16 people killed, injured in Afghanistan last week

KABUL (Pajhwok): Last week, massive protest demonistrations were held in Afghanistan against the descration of holy Quran, some sources urged women and girls should be allowed to get education and go to work while some stressed over continued interaction with the ‘Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’ (IEA) government.

• Massive protest demonistration against the descration of holy Quran held in some provinces
• UN showed interest in maintaining interaction and relationship with the IEA
• Some members of the ECO stressed over inclusive government in Afghanistan
• Fomal relationship should be forged with the acting Afghan government: Russia, Pakistan
• Decision to postpone women and girls education should be reversed: Guterres
• Reconsidering over relationship with the acting Afghan government: US
• Parmanent ban on women education and work is not considered but difference of opinion existed which is being sorted out: Haqqani
• $4.6 billion would be generated for humanitarian support to Afghanistan: UN
• Afghanistan’s export surged two fold comparing to past two years: WB

Casualties:

Thriteen people were killed and three others injured in different incidents of violence in the country last week.

According to reports unidentified gunmen have killed a businessman in Kunduz, a civilian in Badghis, a tribal elder in Nangarhar and two people in Baghlan province and injured another.

Some officials said two children injured in a blast in Maidan Wardak province whiel a man was killed in a mortar shell blast in Uruzgan province.

A man was killed mistakenly in Badghis, a nine year-old child was killed in Ghor whiel a child was killed mistakenly by a security guard in Kabul.

Reports showed that a man killed his wife and mother in law in Herat, in Kandahar a father killed his son whiel body of a youngman recovered in Faryab.

Note: Casualty figures are based on reports reached Pajhwok. Some reports might not have reached the news agency or sources may not have provided exact figures.

The previous week, 16 people were killed and six others injured nationwide in different violent incidents.

Last year, before the regime change in the country, hundreds of civilians and individuals from the warring sides were killed and injured every week in violent incidents and clashes.

Reaction to descration of holy Quran

A few days ago, a right-wing politician burned a copy of the Holy Quran during an anti-Turkey rally in Sweden and then another politician in The Hague, the Netherlands, tore pages of the holy book.

Several Islamic countries, including Afghanistan, have strongly condemned the burning and desecration of the Quran. Kabul has asked the two countries to punish the perpetrators of the incidents.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan had strongly condemned the desecration of the holy Quran by a far-right activist in the Netherlands and asked the country to punish the perpetrator.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote on its Twitter page: “The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan strongly condemns the desecration of the Holy Quran by a bigoted politician in The Hague, Netherlands.”

The ministry said “The Islamic Emirate calls on the government of this country to punish this person and cancel his political license in order to prevent the systematic spread of prejudice and hatred against Islam and Muslims.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced to renounce Swedan support for its membership in NATO.

Turkey foreign ministry said anti-Islamic activities that hurt the sentaments of Muslims were unacceptable under the lable of freedom of expression.

Demand for exclusive government:

Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, during a meeting with the Prime Minister Political Aide Mullah Abdul Ghani Beradar said that international community was interested in maintaining interaction with the ‘Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’ (IEA) to address existing issues.

In addition, some members of the ECO during its foreign ministers meeting in Tashkant stressed over interaction the IEA and stressed over an inclusive government in Afghanistan.

Nowegion Charged Affairs in Kabul Paul Kloman Bakar during a meeting with acting Foreign Minister Ameer Khan Muttaqi said the international community should interact with the current Afghan government on the bases of facts.

The US last week said it was reviewing its approach and engagement with the Taliban in the context of many human rights violations and was actively evaluating with the allies and partners to take the next appropriate steps towards it.

US State Department spokesperson Ned Price, in a press briefing, underlined that the US continued to be the world’s leading humanitarian provider to the people of Afghanistan, and was not providing the Taliban with any support.

Afghan officials often claimed that the IEA wanted relations with the world based on mutual respect.

Chinese foreign minister during a telephonic conversation with foreign minister Muttaqi stressed over the promotion of biletral relatins and fight against terrorism.

Women, girls’ education and work:

United Nations secretary general Antonio Guterres on the occasion of International Day of Education last week called on the Taliban to reverse their ban on women and girls education.

“I call on the Taliban to reverse the outrageous and self-defeating ban on access to secondary and higher education for girls and women in Afghanistan,” the UN chief tweeted.

UNESCO has dedicated this year’s International Day to girls and women in Afghanistan who have been deprived of their right to education. UNCESCO has called for the immediate lifting of the ban restricting their access to education.

UNECIF said that education was not previlage but it was a right.

Hamidul Haq Haqqani, head of a leading religious seminary in Pakistan, said Islam did not ban girl education adding that the IEA government should allow girls and women to get education.

Acting Interior Minister Srajuddin Haqqani during a meeting with Martin Griffiths said permanent ban on girls and women education was not considered adding that there was a difference of opinion on the matter.

Humanitarian aid:

Last week the 7^th shipment of Turkissh humanitarian aid arrived arrived in Afghanistan.

UN Top Diplomat Martin Griffiths said the multinational organization had no plan to stop humanitarian aid to Afghanistan and this year $4.6 billin will be attracted and distributed on 28 million Afghans.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) claimed last week that the IEA government will collapse due to encomic crisis.

But IEA Spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid rejected as incorrect a recent report from the UNOCHA that predicted the collapse of the current system due to cash constraints.

Mujahid tweeted on Wednesday the IEA was not reliant on foreign assistance alone. He ruled out the fall of the system due to economic hardships.

This comes that according to the World Bank (WB) report Afghanistan’s revenue collection, export performance remained strong while the exchange rate remained stable during last fiscal year.

During Jan – Nov 2022, Afghanistan exported $1.7 billion worth of goods, compared to $ 0.9 billion and $ 0.8 billion for the full years 2021 and 2020, the global lender said in its report.

Data from customs authorities showed that Pakistan (65 percent) and India (20 percent) are the two main export destinations.

Major exports include vegetable products (56 percent), mineral products (28 percent), and textiles (10 percent) – collectively contributing 94 percent of total exports.

According to the World Bank report Afghani currency slightly depreciated against the USD (by 1.5 percent), Euro (by 1.2 percent), and Chinese yuan (by 0.2 percent) between end-June and to end of December 2022 but appreciated against the Pakistan rupee (24.8 percent) and Indian rupee (2.6 percent).

The central bank (DAB) is undertaking occasional auctions in the forex market. However, no data is available on the central bank website to confirm the frequency and auctioned amount.

Overall revenue collection reached 135.9 billion afs (US$ 1.54 billion) between March 22, 2022, and December 21, 2022, in line with 2020 results.

The prime minister’s aide office in a statement welcome the WB report and said if existing curbs on Afghanistan’s banking system are reverese and Afghanistan’s frozen assets are freed the country’s economic situation will further improve and Afghanistna will be no more a burden on the international community.

The acting government asked the international organasations to reflect upon the development recently made in Afghanistan so that the world is informed about the ground realities in Afghanistan.

The IEA asked the WB to resume work on mega projects that were lift incomplete.

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