Pakistan Emphasizes Implementation of IFRP

July 12, 2024
By Ebadullah Ebadi
Tolo News
12July 2024

 

Baloch also said that the fundamental basis of the UNHCR’s statement should be asked.

Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, the spokesperson for Pakistan’s foreign ministry, speaking at a press briefing said that Pakistan has not given any indication to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) that the Illegal Foreign Nationals Return Program (IFRP) has been suspended or will not be implemented in the future.

The spokesperson for Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: “Pakistan has not given any indication to the UNHCR that IFRP has been suspended or will no longer be implemented. What is the basis of the statement by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees may be sought from their Spokesperson.”

Mumtaz Zahra Baloch further said that Pakistan has the right to enforce its laws on individuals residing in the country in violation of its immigration laws.

She said: “Just like any other country, Pakistan has the sovereign right to implement its laws with regards to individuals who are present in Pakistan in violation of our immigration laws. The laws of Pakistan are clear. Those individuals can face fines, they can be imprisoned, and they can be deported, as per their particular case. At this stage, no decision has been taken regarding initiation of the second phase.”

This comes after Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, visited Pakistan on a three-day visit and met with Afghan refugees. During his visit, he also met and talked with Pakistani officials about focusing on sustainable solutions and support for Afghan refugees in Pakistan.

Following the visit of Grandi to Pakistan, UNHCR announced the suspension of the forced deportation process of Afghan citizens from the country.

Earlier, some Pakistani media reported that the country would extend the residency cards of registered Afghan immigrants, or POR cards, until June 30, 2025.

Pakistan Emphasizes Implementation of IFRP
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Pakistan Government to convene session on extending Afghan migrant’s PoR cards

July 10, 2024
Khaama Press

Pakistani media have reported that the government is convening a session regarding the UN High Commissioner for Refugees’ request to extend Proof of Registration (PoR) cards for Afghan migrants.

In a report released on Wednesday, July 10th, Dawn newspaper cites a government official stating that Afghan migrants’ residency cards may likely be extended for six to twelve months.

This session comes as Pakistan had earlier halted the expulsion of Afghan migrants, following an announcement by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) after the conclusion of a three-day visit by Filippo Grandi, the agency’s High Commissioner to Islamabad.

During his visit, Grandi urged Pakistani authorities to show hospitality towards Afghan migrants.

The UNHCR High Commissioner, who arrived in Pakistan earlier this week, continued discussions with senior Pakistani officials, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, concerning Afghan migrants.

He emphasized the timely extension of Proof of Registration (PoR) cards, essential identity documents held by over 1.3 million Afghan refugees.

Meanwhile, Pakistan is addressing the fate of Afghan migrants amid discussions prompted by the UNHCR’s advocacy for their hospitality and the extension of critical identification documents.

Pakistan Government to convene session on extending Afghan migrant’s PoR cards
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UN warns of budget shortfall for humanitarian activities in Afghanistan

July 10, 2024
Fidel Rahmati
Khaama Press

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) states that the agency faces a shortage of funds to carry out humanitarian activities.

In its latest report released on Wednesday, July 10th, OCHA notes that sectors at high risk of disruption due to severe budget shortages include health care, shelter, food, education, and protection.

It adds that without timely assistance, humanitarian crises in Afghanistan will worsen.

According to OCHA’s report, poverty in Afghanistan has increased since August 15, 2021.

These warnings come amidst reduced and discontinued aid efforts, while Pakistan and Iran have been deporting over two thousand Afghan migrants daily, exacerbating the country’s humanitarian needs.

In response to these challenges, OCHA urges the international community to mobilize resources urgently to prevent further deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.

The organization emphasizes the critical need for sustained support to provide essential services and protection to vulnerable populations, ensuring their basic needs are met amid ongoing crises.

Furthermore, OCHA calls for renewed efforts to address the root causes of displacement and instability in Afghanistan, advocating for long-term solutions that prioritize human rights, stability, and sustainable development in the region.

The agency underscores the importance of international solidarity and cooperation to mitigate the impact of crises and build resilience among affected communities, fostering a path towards lasting peace and prosperity in Afghanistan and the broader region.

UN warns of budget shortfall for humanitarian activities in Afghanistan
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Kabulov: Removal Process of ‘Taliban’ Names From Terrorist List Ongoing

July 10, 2024
Hadia Ziaei
Tolo News
10 July 2024

Russia has consistently emphasized global engagement with the Islamic Emirate.

Zamir Kabulov, Russia’s special envoy for Afghanistan, told Russia’s TASS news outlet that the process of removing “Taliban” officials’ names from the terrorist list is ongoing.

In a report, TASS quoted Kabulov saying that this process is “going well.”

The report said: “Asked when the Taliban could be removed from the list, Kabulov, who is also director of the Foreign Ministry’s Second Asia Department, replied, “When all procedures are completed. They are still going on.”

“The majority of Central Asian countries and other countries that follow Russia’s policies are doing the same, which will benefit the people of Afghanistan,” said Salim Paigir, a political analyst.

Russia has consistently emphasized global engagement with the Islamic Emirate.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov have previously emphasized the removal of “Taliban” officials’ names from the terrorist list, stating that they are the real power in Afghanistan.

Simultaneously, the Islamic Emirate also welcomed this decision by Russia, calling it the right of Afghanistan’s caretaker government.

Hamdullah Fetrat, deputy spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, told TOLOnews: “It is the right of the Afghan people that their officials’ names be removed from the blacklist and all imposed restrictions on Afghanistan be lifted.”

Some political experts believe that removing the Islamic Emirate officials’ names from Russia’s prohibited list could have positive impacts on the Islamic Emirate’s relations with some countries around the world.

“Current Afghan officials must also take steps based on national interests, abandon confrontation, and focus on dialogue,” said Mohammad Zalmai Afghanyar, a political analyst.

After Russia’s Ministries of Justice and Foreign Affairs proposed to President Vladimir Putin the possibility of removing the “Taliban’s” name from the list of terrorist groups, Kazakhstan was the first country to remove the names of Islamic Emirate officials from the terrorist group list.

Kabulov: Removal Process of ‘Taliban’ Names From Terrorist List Ongoing
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Blinken Advocates for Afghan Women’s Rights

July 10, 2024
TOLOnews
TV Network
10 July 2024

Blinken also said at the NATO anniversary ceremony on Tuesday (July 9) in Washington that efforts to secure Afghan girls’ rights are ongoing.

Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, said that he supports women’s rights to access education and work in Afghanistan and that Washington is pressuring the “Taliban” to lift restrictions on women.

Blinken also said at the NATO anniversary ceremony on Tuesday (July 9) in Washington that efforts to secure Afghan girls’ rights are ongoing.

The US Secretary of State said: “We’re working every day to support their efforts, working with governments, NGOs, the private sector, and academia to help Afghan women and girls keep studying, to build their skills, to build their connections, to work remotely. We also continue to rally global pressure on the Taliban to reverse these repressive policies which are hurting all Afghans.”

The Islamic Emirate has consistently emphasized that women’s and girls’ rights in Afghanistan are ensured within the framework of Islamic laws.

Meanwhile, some university professors also called for the political and social participation rights of women and girls in Afghanistan.

“God has guaranteed the freedom of every individual in the Holy Quran, and every person is free, it does not specify man or woman, it just says every human being is created free, and they are free in their beliefs and clothing,” Zakiullah Mohammadi, a university professor, told TOLOnews.

Recently, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has criticized what it considers violations of women’s and girls’ rights in Afghanistan in a report.

Blinken Advocates for Afghan Women’s Rights
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Afghanistan: Taliban ‘morality police’ crack down on women

July 10, 2024

Shristi Mangal Pal

DW  Deutsche Welle
July 10, 2024

According to a new report released by the UN, Taliban “morality police” squads in Afghanistan enforce bans on western haircuts, music and prohibit women from traveling without a male escort.

Taliban walk past a sign calling for women to wear veils
Taliban vice squads have put up banners in Kabul, saying women to wear a hijab that fully covers their face and bodiesImage: Yaghobzadeh

The Taliban government in Afghanistan is carrying out stricter enforcement of religious law in Afghanistan through the deployment of “morality police,” according to a UN report published Tuesday.

The UN report said the Taliban has created a “climate of fear” since the Islamist militant group regained power in August 2021 and set up the so-called “Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.”

In its report covering the ministry’s activities, the UN assistance mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reported that the ministry is responsible for curtailing human rights and freedoms, particularly targeting women in a discriminatory and unfair way.

Since taking power, the Taliban have also barred girls and young women from receiving an education, while keeping women out of public jobs.

What does the report say?
The report says the ministry enforces a strict interpretation of Islamic law that cracks down on personal freedoms for women and girls, while eliminating a free press and civil society.

Morality police squads have the power to scold, arrest, and punish citizens who participate in activities considered to be “un-Islamic,” including wearing “Western” hairstyles and listening to banned music.

The ministry rejected the UN report, and claimed its decrees were issued to “reform society,” and should have their “implementation ensured,” the Associated Press reported.

UN condemns Taliban crackdown on girls’ education

There is a “a climate of fear and intimidation” owing to the ministry’s invasion of Afghans’ private lives, ambiguity over its legal powers, and the “disproportionality of punishments,” the report said.

The Taliban government has overseen a ban on women travelling without male escorts, enforced a conservative dress code, barred women from public parks and shut women-run businesses, the report added.

The Taliban government defended the decision to enforce male escorts for women, saying they are “to safeguard her honor and chastity” while referring to Islamic dress as “a divine obligation.”

Women in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan “face increasing restrictions” including on their movement, speech, assembly, right to work, education, and much more,” Political Sociologist Katja Mielke told DW.

Her research focuses on Afghanistan and other South and Central Asian countries.

“More than 100 restrictions concerning women’s rights have been introduced since the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan,” she said.

However, these rules vary across the country, and women’s ability to work and hold important jobs depends on the industry.

It’s clear that women are still working, but the Taliban have discussed possible salary cuts.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International tweeted on Wednesday, there is an “urgent need for Taliban to roll back on moral policing.”

Ban on ‘Western haircuts’
The Taliban morality police also enforce “measures to reduce intermingling between men and women in daily life,” and instruct barbers to refuse “Western style” haircuts for men and arresting people playing music.

The vice ministry denied banning women from public places and said it only intervened in mixed-gender environments.

The UNAMA report is “trying to judge Afghanistan from a Western perspective”, when it is an Islamic society, Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said late Tuesday.

“All the rights of Islamic law are guaranteed to citizens, men and women are treated in accordance with Sharia law, and there is no oppression,” Mujahid posted on social media.

sp/wmr (AFP, AP, dpa)

DW Akademie | Volontariat Jahrgang 2023 – 2024 | Shristi Pal
Shristi Mangal Pal Multimedia journalist and presenter

Afghanistan: Taliban ‘morality police’ crack down on women
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How The Emirate Wants to be Perceived: A closer look at the Accountability Programme

July 9, 2024

Martine van Bijlert 

Afghanistan Analysts Network

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As the third anniversary of its return to power approaches, the Islamic Emirate is presumably readying itself for another round of its Accountability Programme, as it has done in the past two summers. These televised sessions, held by ministers and other senior officials in front of journalists, provide a fairly detailed overview of the Emirate’s policies and preoccupations, in terms of what it wants the media, the nation and the world to know. Ahead of the next round, AAN’s Martine van Bijlert (with input from the AAN team) lays out what can be learned from last year’s programme, by drawing out the key themes and messages in the officials’ own words. In doing so, the report provides a basis for a clearer understanding of what the Emirate might choose to showcase in this year’s sessions, providing an indication of its evolving focus as it prepares to enter its fourth year in power.
You can preview the report online and download it by clicking here or the download button below.

The Emirate’s second round of accountability sessions since its return to power took place in the summer of 2023. Like all press conferences, the sessions were first and foremost an exercise in ‘impression management’. That is also, precisely, where their value lies. The depth and scope of the sessions, on their own and combined, provide important insights into what the Emirate cares about, how it wants to be perceived and by whom. To this end, the AAN team has watched, transcribed and analysed the televised presentations, identifying key themes and quotes to present a comprehensive perspective in the report.

Over the course of five weeks, from 23 July to 22 August, 42 government ministries and departments discussed their missions and aims, their place within the Emirate, the achievements of the previous year and their plans for the next. The Prime Minister’s Office chaired the introductory session but did not provide a report of its own. Conspicuously absent from the presentations were the Ministry of Finance, the General Directorate of Intelligence and the Office of the Supreme Leader – three key bodies when it comes to the economic, security and ideological shape of the Emirate.

Key themes in the sessions, and thus in this report, include the IEA’s consolidation of what it believes to be an Islamic system, the dual push towards self-sufficiency and connectedness, the expansion of a digitalised administration and the rooting out of what it sees as the ill effects of the last twenty years. The more technical and infrastructural departments often provided fairly extensive descriptions of their activities, but beyond that, actual overall figures on budgets, spending and revenues were scarce. A presentation by the Ministry of Finance was greatly missed. The pressing issue of women’s rights, including access to education featured heavily – not in the presentations, but very much so in the Q&A sessions with journalists afterwards, illustrating both how high on the agenda it remains and how seriously the media took its role.

In its discussion of the presentations, the report provides an in-depth and layered picture of how the Emirate spoke about itself and how it wanted to be perceived by the Afghan nation at the end of its second year in power. It notes how, during the last twelve months, as AAN continued to follow the Emirate’s media messaging, the themes that emerged in summer 2023 continued to be at the heart of Emirate communications in officials’ statements, speeches and interviews. In that respect, this report is both a snapshot of the state of play as it stood in the summer of 2023 and an illustration of the Emirate’s consistency in its messaging, across institutions and over time.

The IEA’s key speaking points – the ‘temporary nature’ of some of the restrictions on women and girls, the primacy of the Islamic system, the ongoing need to reform both the apparatus of state and the population, especially through the work of the Virtue and Vice Ministry, the insistence on wanting good relations with the outside world and the claims of remarkable progress with almost no outside funding –are likely to feature again in the forthcoming round of accountability sessions. If the previous schedule is maintained, they should take place this month and next.

Comparing how it presented itself in 2023 with what it chooses to showcase this year will be a good indicator of how the Emirate’s focus has evolved over the last twelve months. It will be particularly interesting to see how Emirate messaging uses the recent thaw in its relations with the outside world to its advantage, as illustrated by its participation in the United Nations-convened Special Envoys’ meeting in Doha on 30 June – 1 July. We look forward to seeing how the IEA frames its third year of rule and what may have changed or shifted.

Edited by Roxanna Shapour and Kate Clark 

You can preview the report online and download it by clicking here or the download button below.

Accountability-Sessions-FINAL Download

 

How The Emirate Wants to be Perceived: A closer look at the Accountability Programme
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Australia-based sprinter ‘honoured’ to represent oppressed women after making Afghan Olympic team

July 9, 2024

The Guardian

Afghanistan’s Olympic flag bearer at the Tokyo Olympics has said she represents “the stolen dreams and aspirations” of women who have suffered under Taliban rule after winning selection for the Paris Games from her new home in Australia.

Sprinter Kimia Yousofi was one of five athletes and administrators who escaped from Afghanistan in 2022 and received safe passage to Australia after the Taliban took control of her homeland.

The 28-year-old has been selected to appear at her third Games by the Afghanistan Olympic Committee, which operates outside the country. She said it was “an honour” to represent the girls and women of Afghanistan “who have been deprived of basic rights, including education, which is the most important one”.

She said she hoped to represent those women “who don’t have the authority to make decisions as free human beings”.

“They don’t even have the permission to enter a park,” she said.

President of the Afghanistan Olympic Committee, Dr Yonus Popalzay, said the team will send three women to a Games for the first time, alongside three men. “We highly appreciate the Australian Olympics Committee for the support extended to Kimia Yousofi. On behalf of the Afghanistan Olympic Committee please convey our message of gratitude and appreciation to Australian nation and government for support to Afghanistan in a difficult time,” he said.

The Taliban has reportedly refused to recognise the team. “Only three athletes are representing Afghanistan,” Atal Mashwani, the spokesman of the Taliban government’s sports directorate, told AFP, referring to the male competitors.

Yousofi will race in the 100m in Paris. She is not expected to progress past the heats, but her Australian coach John Quinn says the sprinter has been an inspiration to her training partners. “On the track she has improved enormously technically since coming here and she has a great squad around her. But when you consider everything else she has had to juggle – training, a new language, getting her family here, all those things, she has been amazing.”

AOC chief executive Matt Carroll said Yousofi’s relocation to Australia and appearance in Paris has been made possible by bipartisan support in federal politics. “Her story is one of inspiration for women and girls in Afghanistan and anywhere in the world, who are denied basic rights, including the right to freely practice sport.”

a series against Afghanistan this year over concerns that conditions for women and girls in the country were deteriorating. A group of Afghan women’s cricketers based in Australia have been unsuccessful in lobbying the International Cricket Council to form a refugee team. The men’s Afghanistan team reached the semi-finals of last month’s T20 World Cup in North America.

The Paris Games will feature a 37-member Refugee Olympic Team representing more than 100 million forcibly displaced people worldwide.

Australia-based sprinter ‘honoured’ to represent oppressed women after making Afghan Olympic team
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UNICEF concerned over increase in mental health disorders among children in Afghanistan

July 9, 2024
Khaama Press

 

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has expressed concerns over increasing mental health issues among children in Afghanistan, stating that nearly 40% of these children currently face psychological disorders.

The agency revealed in a report on Monday, July 8th, 8th, that 24% of children aged five to seventeen have experienced severe anxiety, marking a 10% increase compared to the global average.

UNICEF further stated that an additional 15% of these children are experiencing severe depression.

However, UNICEF attributes the primary causes of mental health issues in Afghan children to ongoing conflict, continued migration, family displacement, increased poverty levels, and the dangers posed by leftover explosives from the war in Afghanistan.

The organization has established 750 psychosocial support centers across Afghanistan to assist boys and girls facing these challenges.

This dire situation in Afghanistan unfolds against the backdrop of a severe humanitarian crisis following the Taliban’s assumption of power.

The Taliban’s imposition of restrictions on education beyond sixth grade, particularly for girls, has had profound consequences. It has led to a significant increase in underage and forced marriages as families, facing economic hardship and fearing for their daughter’s safety and future, resort to marrying them off early.

This practice not only robs these girls of their right to education and childhood but also perpetuates cycles of poverty and gender inequality.

The combination of economic hardship and educational restrictions has created a bleak outlook for Afghan youth, especially girls, who are denied the chance to build a better future through education and empowerment.

UNICEF concerned over increase in mental health disorders among children in Afghanistan
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Malala Yousafzai urges new UK PM to prioritize girls’s education in Afghanistan

July 9, 2024
Khaama Press

Malala Yousafzai, an advocate for girls’ education, urges Britain’s new Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, to prioritize the issue of girls’ education deprivation in Afghanistan and other countries in his foreign policy.

Yousafzai tweeted on Monday, July 8th, “As you shape Britain’s foreign policy and development plans in the next 100 days, it is crucial to prioritize the rights and education of girls worldwide, with special consideration for those denied education under the Taliban’s gender apartheid regime in Afghanistan.”

The education activist and Nobel laureate addressed Starmer, noting that girls everywhere look to him for solidarity and initiatives.

She emphasized that girls’ education should be on top of his foreign policy agenda in the next 100 days.

For over a thousand days, girls above the sixth grade in Afghanistan have been deprived of education by the Taliban. The Taliban claim that the conditions for girls’ education are not suitable, yet they provide no timeline for reopening schools.

Under Starmer’s Labour Party leadership, which secured a significant majority in this week’s UK parliamentary elections, he reversed the previous conservative government’s decision to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, a move that adversely affected Afghan refugees in the country.

Meanwhile, Yousafzai’s call underscores the urgent need for global attention and action to ensure girls’ education rights are upheld, particularly in regions affected by extremist regimes like the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Starmer’s government faces significant international expectations to lead on this issue, reflecting broader global concerns about human rights and gender equality in education.

Malala Yousafzai urges new UK PM to prioritize girls’s education in Afghanistan
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