6 killed, 1 injured in Afghanistan last week

KABUL (Pajhwok): Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan last week signed an agreement on feasibility study of the ‘Trans-Afghan railway project. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees arrived in Kabul today amid continued forced deportation of Afghan refugees from Iran and the UN allocated $10 million in aid for refugees.

Last week’s Important events

• Trans-Afghan railway project feasibility student pact signed.
• Trilateral meeting wants region’s potential utilized
• UN refugee chief in Kabul amid returnee crisis
• UN allocates $10 million in cash aid for returning Afghans
• Kabir: Forced deportations affect country’s economic, social situation
• No one pursued for past actions: Fitrat

Casualties

Six people were killed and another was injured in various incidents of violence in Afghanistan last week.

Unidentified assailants killed five members of a family in Ghazni and injured a child, local officials had said.

The Police Headquarters in eastern Nangarhar province said that a young man was killed in a dispute over a ludo game in the Kama district of the province.

In the previous week, three people had been killed in separate incidents in Afghanistan.

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

Delegations from Uzbekistan and Pakistan visit Kabul

Last week, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan signed an agreement on the feasibility study of the ‘Trans-Afghan’ railway project in Kabul.

Foreign ministers from the three countries also held trilateral talks on political consultations and emphasized establishing strong relations between these countries. They also stressed the need for regional stability, economic connectivity and the development of joint trade.

According to reports, the meeting emphasized that the potential of the region should be fully utilized through continuous cooperation to bring about lasting prosperity to the nations of the region.

UN refugee chief in Kabul amid forced deportations

Iran has recently stepped up forcibly deporting Afghans in huge numbers. Afghan refugees are also being deported from Pakistan. Last week, reports said about 30,000 Afghans are being deported from Iran every day.

Acting Minister of Refugees and Repatriation Maulvi Abdul Kabir said the forced return of a large number of refugees had affected the country’s economic and social situation, seeking the international community’s assistance in this regard.

Meanwhile, experts termed the forced return of refugees a violation of human rights and called on the United Nations to take action to stop this process.

UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Roza Otanbayeva, said that the return of Afghan refugees from Iran had increased alarmingly; stressing serious need for cooperation and assistance with them.

“If this situation continues, it will become difficult to address the problems of these refugees.”

Last week, Arafat Jamal, the head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Afghanistan, met with the Deputy Prime Minister for Administration, Maulvi Abdul Salam Hanafi, and said that the organization has allocated $10 million in cash assistance for returning Afghan refugees and is trying to attract more assistance.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi arrived in Kabul on Saturday to assess the problems of Afghan refugees.

Filippo Grandi said the purpose of his visit was to meet officials of the Islamic Emirate and the Afghan people in order to understand the situation of returnees and explore joint solutions.

While acknowledging the global financial crisis, he said UNHCR would continue its efforts and support for Afghan returnees as before.

Sheikh Kaleem-ur-Rahman Fani, Deputy Minister of Finance and Administration of the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation said that addressing the problems of refugees was a shared responsibility of all.

He expressed hope that the visit of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees would play a positive role in integrating the returning refugees and attracting assistance for them.

Data leak in Britain

According to reports, the information of Afghans who cooperated with British forces has been leaked. The leaked data includes documents of about 19,000 Afghans. A report in the Daily Telegraph newspaper also claimed that after the disclosure, investigation and prosecution of these people in Afghanistan had intensified.

However, Hamdullah Fitrat, Deputy Spokesperson of the Islamic Emirate, said the general amnesty decree provided protection to everyone and so far no one had been arrested or killed for their past actions or under prosecution.

He added: “The reports of tracking down these people after the disclosure of the list are false and inaccurate. The intelligence agency has no need to monitor those already pardoned. All relevant documents and information about these people are available in the Ministries of Defense and Interior and the intelligence agency. We do not rely on documents leaked by the British.”

Fitrat added: “No retaliatory actions are being taken by the Islamic Emirate. No individual or authority has the right to pursue, harass, or harm anyone for their previous affiliations.”

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