13 people killed, 22 injured in Afghanistan last week

KABUL (Pajhwok): Different sources last week condemned forcible deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan.

The week saw an Afghan delegation led by deputy prime minister for economic affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar signing dozens of agreements with Iran.

Also last week, the United Nations said the ban on education for Afghan girls above the sixth grade was worrisome.

• IEA again rejects Afghan soil used for insecurity in Pakistan
• Various sources condemn forcible deportation of Afghan refugees
• Afghan delegation signs dozens of agreements with Iran
• Our govt inclusive, Mujahid tells Iran, Tajikistan
• UN: Ban on girls’ education above 6th grade worrisome
• EU pledges 61m euros and SKorea $1m in aid

Casualties

More than a dozen people were killed and 22 others injured in separate incidents of violence nationwide last week.

A blast killed seven people and injured another 20 in Dashti Barchi area of Kabul city, police said.

Unknown gunmen killed two people in Ghor and an education department official in Jawzjan and robbers killed one person in his house in Parwan province.

Explosion caused by an old landmine killed one person in Kandahar province.

Another blast killed one person and injured two others in northeastern Badakhshan province.

Note: These figures are based on reports reaching Pajhwok Afghan News. Some incidents may have gone unreported or sources have provided incorrect figures.

In the previous week, according to sources, nine people were killed in separate incidents across the country.

Before the regime change in August 2021, hundreds of civilians, insurgents and security forces would get killed and maimed every week.

Pakistan’s claim and IEA’s response

Pakistan’s Interim Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar last week claimed a 60 percent uptick in terrorist incidents in the country following the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s takeover.

He had said the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan was responsible for the violence and the group used Afghanistan’s soil for attacks in Pakistan.

Pakistan’s special representative for Afghanistan Asif Durrani also recently claimed that the Pakistani Taliban were present in Afghanistan.

However, IEA spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said their government was not responsible for addressing Pakistan’s internal security problems.

He asked Islamabad to solve its domestic issues itself and not blame Kabul for its failures.

Reactions to Afghan refugees’ deportation

Pakistan has launched a crackdown on illegal Afghan refugees in the country, arresting, and forcibly deporting them. So far Pakistan has expelled more than 300,000 Afghan refugees.

Amnesty International last week once again asked the government of Pakistan to immediately halt the detentions, deportations and widespread harassment of Afghan refugees.

In a new report on Friday, the watchdog voiced its concern over the complete lack of transparency, due process and accountability in the detentions and deportations taking place over the last week.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan also voiced alarm over the ill-treatment of Afghan refugees and asked the Pakistani authorities to stop mistreating the refugees.

Also last week, acting Interior Minister of Afghanistan Sirajuddin Haqqani said forcible deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan was against all international norms and Islamic principles.

Deputy foreign minister Sher Mohammad Abbas Stankzai said Pakistan had decided to deport Afghan refugees without coordinating the decision with the Islamic Emirate, the United Nations and the UN refugee agency.

Former president Mohammad Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah also expressed concerns over forcible deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan.

Abdullah asked the international community to take urgent measures to provide aid to the returnees.

Welcoming the returnees, Afghan media officials and representatives showered them with flower petals in Torkham and asked the international community to help the returning refugees in reestablishing their lives.

Afghan delegation to Iran

Last week, deputy prime minister for economic affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar visited Iran.

He discussed with Iranian officials political-economic interaction, joint cooperation in political, educational and cultural fields and sought the release of Afghan prisoners accused of minor crimes.

The Afghan delegation signed dozens of trade and economic agreements with Iran.

Demand for coalition government in Afghanistan

Last week, the presidents of Iran and Tajikistan called for the establishment of an inclusive government in Afghanistan.

But Zabiullah Mujahid said that the current government of Afghanistan was inclusive and represented all tribes.

He said no country had the right to interfere in the internal affairs of another country.

He said that countries should support the Afghan system, not particular individuals.

Education of girls

Last week, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed told a gathering in Saudi Arabia “Women in Islam”, that 130 million girls were deprived of education worldwide and the situation in Afghanistan was significantly worse.

Also, UNAMA head Roza Otunbayeva expressed concern about the ban on Afghan girls’ education above the 6th grade.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken asked the Islamic Emirate to respect human rights, especially the rights of women and girls.

The Islamic Emirate has repeated said it is committed to giving all people in Afghanistan the rights enshrined in Islam.

Humanitarian aid

Last week, South Korea announced one million US dollars and the European Union 60 million euros in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.

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