in that country.
In Kabul, the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation asked host nations to avoid forced deportation of Afghan citizens and treat them under international law and other relevant agreements.
On Friday, Pakistan’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan Asif Durrani met Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Kabul.
Muttaqi stressed: “Security issues must be addressed through joint committees and main routes must not be closed for political and security reasons.”
Pakistan and Afghanistan, being neighbouring Muslim countries, should refrain from trading blame, which widened the gap between them, Muttaqi believed.
He insisted the IEA policy towards the region and neighbours was based on good intentions and sincerity. It was trying not to allow anyone to spoil relations between two countries, he said.
Both sides agreed on taking effective and timely measures to resolve their issues and prevent any kind of negative incidents from happening in the future.
Last week, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in a report it had registered over 1,600 cases of human rights violations during the arrest and subsequent detention of individual by the interim government this year.
However, the IEA quickly rejected the report as propaganda that was far from reality. “We strongly reject this propaganda.”
The report by UNAMA’s Human Rights Service covers the period from January 1, 2022 to July 31, 2023, with cases documented across 29 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces.
Aid to Afghanistan
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved $400 million in grants to protect the welfare and livelihoods of vulnerable Afghan people.
Additionally, Turkey assisted Afghanistan with 20 tonnes of medical supplies. The European Union also promised 1,400 million euros in assistance to the country.
The UN secretary-general’s deputy special representative for Afghanistan, Markus Potzel, said the world body stayed committed to helping the Afghan people.
He held out the assurance at a meeting with former chief peace negotiator Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, who greater UN assistance to the people of Afghanistan.
The assurance came after the World Food Program (WFP) warned of leaving Afghanistan due to fund shortage, saying it could not get through in October.
“We are in a desperate situation,” Executive Director Cindy McCain said in an interview with ABC.
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