Iranian Minister: Afghan Immigrants Lacking Permits Will Be Deported

November 30, 2023
 TOLOnews
TV Network
30 Nov 2023

In the meeting, Haqqani asked Turkey, Iran, and Pakistan not to persecute Afghan immigrants and to respect the human rights of immigrants.

The Iranian Minister of Interior Ahmad Wahidi claimed that the Islamic Emirate has asked Iran for an opportunity to provide the conditions for the return of “Afghan immigrants with permits.”

According to Iranian media reports, Wahidi said that there are currently 5 million Afghan refugees living in Iran.

The Minister of Interior of Iran asked the Islamic Emirate to provide conditions for the return of Afghan immigrants, and Afghan immigrants who do not have legal documents for residence will be deported.

“Based on our figures, there are currently around five million people. There are two parts that have been fully explained before, a part of them do not have permits which should be deported,” Wahidi said.

Meanwhile, the 2nd Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Salam Hanafi asked the citizens of the country and aid institutions to help the immigrants who have returned to the country.

According to Hanafi, so far more than 400,000 Afghan immigrants have returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan.

“The immigrants who were forcibly expelled from our neighboring countries against all national and international norms, have returned to their homeland, and the Islamic Emirate has provided them services with all the possible means it had,” Hanafi said.

Some refugee rights activists expressed concerns regarding the situation of Afghan immigrants in Iran.

“The Afghan immigrants in Iran are facing challenges due to not having legal living permits,” said Mohammad Khan Talibi, immigrants’ rights activist.

Raffaella Iodice, the EU Chargée d’Affaires to Afghanistan pledged 142 million euros in aid to returnees in a meeting with Khalil Rahman Haqqani, the acting Minister of Refugees and Repatriation.

The Ministry of Refugees wrote in a statement that the situation of immigrants who return from Pakistan, Turkey, and Iran — both voluntarily and by force — was discussed in the meeting.

In the meeting, Haqqani asked Turkey, Iran, and Pakistan not to persecute Afghan immigrants and to respect the human rights of immigrants.

Iranian Minister: Afghan Immigrants Lacking Permits Will Be Deported
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Hanafi: We Want Good Relations With All Countries

November 30, 2023
TOLOnews
TV Network
30 Nov 2023

Officials of the Islamic Emirate repeatedly call for increased relations and engagement with regional and world countries.

The Second Deputy of the Prime Minister, Abdul Salam Hanafi, in a meeting with Raffaella Iodice, chargée d’affaires of the EU delegation in Afghanistan, said that the Islamic Emirate wants good relations with the world and the member countries of the European Union, and especially with the neighboring countries of Afghanistan.

The Arg wrote in a statement that in the meeting Hanafi urged that problems with the Islamic Emirate are solved through dialogue, adding that due to the security in Afghanistan, EU member states can invest in Afghanistan.

According to the statement, Raffaella Iodice, the EU chargée d’affaires to Afghanistan pledged 145 million euros in aid to returnees in a meeting with Khalil Rahman Haqqani, the acting Minister of Refugees and Repatriation.

“These meetings are useful because we want good relations with countries including EU members countries and she is the representative of the EU countries here…,” said Zabiullah Mujahid, spokesman for Islamic Emirate.

Meanwhile, some political analysts said that these meetings can help build stability in the country and be a solution for current challenges in Afghanistan.

“The most important issue is that an understanding of language should made between the Islamic Emirate and the International community, there is no such a thing but it’s a necessary issue and the subject of interaction of the Islamic Emirate with the international community must be solved,” said Sayed Qaribullah Sadat, a political analyst.

“Government officials with these meetings with representatives of other countries, and the UN, gives hope to the nation for the stability to the government,” said Abdul Ghafar Kamiyab, political analyst.

Officials of the Islamic Emirate repeatedly call for increased relations and engagement with regional and world countries.

Earlier, the EU announced $61 million in aid for Afghan refugees who have returned from Pakistan.

Hanafi: We Want Good Relations With All Countries
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Sinirlioğlu Presents Assessment of Afghanistan at Closed UNSC Session

November 30, 2023
TOLOnews
TV Network
30 Nov 2023

Political analysts said that if the report is based on the realities on the ground, it can help with solving some current challenges in Afghanistan.

UN Special Coordinator for Afghanistan, Feridun Sinirlioğlu, on Tuesday presented his report of an assessment of Afghanistan to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

Switzerland at the United Nations wrote on X that the UN Security Council held a private meeting on the independent assessment on Afghanistan. “Special Coordinator Feridun Sinirlioğlu briefed the UNSC.”

“The inclusion and active participation of women and girls in all aspects of life is an essential condition for the country’s future,” Switzerland at the UN said.

Official account of the Permanent Mission of Malta to the UN said on its X account that it attended a “private meeting” to discuss the independent assessment review to address current challenges faced by Afghanistan.

“We highlighted several concerns, including the various violations of the human rights of women and girls,” Malta said.

The Islamic Emirate’s spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, said that the situation in Afghanistan has positively changed and that it should be supported.

“We believe that the situation in Afghanistan is extraordinarily positive, and this situation should be admired. It should be encouraged, so the situation becomes better, not for the damages against security, development and achievements to be diminished,” he said.

Political analysts said that if the report is based on the realities on the ground, it can help with solving some current challenges in Afghanistan.

“The concerns are useless. Instead of giving slogans, it is better that the Islamic Emirate sit face-to-face and talk about the various issues and at least give an opportunity to the women of Afghanistan and the Islamic Emirate should understand it,” said Abdul Jabar Akbari, a political analyst.

“The remarks by Sinirlioğlu and the report that he provided to the UN, can get us out of many problems if the Islamic Emirate pays practical and sincere attention to it,” said Abdul Shokor Dadras, a political analyst.

Earlier, in a document accessed by TOLOnews, the Islamic Emirate articulated its stance towards the assessment of the situation of Afghanistan conducted by a UN team, saying that it welcomes recommendations that support the strengthening of the national economy of the country and opening of the pathway to the recognition of the “current government” and “encourages regional connectivity and transit via Afghanistan.”

Sinirlioğlu Presents Assessment of Afghanistan at Closed UNSC Session
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A Pakistani province aims to deport 10,000 Afghans a day

November 30, 2023
BY ABDUL SATTAR AND MUNIR AHMED
Associated Press
Updated 7:41 AM EST, November 30, 2023

QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — A Pakistani province is setting targets for police to arrest and deport hundreds of thousands of Afghans it says are in the country illegally, officials said Thursday.

The measure is part of a nationwide crackdown following a sharp decline in the expulsion of Afghans living in Pakistan without legal permission. Near the Chaman border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan, local residents were protesting against new travel visa requirements aimed at cutting down on illegal immigration that have disrupted traffic in the area.

Some of those targeted for deportation had apparently gone to remote areas in Pakistan to avoid arrest, authorities said.

“Instructions have gone to police to arrest Afghans living in Pakistan illegally,” said Jan Achakzai, spokesperson for the government in southwestern Baluchistan province. He said authorities have been asked to deport 10,000 Afghans a day.

Achakzai made his comment days after authorities at the two key northwestern Torkham and southwestern Chaman border crossings acknowledged a sudden decrease in the number of Afghans who were sent back to Afghanistan after being arrested on the charges of living in Pakistan illegally.

An estimated 1.7 million Afghans were living in Pakistan in October when authorities announced the crackdown, saying that anyone without proper documents had to go back to their countries by Oct. 31 or be arrested.

Since then, more than 400,000 Afghans returned to their home country. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation in Kabul, Abdul Mutalib Haqqani, said 410,000 citizens have entered the country from Pakistan in the past two months. More than 200,000 have returned to Afghanistan from other countries including Iran, which is also cracking down on undocumented foreigners, he said.

Pakistani officials say they are deporting only those foreigners, including Afghans, who are in the country illegally, and an estimated 1.4 million Afghans who are registered as refugees should not worry as they are not the target of the anti-migrant drive. Police in Pakistan have been going door to door to check migrants’ documentation.

Pakistan has been hosting Afghans since the 1980s, when millions of Afghans fled south and east to the neighboring Islamic nation during the Soviet occupation of their country. The numbers spiked after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021.

As part of its crackdown, Pakistan stopped recognizing special permits under which hundreds of thousands of residents in Chaman could cross between the two countries. The new visa requirement angered residents who have been rallying near the border, disrupting normal traffic toward the border crossing.

The protesters want Pakistan to allow them to continue using the special permits for business purposes and to meet with relatives who live in the Afghan border city of Spin Boldak.

In Afghanistan, the Taliban-led administration says it is providing shelter and food to returnees. According to Tolo News, a private Afghan media outlet, Afghan refugees have complained of mistreatment by Pakistani soldiers.

The alleged mistreatment of migrants by Pakistani authorities has drawn widespread condemnation from human rights organizations.

“Pakistani officials have created a coercive environment for Afghans to force them to return to life-threatening conditions in Afghanistan,” said Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “The authorities should immediately end the abuses and give Afghans facing expulsion the opportunity to seek protection in Pakistan.”

Pakistani authorities have denied such allegations, saying anyone found guilty of mistreating Afghan immigrants lacking permanent legal status would be punished. Achakzai said migrants who are in the country illegally are held at deporting centers in a dignified manner before transporting them to border crossings so they can go back home.

Ahmed reported from Islamabad.

 

A Pakistani province aims to deport 10,000 Afghans a day
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Taliban could be convinced to open girls’ schools, says Afghanistan ex-education minister

November 30, 2023

There are many Taliban officials who would support reversing the ban on schooling for girls in Afghanistan, according to the country’s last education minister before the takeover.

Under Taliban rule, Afghanistan has become the only country in the world where girls are banned from schooling beyond the age of 11. The group has also imposed what has been described as a policy of “gender apartheid”, banning women from most work and public spaces.

But internal fractures that exist within the Taliban on girl’s education could be leveraged by the international community to lobby with them to reopen girls schools, said Rangina Hamidi, who recently visited the country.

“The Taliban are not a monolith. There are differences of opinions within the Taliban, just as with any other group. And it is evident, particularly on the issue of the ban on girls’ education, there are many within the Taliban who support reversing the decree,” she said.

“Whether or not the world recognises the Taliban, for nearly 40 million Afghans, at least half of whom are women and girls, this is a lived reality,” she said. “And it pains me, that even after two years, the international community hasn’t figured out how to deal with the Taliban, at the expense of the people and girls of Afghanistan.

“Not that long ago the US government, along with its allies and international agencies, were engaged in the political talks with the Taliban. Why then, does the same global community today have a problem with working with the Taliban?”

Hamidi has proposed supporting homegrown solutions from Afghans who are finding ways to work around Taliban bans, including the use of spaces where girls are allowed, such as madrassas – religious schools – as an alternative avenue for education.

“Madrassas are synonymous today with religious schooling only, but historically these are spaces for learning,” she said, urging people to “look beyond semantics [for] indigenous opportunities for girls to continue their learning”.

“The country has lacked funds to invest in schools and there are communities where boys and girls are out of school. Yet, as a Muslim country, there are mosques – which are also places of learning – at least one in every 2km radius. So, why can’t we use this space to help our children learn using a standardised curriculum?” she said.

Hamidi’s views received a mixed reaction at a feminist gathering in Istanbul this month, organised by the UN Girls’ Education Initiative (Ungei), where she spoke. Some Afghan female participants were critical of any proposal to normalise relations with a group that continues to restrict women’s basic rights.

Selma Acuner, a member of the Women’s Coalition in Turkey, part of the Ungei feminist network, said: “Working with the Taliban, who intentionally suppress women’s rights and enforce their interpretation of radical fundamentalist ideologies through madrassas, presents a highly paradoxical situation.”

Acuner acknowledged that religious schools may provide girls an opportunity to continue engaging in a learning space, but said: “We cannot expect religious institutions to compensate for the lost access to formal secondary education … they do not match the broader educational scope and future opportunities it provides.”

Acuner said it was crucial to hear from and understand the experiences of women in Afghanistan before agreeing to such an approach. “Otherwise, it would mean consenting to a deepening regression in women’s rights worldwide,” she said.

Taliban could be convinced to open girls’ schools, says Afghanistan ex-education minister
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Nadim: We Are Not Ready to Accept Orders Against Islamic Laws

November 30, 2023

TOLOnews

TV Network

29 Nov 2023

Some political analysts have various views on the international community’s behavior with the current Afghan government.

The acting minister of higher education, Neda Mohammad Nadim, said that the world wants to put illegal demands on the Islamic Emirate over the current government’s recognition.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony of Kabul Medical University students, Nadim added that the Islamic Emirate will never accept the demands of the world that are against Islamic laws.

“They want to impose their orders on us, but we’re not prepared to follow orders from anybody in any case. Those demands of the religion and the traditions of this Muslim class, will be implemented in Afghanistan,” Nadim noted.

This official of the Islamic Emirate accused the international community and organizations that support human rights of double standards, saying that now all countries and humanitarian organizations are silent about the crimes that are being committed in the Gaza Strip.

“Where are these humanitarians? What is going on in the world today? What is going on in terms of migration? What is going on with the Muslims in terms of occupation?” Where is this justice?” the acting higher education minister asked.

Some political analysts have various views on the international community’s behavior with the current Afghan government.

“Currently, the Islamic Emirate is not ready to accept the demands of the world, nor are the people of the world ready to accept the demands and values of the Islamic Emirate,” said Aminullah Ehsas, a political analyst.

However, the international community and the countries of the world have always called for the reopening of universities and schools and for respect of the rights of women in the country.

Nadim: We Are Not Ready to Accept Orders Against Islamic Laws
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Stanikzai: Afghan Embassy in India to Reopen in Coming Days

November 30, 2023
TOLOnews
TV Network
29 Nov 2023

Stamkzai said that twenty embassies of neighboring and regional countries are currently operating in Afghanistan.

Following the halting of operations of the Afghan embassy in India, now Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, said that the embassy will reopen in a few days.

In an interview with RTA, Stanikzai pledged that the Islamic Emirate consulates are active in Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad and provide consular services to Afghan immigrants.

“Last night, our two consuls from Hyderabad and Mumbai went to Delhi. While in the embassy, they are assessing what is and is not in the offices. Our embassy will open in New Delhi after an evaluation, maybe within two or three days,” he added.

Stamkzai said that twenty embassies of neighboring and regional countries are currently operating in Afghanistan.

“We still have diplomatic relations with those we had in the past, a number of 18 and 20 embassies are now active in Afghanistan,” Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai said.

According to some political analysts, the reopening of embassies in the region and the world, is beneficial for the improvement of the situation of the country and the diplomatic relations of the Islamic Emirate with the world.

“As far as foreign embassies open in Afghanistan, this is in the interest of the people of Afghanistan, and if the embassies of Afghanistan are opened in foreign countries, it is also in the interest of the people of Afghanistan,” Salim Paigir, a political analyst, told TOLOnews.

“With the reopening of embassies, close relations will be established between us and the world, and this is very good,” said Moeen Gul Samkanai, a political analyst.

This comes as, less than a week ago, the Afghan embassy in New Delhi announced the complete suspension of its activities, saying that this embassy was closed due to the pressure of the Indian government and the Islamic Emirate.

Stanikzai: Afghan Embassy in India to Reopen in Coming Days
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Facing Poppy Ban, Afghan Farmers Call for Help Planting Alternatives

November 30, 2023
Hadia Ziae
Tolo News
29 Nov 2023

Meanwhile, the UNODC said that more discussions are needed to grow alternative crops in Afghanistan.

Some farmers in different provinces of the country want more cooperation from the Islamic Emirate in the field of alternatives to cultivating crops used for illicit drugs in the country.

They said that since the prohibition of poppy cultivation and drug production in the country, they have not received any cooperation in the field of alternative cultivation.

“When it was opium cultivation, we used to be able to earn a lot of money and work hard, now there is no opium, and the government did not cooperate with us because of alternative cultivation,” said Ghulam Nabi, a farmer.

“Our request from the government is to give us seeds for alternative cultivation so that we can benefit from it,” said Faridullah, a farmer.

Meanwhile, the UNODC said that more discussions are needed to grow alternative crops in Afghanistan.

“UNODC recently brought a group of experts together in Kabul to discuss solutions for sustainable alternative livelihoods for former poppy farmers who relied on illicit crop cultivation. We need more conversations about alternative livelihoods,” the UNODC said.

The Islamic Emirate said that for the purpose of obtaining alternative cultivation of poppy in different regions of the country, research and assistance from countries and institutions of the world are needed.

“We need research to be done to find out what are the different areas that we have that can be offered to the people as alternative crops and we can improve the economic situation of the people through that…,” said Zabiullah Mujahid, spokesman of the Islamic Emirate.

Based on the statistics of the counter-narcotics department of the MoI, fourteen thousand hectares of land in the center and provinces have been cleared of poppy since the beginning of the current solar year.

Facing Poppy Ban, Afghan Farmers Call for Help Planting Alternatives
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Karzai: ‘Intl Community Should Not Seek Forcible Removal of Taliban Govt’

November 30, 2023
TOLOnews
TV Network
29 Nov 2023

Although the Islamic Emirate has not yet commented on this issue, it has said before that there is no need to talk with political figures in the country.

The former Afghan president Hamid Karzai said that the international community should not seek the forcible removal of the current government of Afghanistan from power, but encourage the Islamic Emirate to reform its policies through inter-Afghan dialogues.

In an interview with Japanese media, Hamid Karzai asked the Islamic Emirate to immediately allow education for girls, and this could be a step towards “legitimate government” and the recognition of the current Afghan government.

“The international community should not seek the forcible removal from power of Afghanistan’s interim Taliban government but encourage inclusive intra-Afghan dialogue to bring about improvements to their policies,” Karzai said as quoted by Kyodo News.

Some political analysts asked the current government to change its policies in order to improve the situation in the country and relations with the Islamic Emirate and the international community.

“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has more duties and obligations to bring about change in its policies and make more efforts for intra-Afghan dialogue,” said Ahmad Khan Andar, an international relations analyst.

“Intra-Afghan dialogue is discussed, not intra-intelligence network dialogue. The current government should listen to the voice of its people and have relations based on a single definition of national interests. We should use committed experts in our governing body so that we don’t need to adapt foreign programs and projects,” said Mohammad Zalmay Afghanyar, a political analyst.

Although the Islamic Emirate has not yet commented on this issue, it has said before that there is no need to talk with political figures in the country.

Intra-Afghan talks are one of the four important terms of the Doha Agreement between the Islamic Emirate and the US.

Karzai: ‘Intl Community Should Not Seek Forcible Removal of Taliban Govt’
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Kabul to be engaged diplomatically on repatriation of illegal foreigners

November 29, 2023

UMER FAROOQ

Dawn

27 Nov 2023

PESHAWAR: Authorities have decided to engage Kabul and other foreign missions diplomatically to stress importance of seamless repatriation of illegal foreigners, according to documents.

The documents showed that participants of a meeting decided to assure Afghan embassy in the federal capital and other foreign missions about Pakistan’s all out support to repatriation of illegal foreigners with dignity and respect.

“It was also decided that the complaints and allegations of maltreatment or deportation of legal foreigners may be scrutinised to determine the facts on case to case basis and the outcome should be shared with the ministry of foreign affairs for briefing international community whenever required,” said the documents.The meeting, held on Saturday in the federal capital, decided that voluntary repatriation should be facilitated with full motivation alongside planned deportation in consultation with the governments of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

Meeting decides to scrutinise complaints about deportation of legal immigrants

Officials said that instances of deportation of Afghan nationals possessing Proof of Registration (PoR) cards and Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) were reported, which was not part of the current phase of illegal foreigners repatriation plan (IFRP). They termed it the reason for holding the meeting.

They said that Afghan border authorities had halted intake of deportees on the pretext that they were in possession of valid documents, which permitted their stay in Pakistan.The meeting decided to take an undertaking about non-possession of PoR and ACC from the deportees at the time of generating Nadra manifest at transit points, said the documents. The undertaking could be in the form of endorsement of finger thumb impression against the picture on the manifest so that it could be provided as evidence whenever challenged.

A senior official said that the Nadra manifest, generated at the transit point, was not backed with PoR and ACC data besides blocked Computerised National Identity Cards. He added that the verification process of PoR and ACC holders was not wholesome across the board which created problems for deportation at the border.

He also suggested that the control rooms of ministry of interior and those in provinces, with active and manned foreigner nationals’ security dashboard, should be approached telephonically for verification of PoR and ACC holders.

Another official said that following the concerns expressed by Afghan side on deportation of PoR and ACC holders, halting the deportation process was not advisable instead alternate crossing points might be utilised for the purpose.

Officials said that Afghan government was desirous that consultation should be made with its consulates during the deportation process for verification of the nationality of the deportees.

Others, however, said that those illegal foreigners, who were denied identification by foreign missions including the Afghan embassy, would face hardships arrest and confinement to jails under the laws.

Published in Dawn, November 27th, 2023

Kabul to be engaged diplomatically on repatriation of illegal foreigners
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