9 killed, 4 wounded in Afghanistan last week

KABUL (Pajhwok): Last week, high-ranking officials the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) travelled to three different countries.

Various countries and organisations expressed concerns about the morality law enacted by the Ministry of Vice and Virtue.

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) urged the interim government to reconsider its decisions on girls’ education and women’s employment work.

Also during the outgoing week, the European Union (EU) and Japan contributed 24.4 million dollars in aid to Afghanistan.

Last week’s key events:

UNAMA, others concerned at morality law, IEA rejects reservations

OIC urges Kabul to reconsider curbs on girls, women

Nadeem: Reseach on girls’’ higher education ongoing

IEA officials travel to Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan & Cameroon

AAF aircraft to stay in Uzbekistan, says US

Deal on Afghan aircraft in Uzbekistan unacceptable: MoD

EU, Japan contribute $26.4m in aid to Afghanistan

Casualties:

Last week, nine people were killed and four others wounded across Afghanistan in various incidents.

According to reports, a man stabbed to death his brother in Uruzgan province, while another man killed his two children in Kundaz province.

In Badghis, woman shot death his hunand and a child. Local officals said a young man was killed with a sickle in Faryab province.

One person was killed and two others were wounded in a clash between two families in Nangarhar province.

Note: Casualty figures here are based on Pajhwok Afghan News reports. There is a possibility of some incidents goning unreported or sources providing wrong figures.

During the previous week, 16 people had been killed and six others injured in different incidents nationwide.

Before the regime change in Afghanistan in August 2021, hundreds of civilians and security personnel would be killed and injured every week.

MoVV law

Last week, the Minsitry of Vice and Virtue (MoVV) codified the law – which consists of four chapters and 35 articles. It took effect after being ratified by the leadership of the Islamic Emirate and published in the official gazette.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) expressed concerns about the law, which imposes wide-ranging and far-reaching restrictions on personal conduct.

“It is a distressing vision for Afghanistan’s future, where moral inspectors have discretionary powers to threaten and detain anyone based on broad and sometimes vague lists of infractions,” said Roza Otunbayeva, the special representative of the secretary-general and UNAMA head.

“It extends the already intolerable restrictions on the rights of Afghan women and girls, with even the sound of a female voice outside the home apparently deemed a moral violation,” she claimed.

Based on initial review, two articles of the law do constitute positive steps, namely outlawing the mistreatment of orphans as well as prohibiting bacha bazi, a pedophilic practice of using young boys for personal entertainment and sexual abuse.

In addition to UNAMA, the European Union, the United States, Germany, Canada, Australia and some other countries also expressed concerns about the morality law.

However, the Islamic Emirate dismissed the concerns raised by UNAMAand other parties regarding the newly-enacted morality law as “baseless”.

Zabihullah Mujahid, chief spokesman for IEA, said MoVV was charged with implementing these Shariah-based laws in a fair and appropriate manner.

Women’s rights

Last week, Minister of Higher Education Neda Mohammad Nadeem said research of religious scholars on girls’ higher education was ongoing.

He added if found legitimate, women would be allowed to pursue their higher education, otherwise it would remain suspended.

However, Tarig Ali Bakhit, the OIC secretary general’s special envoy for Afghanistan, asked the interim government to reconsider its decisions about girls’ education and women’s work.

IEA officials’ foreign trips

A high-level IEA delegation, headed by Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, travelled to Uzbekistan to attend the inaugural ceremony for the Termez International Trade Centre.

Baradar hailed the opening of the Termez International Trade Centre as a new chapter of cooperation between Tashkent and Kabul.

The deputy dreamier told the inauguration ceremony the opening of the trade centre marked a significant stride towards enhanced commercial ties.

Azerbaijan’s Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev expressed his readiness to reactivate the Lapis Lazuli corridor to strengthen trade relations with Afghanistan and other regional countries. He expressed the readiness at a meeting with Baradar.

Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Amir Khan Muttaqi attended the 50th session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers in Cameroon.

The top diplomat urged the largest Islamic bloc and the world to make efforts for the release of Afghanistan’s assets, and removal of economic sanctions as well as the travel ban on IEA leaders.

Last week, a delegation led by Acting Miniter of Mines and Petroleum Hidayatullah Badri travelled to Turkmenistan.

The delegation held separate meetings with the deputy head of the cabinet and various sector ministers, including the minister of foreign affairs of Turkmenistan in Samarkand.

Acting Finance Minister Mullah Mohammad Nasir Akhund has urgeg UN Development Programme (UNDP) head Stephen Rodriques to implement mega economic projects in Afghanistan.

Controversy over Afghan aircraft

US Ambassador to Uzbekistan Jonathan Henick told Uzbek Kun News Washington and Tashkent had reached an agreement on the status of fighter jets and military helicopters belonging to the Afghan army that were flown by Afghan pilots to the Central Asian country in 2021.

Following the fall of the former government in August 2021, more than 40 helicopters were hijacked by Afghan pilots to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) of Afghanistan condemned remarks by the US Henick regarding agreement on Afghan aircraft.

MoD says any deal involving Afghan military aircraft in Uzbekistan is unacceptable.

Claim about TTP presence, IEA reaction

Lask week, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif claimed the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was organising “terrorist attacks” inside his country from the territory of Afghanistan.

However, the Ministry of Defence of Afghanistan repudiated the claim of the Pakistani leader as baseless..

The ministry said TTP had overt centres and facilities in areas under Pakistan’s control and organised attacks from there.

Continued hunanitarian aid:

Last week, the European Union announced 13 million euros in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.

Japan also contributed 10 million US dollars for the rehabilitation of drug addicts and alternative livelihoods for Afghan farmers.

kk/mud