Haqqani, Iodice Discuss Next Month’s Meeting on Afghanistan

The acting Interior Minister, Sirajuddin Haqqani, in a meeting with Rafaella Iodice, the EU Chargée d’Affaires for Afghanistan, talked about a range of topics including next month’s meeting in Doha on Afghanistan.

The Interior Ministry in a statement quoted Haqqani as saying, “the presence of the Islamic Emirate representatives in the international organizations and meetings is key to resolving issues.”

“Afghanistan needs to be a member of major international organisations in order to interact with the world more, and the demand should be resolved through close understanding,” the ministry’s spokesman, Abdul Mateen Qani said.

The spokesman quoted Haqqani as saying that “after several decades of instability and chaos, Afghanistan is rapidly moving towards economic and political stability.”

Qani added that during the meeting, Rafaella Iodice talked about the provision of humanitarian assistance to Afghan people including assistance to Herat’s earthquake affected people and the Afghan returnees.

Political analysts said that the presence of the representative of the Islamic Emirate in international meetings is important.

“In order for these meetings to be effective, a representative of the Islamic Emirate must be present. The representative of the Islamic Emirate will respond to any decisions made and criticisms raised,” Gul Mohammad Mohammadi, a political analyst told TOLOnews.

“It is not enough to have a representative from Kabul in a meeting concerning foreign aid. In Afghanistan major reforms are necessary from the government in order to be recognized,” Tariq Farhadi, another political analyst told TOLOnews.

The discussion between Haqqani and Iodice about the Doha meeting comes as last month a meeting was held in Qatar on women’s education in Afghanistan. The attendees of that meeting placed a strong emphasis on allowing females to receive an education.

Haqqani, Iodice Discuss Next Month’s Meeting on Afghanistan
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Women, Girls Bearing Brunt of Economic, Humanitarian Crisis: UNDP

Rodriques said that 7 out of 10 Afghans are unable to fulfill their basic needs for food, health care and employment.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) said that women and girls are bearing the brunt of the economic and humanitarian crises where female-headed households work more for the same household per capita income, consume a lower quantity of food, and women constantly lose their share of employment compared to men, while girls’ education attendance is at alarmingly low levels.

Speaking at a press event in Kabul, UNDP Resident Representative for Afghanistan, Stephen Rodriques, said that the economic loss caused by the restrictions on the female workforce was estimated to have reached US$ 1 billion at the end of 2022.

“This is largely due to a number of facts including restricted banking services. Suspension of official development weakened and isolated …economic institutions, and a lack of foreign direct investment,” he said.

Rodriques said that 7 out of 10 Afghans are unable to fulfill their basic needs for food, health care and employment.

“While the economy appears to be stabilizing, it is simply not growing fast enough to meet the needs of the 35 million in growing population,” he said.

The chargé d’affaires of the Japan embassy, Takuya Tanimoto, said Japan seeks to help the people of Afghanistan to become self-reliant, “to support Afghanistan’s people in maintaining and improving their lives and becoming self-reliant through their own efforts,” he said.

The UNDP released its report of 2 years in review “Changes in Afghan Economy, Households and Cross-Cutting Sectors (August 2021 to August 2023)” on Thursday.

Women, Girls Bearing Brunt of Economic, Humanitarian Crisis: UNDP
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Islamic Emirate Leader: Women’s Rights Not Ensured by Previous Govts

The Islamic Emirate’s leader once again did not mention any remark regarding the education of girls.

The leader of the Islamic Emirate in an audio recording attributed to him, said that the rights of women have been ensured within an Islamic structure compared to before.

According to him, there was no attention to the rights of women in the previous governments.

“We have issued a 6 principle decree regarding women’s rights… the previous governments have not provided the rights of women. We said don’t marry women by force, don’t violate Mahr, don’t force women for Nikah, don’t marry a widow by force. Give women the heritage,” Shiekh Hibatullah Akhundzada said.

Speaking at a gathering of the Ulema in Kandahar, he said that the Islamic Emirate’s struggle against the western countries has not ended and that the Sharia hudud (an Islamic method of punishment) will become enforceable.

“Tomorrow, we will implement hudud and the women will be stoned in public. Tomorrow, we will implement hudud and will lash [people] in public. All of these are in contrast with democracy. For each of these, you will need to fight and struggle,” he said.

However, the Islamic Emirate’s leader once again did not mention any remark regarding the education of girls.

Around 7 months ago, an audio message of the Islamic Emirate’s leader was released, in which he mentioned a desire for good political and economic relations with the world, particularly Islamic countries.

He also stressed that the Islamic Emirate doesn’t interfere in the internal affairs of any country and that it will not allow other countries to interfere in Afghanistan’s affairs.

Islamic Emirate Leader: Women’s Rights Not Ensured by Previous Govts
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Where is Balochistan and why is it the target of Iran and Pakistan strikes?

South Asia correspondent

Balochistan is a region with a distinct cultural and historical identity that is now divided between three countries: Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan. This week, Iran and Pakistan launched strikes across each other’s borders targeting militants in the Balochistan area.

The region takes its name from the Baloch tribe, who began inhabiting the area centuries ago, and has long been fought over and divided by rulers including the Persians and the British.

The largest portion of the region is in south-western Pakistan, which it joined in 1948 after independence. Though it is Pakistan’s largest province – comprising 44% of the total landmass – its arid, largely desert landscape is the country’s least inhabited and least economically developed region and has been blighted by problems for decades.

Balochistan has a long history of resistance against the government of Pakistan, and militant insurgencies by groups fighting for an independent state for the Baloch people began in 1948, emerging again in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and significantly post-2003. The people of Balochistan had long felt their region was neglected in terms of development and political representation, fueling resentment towards the ruling establishment.

In response to the militant insurgency, Pakistan’s military, paramilitary and intelligence forces have overseen a long-running and bloody counterinsurgency and crackdown on the region, with tens of thousands of people “disappeared”, tortured and killed with impunity.

The militant insurgency has also been a long-running source of tensions between Pakistan and its neighbour Iran, which have each accused the other of harbouring separatist terrorists. Cross-border attacks have killed scores of soldiers, police officers and civilians over the past five years.

Iran, in particular, has accused Pakistan of allowing militants from the Sunni separatist group Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice) to operate freely from Balochistan and carry out attacks on Iranian authorities. As recently as December 2023, 11 Iranian police officers were killed and several injured when Jaish al-Adl militants attacked a police station in Iran’s Sistan and Balochistan province.

In 2023, a total of 10 Pakistani soldiers and security personnel were killed in three separate attacks in Balochistan carried out by militants reportedly operating from the Iranian side.

While the two countries have exchanged barbs and Iran has taken low-level retaliatory action to such attacks, Tehran’s decision to carry out full-blown airstrikes against Pakistan on Tuesday, targeting alleged Jaish al-Adl militant bases in Balochistan, marked an unprecedented escalation of tensions.

Pakistan’s decision to respond on Thursday with drone and rocket strikes on Iranian territory was equally unprecedented, pushing relations between the two countries to their worst in years and increasing fears of further regional instability.

Where is Balochistan and why is it the target of Iran and Pakistan strikes?
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Almost 100,000 Afghan children are in dire need of support, 3 months after earthquakes, UNICEF says

 RAHIM FAIEZ

A 6.3-magnitude earthquake shook Herat province on Oct. 7 and a second strong quake struck the same province days later, on Oct. 11, killing more than 1,000 people. The majority of those dead in the quakes in Zinda Jan and Injil districts were women and children, and 21,000 homes were destroyed, UNICEF said in a statement.

“The atmosphere in these villages is thick with suffering even 100 days after the earthquakes in western Afghanistan when families lost absolutely everything,” said Fran Equiza, UNICEF representative in Afghanistan.

“Children are still trying to cope with the loss and trauma. Schools and health centers, which children depend upon, are damaged beyond repair, or destroyed completely,” he added.

“As if this was not enough, winter has taken hold and temperatures hover below freezing,” Equiza said. “Children and families without homes live in life-threatening conditions at night, with no way to heat their temporary shelters.”

UNICEF said it urgently needs $1.4 billion in 2024 to meet the humanitarian and basic needs of 19.4 million Afghans, half of the population.

The Taliban’s failure to invest in public services has contributed to the deterioration of basic services, hindering the ability of vulnerable communities to recover from shocks and build resilience, the agency added..

“We are grateful to our donor partners who mobilized resources quickly, enabling UNICEF to respond within days to the urgent needs of children and their families in Herat,” Equiza said.

But more help is needed “to ensure that children not only survive the winter but have a chance to thrive in the months and years to come,” he added.

Daniel Timme, head of communications for UNICEF in Afghanistan, said schools, homes, health facilities and water systems were destroyed.

“We have money coming in but it’s not enough. These communities need to be independent again. It’s not enough to put out the fire. We need to make it (Afghanistan) more resilient,” Timme said.

Separately and for all of Afghanistan, UNICEF said Monday that 23.3 million people, including 12.6 million children, are in need of humanitarian assistance” in 2024, “mainly due to the residual impacts of a protracted conflict, extreme climate shocks and the country’s severe economic decline.”___

Associated Press writer Riazat Butt in Islamabad contributed to this report.

Almost 100,000 Afghan children are in dire need of support, 3 months after earthquakes, UNICEF says
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US aims to destabilize Afghanistan: Iranian Envoy

Hassan Kazemi-Qomi, Iran’s special representative in Kabul, believes that despite the U.S.’s clear failure in Afghanistan, they continue to try to destabilize the country and support terrorism, especially ISIS.

Qomi made these statements on Tuesday, January 16th, during an interview with the IRNA news agency in Islamabad.

According to the special representative and ambassador of Iran in Kabul, America’s policies have not only failed in Afghanistan after 20 years of occupation but have also failed in other countries like Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Lebanon.

He emphasized that “instability and insecurity in Afghanistan continue to be America’s priority, and for various reasons, they pursue this policy because, in the view of Americans, Afghanistan can become a place of conflict and confrontation with their rivals and adversaries, such as China, Iran, and Russia, and Afghanistan must continue to follow a confrontational path with these countries.”

According to Qomi, neighboring countries of Afghanistan will be the most affected by the developments and events in Afghanistan, and on that basis, “Afghanistan’s neighbors have the most interaction with the people and government of this country.”

He added, “The more Afghanistan moves toward instability and insecurity, we will witness a flood of Afghan refugees towards neighboring countries, including Iran. If Afghanistan’s economy worsens and poverty intensifies, we will see an increase in drug cultivation and recruitment of forces for terrorist groups like ISIS.”

Qomi also said, “Fortunately, we have achieved a positive approach in negotiations with key regional players, including Pakistan. We emphasize regional cooperation in engaging with Kabul.”

Today, Iran launched missiles into Pakistan’s Balochistan region, causing a rise in diplomatic tensions. In response, Pakistan has recalled its ambassador from Tehran.

Earlier, Kazemi-Qomi had announced during a visit to Pakistan an agreement on the formation of regional contact groups for Afghanistan.

This comes at a time when Iran has maintained good relations with the Taliban in the past two years, despite tensions over water rights and the Helmand River.

US aims to destabilize Afghanistan: Iranian Envoy
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UNICEF Announces 950 Community-Based Education Classes

Currently, some children in various provinces are getting educated outdoors and do not have access to standard classes.

UNICEF announced the establishment of 950 new community-based education classes in Afghanistan with the cooperation of South Korea.

UNICEF has said that these classes are aimed at helping the education process of children in Afghanistan, and by building these classes education will be provided for more than 140,000 children in Afghanistan.

UNICEF said: “We’re establishing 950 new community-based education classes! That’s 950 new spaces to learn. Inspire. Build a future. With support from the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, these 950 community-based classes will provide an education for 140,000 children in Afghanistan.”

Currently, some children in various provinces are getting educated outdoors and do not have access to standard classes.

Meanwhile, girl students who are currently away from education, said that they are waiting for their schools to reopen.

Hadia, a 10th grade student, told TOLOnews: “Currently, we are continuing our lessons at home, but we don’t have the motivation that we had at school and in the class, because our fate is unknown.”

“We hope that the gates of the university will be opened for girls so that we can continue our studies and reach a place and succeed,” said Mursal, another girl student.

At the same time, some women’s rights activists, expressing their satisfaction with the establishment of these classes, asked the Islamic Emirate to provide all the available opportunities for the education of all girls.

“The government of the Islamic Emirate should use these opportunities. Open the closed doors of schools and universities so that they can provide education for women, which is needed today, and consider half of the society,” said Tafsir Syahposh, a women’s rights activist.

“Lack of education itself is a type of darkness and ignorance that spreads in a society. Therefore, the first human right is the right to education,” said Frozan Daudzai, a women’s rights activist.

After two and a half years, there has been no news about the reopening of schools for girls above the sixth grade, and it is not yet clear when the gates of the schools will be reopened for them.

UNICEF Announces 950 Community-Based Education Classes
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Iran Forms ‘Regional Contact Group’ on Afghanistan

Special representatives stated that the “Regional Contact Group” should define and follow a political, economic and security cooperation package for Afghanistan. 

The Iranian Ambassador and special representative to Afghanistan, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, in an interview with Iranian media said that a “Regional Contact Group” has been formed to address the issue of Afghanistan.

Hassan Kazemi Qomi also said that in the meeting with Pakistani officials he also emphasized regional cooperation in engagement with Kabul and he believes that destabilizing Afghanistan is the priority of the United States.

The special representatives stated that the “Regional Contact Group” should define and follow a political, economic and security cooperation package for Afghanistan.

“The neighboring and regional countries should follow their cooperation for the betterment of the political, economic and security situation of Afghanistan,” he said.

“Pakistan is not good for anyone, I think the travel of the Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan has no positive impact,” said Omid Safi, the Director of the National Development Process.

The Iranian ambassador and special representative of this country to Afghanistan also claimed that “Daesh Khorasan” is the policy of United States and is being used to destabilize Afghanistan.

“Americans also follow a destabilition policy — the terrorism phenomenon and development of terrorism are the policies that are supported by America for the destabilizing of this country,” Hasan Kazimi Qomi said.

Hasan Kazimi Qomi also claimed that with the increase of poverty and when the situation of Afghanistan gets more critical, the cultivation of drugs and the recruiting for terrorist groups will also increase.

Iran Forms ‘Regional Contact Group’ on Afghanistan
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96,000 Children Affected from Earthquake in Herat: UNICEF

UNICEF in a report also called for an increase in healthcare services and clean water for children who face challenges from earthquakes.

The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) said that the last earthquake in Herat affected 96,000 children. 

UNICEF in a report also called for an increase in healthcare services and clean water for children who face challenges from earthquakes.

“We cannot continue to establish short-term educational centers here, because it needs more investment to address their basic needs,” said Daniel Timme, head of communications for UNICEF in Afghanistan.

Bibi Gul, a resident of Sia Aab village in Zinda Jan district of Herat, who lives in a temporary camp, is concerned about her two children and asks the aid organizations for help.

“We hope that the government will build our houses soon and give us some fuel in winter,” Bibi Gul said.

UNICEF in the latest report warned that 96,000 children are affected from the earthquake and they need serious assistance in winter, UNICEF added.

“Today UNICEF said that they are concerned about the survival of 96,000 children from the earthquake three months ago. UNICEF asked in the eve of the hard winter, for much more healthcare services for children in this country. Before this, UNICEF has also done a lot to help with the victims of the earthquake, but it needs more work,” said the UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

The Ministry of Economy says that efforts are being made to attract more aid with the coordination of organizations, in order to continue to provide health services, shelter and educational services for the affected from the earthquake in Herat.

“The Ministry of Economy is working together with the relevant organizations to support them with providing shelter, education and international aid,” said Abdul Latif Nazari, deputy of the Ministry of Economy.

UNICEF also stated that they set up 61 temporary learning spaces, where almost 3,400 children, more than half of them girls,  are able to continue basic education. The rehabilitation work on destroyed classrooms will begin shortly, UNICEF added.

96,000 Children Affected from Earthquake in Herat: UNICEF
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Islamic Emirate Denies Intention to Access Nuclear Weapons

The head of the office, Suhail Shaheen, said that the Islamic Emirate plans to repair the weapons left behind by foreign forces in Afghanistan.

The political office of the Islamic Emirate has denied allegations about Kabul’s intention to “access nuclear weapons.”

The head of the office, Suhail Shaheen, said that the Islamic Emirate plans to repair the weapons left behind by foreign forces in Afghanistan.

Earlier, a congressman asked Thomas West, the US representative for Afghanistan, about the Islamic Emirate envoy’s visit to North Korea to “access nuclear weapons.”

“I totally deny such claims, they are not true. The Islamic Emirate is busy repairing the weapons left behind during the past two decades of war, not competing with nuclear weapons. These are baseless allegations,” Suhail Shaheen, head of the political office of the Islamic Emirate, told TOLOnews.

International relations experts expressed various views about the issue.

“Making nuclear weapons or accessing them is propaganda, merely a lie. Many countries like Iran tried to access nuclear weapons but failed,” said Muhammad Hashim Danish, an international relations expert.

“Afghanistan is affected by the economies of other countries. How can the Islamic Emirate think of accessing nuclear weapons,” said Najiburahman Shamal, a political analyst.

Earlier, Zabiullah Mujahid, the spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, said that Kabul has never had negotiations about accessing weapons with any country, adding that the Islamic Emirate’s forces possess sufficient munitions.

Islamic Emirate Denies Intention to Access Nuclear Weapons
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