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Shahbaz Sharif Criticizes Muslim World for Failing on Women’s Education

January 11, 2025
Mohammad Bashir Soltani
Tolo News
12 Jan 2025

The ban on girls’ and women’s education in Afghanistan has faced various global criticisms over the past three years.

The first day of the Islamic countries’ conference titled “The International Conference on Girls’ Education in Muslim Communities: Challenges and Opportunities,” concluded today (Saturday) in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan.

Shahbaz Sharif, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, stated during the conference that restrictions imposed on women and girls deprive them of achieving a bright future.

The Pakistani Prime Minister further added that Pakistan and the Muslim world face significant challenges in ensuring equal education rights for girls. Sharif remarked: “Despite our rich heritage, the Muslim world, including Pakistan, faces significant challenges in ensuring equitable access to education for girls. Denying education to girls amounts to denying their rights and voice and denying them their right to a bright future.”

The conference, initiated by the “Muslim World League,” brought together representatives from Islamic countries, human rights activists, and the Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Participants discussed the role and significance of girls’ education in Islam.

In a statement by the Muslim World League, it was mentioned: “This initiative, led by the Muslim World League (MWL), aims to promote Islamic awareness and implement programs that align with its foundational goals.”

Rahela Pouya, a student, commented on the effectiveness of the discussions at the conference, saying: “Our request from this conference is for the discussions to result in practical outcomes.”

Another student, Lubna, said: “By next year, the Islamic Emirate must reopen schools and universities for girls in Afghanistan.”

Zalmay Khalilzad, the former U.S. Special Envoy for Afghan Peace, referred to the Islamic countries’ conference on girls’ education in Pakistan as a propaganda effort against the caretaker government. He stated that resolving this issue is solely the responsibility of Afghans themselves.

On the sidelines of the conference, the Pakistani Prime Minister met with the Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Secretary-General of Muslim World League to discuss issues related to Afghanistan.

Although the caretaker government was invited to the conference, no representative from it participated.

Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Pakistan’s Minister of Education, said: “We invited Afghanistan, but no one from the Afghan government attended the conference. Nevertheless, representatives from various organizations working in the field of girls’ education in Afghanistan participated in the event.”

Janat Faheem Chakari, a political analyst, said: “Any conference about Afghanistan held in neighboring, regional, or global countries should ideally include a representative from the Islamic Emirate to defend its position and provide proper responses.”

The ban on girls’ and women’s education in Afghanistan has faced various global criticisms over the past three years.

Shahbaz Sharif Criticizes Muslim World for Failing on Women’s Education
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Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan escalate amid border clashes

January 10, 2025
By , Haq Nawaz Khan and Shaiq Hussain
The Washington Post
January 10, 2025
Pakistan carried out airstrikes inside Afghanistan, which Islamabad blames for harboring extremists who have been waging an insurgency in Pakistan.

When Kabul fell to the Afghan Taliban in 2021, the head of Pakistan’s intelligence service was one of the first foreign guests to visit the new regime, telling reporters that “everything will be okay.” But less than 3½ years later, relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have dramatically deteriorated.

In the most severe confrontation between the countries so far, Pakistani airstrikes killed 46 people in eastern Afghanistan in late December, according to the Afghan government. Pakistani officials said the strikes targeted militants of the Pakistani Taliban. The Afghan government said women and children were among the victims of the strikes.

The cross-border escalation reflects growing frustration in Islamabad over the rise in deadly attacks carried out inside Pakistan and attributed to the Pakistani Taliban. Islamabad claims that the group is being sheltered by the Afghan Taliban regime.

Tensions remained high over the past few days, with a cross-border attack from Afghanistan late last month and reports of renewed fighting along the border Friday.

“This is the time to act together for the future of Pakistan,” Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was quoted as telling Pakistani officials Friday.

Pakistan’s leadership was frequently accused of harboring or tolerating Afghan Taliban leaders and fighters during the 20-year Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan. Now Pakistan finds itself on the other end of a very similar situation.

The victory of the Afghan Taliban in August 2021 energized its Pakistani counterparts and encouraged them to embrace much of the same playbook. At the same time, the fall of Kabul flooded Pakistani weapons markets with modern firearms and night-vision goggles, giving militants an edge over local forces, according to Pakistani officials.

The Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies, an Islamabad-based think tank, said in a report released last week that both “the frequency and intensity of terrorist attacks” have surged since the Taliban takeover of Kabul, reaching levels last year that had not been seen in a decade.

Between 2007 and 2015, Pakistani Taliban militants shocked the world with their assassination attempt on women’s rights activist Malala Yousafzai, their brutal rule over tribal areas, and a string of devastating plots, including a school attack in 2014 that left 132 children dead.

At the time, the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban were believed to frequently collaborate. In a report last year, the United Nations’ Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team concluded that such links still exist, writing that “Taliban rank and file” and al-Qaeda militants “assisted” the Pakistani Taliban in recent cross-border attacks and supplied weapons and equipment.

In the border region, locals are convinced of such links, too. Maulana Altaf Hussain, a village elder, recalled spotting holes in the border fences after recent suspected incursions of militants from Afghanistan into Pakistan.

But in an interview last year, Qari Shoaib Bajauri, a senior Pakistani Taliban member, said the group’s intentions have evolved. Rather than targeting civilians, he said, the group has focused on its combat with Pakistani forces, which he called “a cancer for this whole region.”

Bajauri denied that the group relies on Afghan fighters but acknowledged that its ranks include “Pakistani mujahideen who fought alongside the Afghan Taliban in Afghanistan and are now back in Pakistan.”

While some Afghan officials want to maintain cordial relations with Islamabad, the Taliban leadership now appears compelled to publicly rebuke Pakistan over its cross-border strikes in late December. Many in the ranks of the Afghan Taliban view the Pakistani Taliban as brothers in arms, and there is pressure on the regime in Kabul to publicly support the group, analysts said.

“Our people’s will is to provide protection to the people — locals and guests alike,” Khairullah Khairkhwa, the Afghan Taliban’s acting information minister, said in late December. His remarks were widely interpreted as a veiled confirmation that the Afghan government harbors Pakistani Taliban militants as “guests,” echoing the Taliban’s rationale for hosting Osama bin Laden and other al-Qaeda militants in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

“The Taliban wants to remove the stigma that it is being used by Pakistan,” said Afrasiab Khattak, a Pakistani Pashtun nationalist leader.

But options for the Afghan Taliban to confront Pakistan, a nuclear power with one of the world’s largest militaries, are limited.

The presence of the Pakistani Taliban “is increasingly becoming embarrassing for the Taliban authorities, who must have realized by now that the TTP cadres are misusing the ‘guest status,’” said Asif Durrani, Pakistan’s former special representative for Afghanistan, using an abbreviation for the Pakistani Taliban.

The same week that Pakistani airstrikes hit targets in eastern Afghanistan, Durrani’s successor was in Kabul for talks with Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban’s acting interior minister.

“It shows that the Taliban also realizes the importance of dialogue,” said Muhammad Amir Rana, a Pakistani security analyst.

The question in Islamabad, however, is increasingly whether that view is shared across the Taliban regime. While Pakistan is believed to have had historically strong ties with Haqqani, the leader of a key faction within the regime, it is less clear how Pakistan’s messages are received among the reclusive leadership in Kandahar.

“The Haqqanis are important, no doubt,” said Rana, but they “don’t have the ability to control the dialogue or to prevail.”

Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan escalate amid border clashes
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Lisa Nandy rejects calls for England to boycott Afghanistan cricket match

January 10, 2025

England should be allowed to play next month’s cricket match against Afghanistan, the culture and sport secretary has said, despite calls for a boycott over the Taliban government’s treatment of women.

Lisa Nandy backed a decision by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to allow the game to go ahead, saying on Friday that cancelling it would “deny sports fans the opportunity that they love”.

There is growing pressure from MPs for the game to be called off after the Taliban disbanded the Afghanistan women’s cricket team and banned women from public spaces including gyms, parks and hairdressing salons.

Afghanistan players wait for the third umpire's lbw decision against South Africa's Quinton de Kock (right) during a men's Cricket World Cup match in 2023.
South Africa’s sports minister joins growing calls for boycott of Afghanistan

Nandy told BBC Breakfast: “I do think it should go ahead. I’m instinctively very cautious about boycotts in sports, partly because I think they’re counterproductive.

“I think they deny sports fans the opportunity that they love, and they can also very much penalise the athletes and the sports people who work very, very hard to reach the top of their game and then they’re denied the opportunities to compete. They are not the people that we want to penalise for the appalling actions of the Taliban against women and girls.”

She added that the UK would not be “rolling out the red carpet” at the event, saying: “When China hosted the Winter Olympics, I was very vocal, many of us were very vocal about making sure that we didn’t send dignitaries to that event, that we didn’t give them the PR coup that they were looking for when they were forcibly incarcerating the Uyghurs in Xinjiang.”

England are due to play Afghanistan next month in Pakistan as part of the Champions Trophy. The ECB has said it will not schedule a bilateral series against Afghanistan, but that participation in an international competition such as the Champions Trophy is a matter for the International Cricket Council (ICC).

ICC rules require member nations to have a women’s team, but ICC members are reported to believe that allowing the men’s team to compete will help them influence the Taliban for good.

Despite this, MPs have called on the government to put pressure on the ECB to pull out of next month’s match. The Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi asked the prime minister in the Commons this week: “Will he please agree to meet his counterparts in South Africa and Australia, and ask them to boycott the games as well?”

Keir Starmer refused to commit to such action, saying: “The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is in touch with our international counterparts on this issue. I welcome the England and Wales Cricket Board making strong representations to the International Cricket Council on Afghanistan’s women’s cricket team.”

Lisa Nandy rejects calls for England to boycott Afghanistan cricket match
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108 Afghan families deported from Iran and Pakistan

January 10, 2025
Khaama Press

The Ministry of Refugees and Returnees reported that 108 Afghan families returned to Afghanistan after being expelled from Iran and Pakistan.

According to the Bakhtar News Agency, on Friday, January 10, officials from the Ministry of Refugees and Returnees stated that these 108 families returned to Afghanistan on Thursday, January 9, after being expelled from neighboring countries.

Out of these families, 16 returned via the Torkham border, 19 via Spin Boldak, 31 via the Silk Bridge, and 42 via Islam Qala.

Officials added that these returning families received assistance from the local administration and were referred to aid organizations for further support.

Meanwhile, a report from the Consortium of Aid Organizations at the Afghanistan-Pakistan border has stated that, since September 15, 2024, there has been a significant increase in the return of migrants to Afghanistan via the Torkham and Spin Boldak border crossings.

It is worth noting that Afghan migrants, even those with legal documents, have recently been detained by Pakistani police and deported back to Afghanistan.

Recently, Amnesty International called on the Pakistani government to immediately release all Afghan refugees detained in Islamabad. In a statement, Amnesty also urged Pakistan to immediately revoke its policy requiring Afghan migrants to obtain a “No Objection Certificate” (NOC) in Islamabad.

The increasing number of returning Afghan families highlights the ongoing challenges faced by refugees in neighboring countries and the need for coordinated international support to ensure their protection and assistance.

108 Afghan families deported from Iran and Pakistan
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UNHCR Urges Pakistan to Halt Forced Deportations of Afghan Refugees

January 10, 2025
Bibi Amina Hakimi
Tolo News
10 Jan 2025

A representative of the organization told TOLOnews that the forced expulsion of Afghan refugees by Pakistan violates international laws.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Pakistan has called for the suspension of Afghan refugee deportations from the country.

Qaiser Khan, Deputy Spokesperson for UNHCR in Pakistan, said: “UNHCR is ready to assist the government of Pakistan both financially and technically. We urge the government not to deport Afghans who have been refugees for many years.”

While the deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan has intensified over the past week, statistics from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) indicate that over the past five days, more than 26,000 people have entered Afghanistan through shared border crossings between the two countries.
However, over 25,000 people have returned to Pakistan via crossings such as Torkham, Ghulam Khan, Dand-e-Patan, Angoor Adda, and Spin Boldak.

Ehsanullah Ahmadzai, a migrant rights activist, stated: “The international community, especially the United Nations and its affiliated bodies, particularly UNHCR and IOM, must collaborate with the current Afghan government on refugee matters.”

Meanwhile, some Afghan refugees in Pakistan have once again reported mistreatment and forced deportation by Pakistani police.

Qasim, an Afghan refugee in Pakistan, said: “All refugees here face problems, including those who are unaccompanied, those with visas, those applying for visa extensions, and even those with illnesses.”

The recent escalation in the deportation of Afghan refugees over the past week has drawn widespread criticism from international organizations, including the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and Amnesty International.

UNHCR Urges Pakistan to Halt Forced Deportations of Afghan Refugees
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US Congress Introduces Bill to Block Aid to Islamic Emirate

January 10, 2025
Liluma Qadiry
Tolo News
10 Jan 2025

The Ministry of Economy stressed that humanitarian aid should not be used as a political pressure tool against Afghanistan.

Tim Burchett, Vice Chair of US Congress’ Foreign Affairs Committee, has introduced a bill to ensure that US taxpayers’ money does not fall into the hands of the Islamic Emirate.

The Vice Chair of US Congress’ Foreign Affairs Committee, announced that the bill would require the US State Department to formulate a policy opposing any foreign aid to the Islamic Emirate.

After former US President Donald Trump criticized Joe Biden’s administration for sending billions in aid to Afghanistan, the White House responded, emphasizing that Washington’s humanitarian aid is sent not to the “Taliban” but to the Afghan people.

What does the bill include?

1) Forces the State Dept to develop and implement a policy to oppose any foreign aid from going to the “Taliban.”

2) Requires a report on any cash assistance programs in Afghanistan and how the US keeps the “Taliban” from gaining access.

3) Requires a report on the Afghan Fund and the Afghanistan central bank.

“They aim to implement economic policies through pressure. I don’t believe the Americans will disengage Afghanistan—a highly strategic and prominent point in South Asia—from such matters or their policies,” said Sayed Masood, an economic analyst.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Economy stressed that humanitarian aid should not be used as a political pressure tool against Afghanistan.

Abdul Latif Nazari, Deputy Minister of Economy, said: “The suspension of humanitarian and economic aid by some individuals and countries is being used as a strategy of pressure. This act contradicts international law. We want the international community’s aid to the Afghan people to continue strongly.”

Some experts see US and global humanitarian aid as a critical necessity for reducing Afghanistan’s current humanitarian crises.

“The US and its regional allies provide around $1.2 billion annually in direct and indirect humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. This assistance, through cooperation with aid organizations in Afghanistan, saves the lives of many Afghan citizens in areas like health, economy, finance, and addressing physical challenges,” said Selab Samandari, an economic analyst.

Calls to cut US aid to Afghanistan come as various UN agencies, including OCHA, warn of a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan this year. They have stated that 32% of the population will require urgent humanitarian assistance in 2025.

US Congress Introduces Bill to Block Aid to Islamic Emirate
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Afghanistan’s Untapped Economic Potential Hindered By Limited Trade and Investment, Says UN Expert

January 9, 2025
Khaama Press

Afghanistan’s economy possesses immense untapped potential, particularly in its natural resources and commercial opportunities, but much of this potential remains unrealized due to limited direct trade, according to Dr. Nagesh Kumar, former Director of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP).

Speaking at the release of the UN World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) 2025 report at the United Nations office in New Delhi on Thursday, Dr. Kumar told Khaama Press that political differences must be set aside for regional cooperation to flourish, ultimately benefiting the Afghan people. He also stressed the need for greater investment in Afghanistan’s critical mineral resources for economic growth.

The WESP 2025 report, published by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), in collaboration with UNCTAD and the five UN regional commissions, offers a broad economic outlook for the global economy, with particular focus on developing regions.

Dr. Kumar pointed out that South Asia’s economic outlook remains strong, with regional GDP expected to grow by 5.7% in 2025, slightly down from 5.9% in 2024. The growth is driven by strong performances in India, as well as economic recoveries in Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The report also highlights a global rise in women-owned enterprises, an encouraging trend for economic development.

Dr. Nagesh also stressed the need for Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) to enhance their lending capacities to support developing nations in the face of growing economic challenges.

He cautioned that electoral rhetoric often does not reflect the true state of a country’s economy, urging policymakers to focus on realistic economic strategies rather than political promises. He stated further that IMF policies will determine economies like Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bangladesh.

The report further provided projections for major economies: India’s economy is expected to grow by 6.6% in 2025, following an estimated 6.9% growth in 2024, fueled by strong private consumption and investment. In contrast, China’s economy is projected to expand by 4.8% in 2025, slightly lower than the 4.9% growth forecasted for 2024.

Li Junhua, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, concluded that governments must adopt forward-looking policies and comprehensive regulatory frameworks to ensure sustainable resource extraction, equitable benefit-sharing, and investments in critical sectors like mineral resources to maximize developmental gains.

Despite Afghanistan’s vast natural resources and economic potential, the country faces a dire humanitarian crisis, with ongoing political instability and limited international support hindering development.

Afghanistan’s Untapped Economic Potential Hindered By Limited Trade and Investment, Says UN Expert
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Over 1,300 Afghan refugees deported from Germany in a single year

January 9, 2025
Khaama Press

German media reports have highlighted the continued deportation of Afghan migrants from the country, with more than 1,300 Afghan asylum seekers being expelled in 2024 alone.

The Deutsche Welle (DW) news network reported on Wednesday, January 8, citing the German Ministry of the Interior, that a total of 1,361 Afghan refugees were deported from Germany in 2024 to Afghanistan or other countries.

The report further revealed that some Afghan migrants were sent back to Afghanistan, while others were transferred to countries responsible for handling their asylum cases under the “Dublin Regulation.”

The Dublin Regulation pertains to the management of asylum applications within European Union member states. It stipulates that asylum claims must be processed by the country deemed responsible according to the regulation’s rules.

Additionally, German media has reported a noticeable increase in the deportation of asylum seekers in 2024 compared to previous years. Findings from Germany’s Bild newspaper indicate that deportations have risen by approximately 20% compared to 2023.

The German federal government began focusing on Afghan deportations after several Afghan migrants with extremist Islamist ideologies were involved in violent incidents within the country. This has raised concerns over security and migration policies.

As a result, the humanitarian crisis surrounding Afghan refugees continues to deepen, with increasing deportations leaving many vulnerable individuals in a dire situation. The urgent need for international cooperation and solutions to address the plight of these refugees is becoming ever more apparent.

Over 1,300 Afghan refugees deported from Germany in a single year
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UNICEF to continue supporting Health workers in Afghanistan

January 9, 2025
Khaama Press

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has announced that it currently supports 28,000 health workers and nurses in Afghanistan.

In a message posted on X/Twitter on Thursday, January 9th, UNICEF stated that it would continue supporting healthcare workers in Afghanistan throughout year. The aim is to provide high-quality healthcare services to mothers and children.

UNICEF emphasized that its support for health workers is essential to ensuring the delivery of essential services. Previously, the organization had highlighted that it is the only agency capable of providing food to children in Afghanistan, with around 30,000 health workers currently under its support.

International aid organizations have consistently warned about the increasing poverty and food insecurity in Afghanistan. According to the World Health Organization, about 2.9 million children under the age of five are currently suffering from malnutrition in Afghanistan, with 850,000 of them facing severe acute malnutrition.

The World Health Organization also reported that, over the past three years, it has treated 96,740 children with severe acute malnutrition in Afghanistan. Furthermore, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies expressed concern over the increasing number of children suffering from malnutrition, with 3.2 million children under five and 840,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women affected by severe malnutrition.

The ongoing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan continues to worsen, particularly for children and mothers. Despite international efforts, the severe food insecurity and lack of resources present a dire situation that requires urgent global attention and aid.

UNICEF to continue supporting Health workers in Afghanistan
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UNAMA Official Concerned By Increasing Restrictions on Women, Girls

January 9, 2025
Hadia Ziaei

Tolo News

9 Jan 2025

In the interview, Gagnon described her mission as serving as a bridge between the international community and the current authorities in Afghanistan.

Georgette Gagnon, the deputy special representative for the UN Secretary General in Afghanistan, in an exclusive interview with TOLOnews expressed concern over the increasing restrictions on women and girls in Afghanistan.

In this interview, Gagnon described the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan as troubling and stated that the continuation of such conditions would make progress toward change more difficult. She added that efforts are underway to address this issue, and these efforts must be accelerated.

The deputy special representative, referring to the recent bans on medical education for girls and women’s work in NGOs: “This type of restriction will impact the delivery of health services for women and girls across the country. But not only for the women and girls, for whole communities where health services are needed. And that’s a very serious situation. It could result in declining health for women and girls, for children and people across the country and also affect development efforts.”

“For more than three years, secondary and high schools have been closed to girls. Our only demand from the Islamic Emirate is to reopen all schools and universities for Afghan girls,” said Shilla, a student.

“We hope attention will be paid and, particularly, that the doors of schools and universities will reopen as soon as possible,” said Tafsir Siahposh, a women’s rights activist.

In the interview, Gagnon described her mission as serving as a bridge between the international community and the current authorities in Afghanistan.

This UN deputy representative in Afghanistan clarified that UNAMA does not have the authority to grant recognition or assign Afghanistan’s seat in the United Nations to the interim government.

Gagnon said: “The UN–UNAMA–it does not the authority or the mandate to deal with any country’s recognition. That’s the authority and the mandate of the member states of the UN. There are 193 member states, they form the general assembly and it is that group that can decide through a credentials committee whether any country is recognized or not. So, that’s not something the UN can do.”

Georgette Gagnon pledged that humanitarian assistance from donor communities and UN agencies will continue to Afghanistan throughout this year (2025).

UNAMA Official Concerned By Increasing Restrictions on Women, Girls
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