Haqqani added that cash and food supplies have been distributed to the returnees.
The Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation reported the return of approximately 115,000 migrants from Pakistan and Iran in the past month.
Abdul Mutalib Haqqani, spokesperson of the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation, told TOLOnews that 98,000 of these migrants were returned from Iran.
Haqqani added that cash and food supplies have been distributed to the returnees.
The spokesperson for the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation said: “In the past month, nearly 115,000 Afghan citizens have returned from Pakistan and Iran, some forcibly and some voluntarily.”
At the same time, a number of Afghan migrants in Pakistan and Iran told TOLOnews that living conditions for migrants in these countries are becoming increasingly difficult.
“Afghan migrants who come to Iran to meet their basic needs are facing problems due to the lack of work and government pressures,” said Sharifullah, an Afghan migrant in Iran.
“When the police inspect refugees on the streets, they do not respect their documents and refugees are frequently harassed and extorted,” said an Afghan migrant in Pakistan.
Meanwhile, some migrant rights activists called on international organizations working in the field of migration to pressure host countries to adhere to international laws in their treatment and deportation of migrants.
“Any kind of illegal treatment of migrants for their return should be within the framework of international laws and with respect for human dignity,” said Mohammad Khan Talebi, a migrant rights activist.
This comes as some Pakistani media outlets have reported that Islamabad has decided to intensify the process of deporting illegal migrants from the country once again.
Around 115,000 Afghan Migrants Return from Pakistan, Iran
Mujahid wrote on X that in a meeting with the Indonesian foreign minister, he emphasized strengthening relations between the two countries.
On the sidelines of the Doha 3 meeting, Zabihullah Mujahid, who leads the Islamic Emirate delegation, met with representatives from several countries to discuss Afghanistan issues.
Mujahid wrote on X that in a meeting with the Indonesian foreign minister, he emphasized strengthening relations between the two countries.
He added that in a meeting with the deputy and ambassador of the Kazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs, they discussed expanding trade relations and maintaining diplomatic relations.
The Islamic Emirate delegation also met with the Norwegian representative, and Mujahid said that this country has a “constructive” view on Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, Zabihullah Mujahid, in his speech at the third Doha meeting, called for Western countries to engage with the Islamic Emirate.
Mujahid said: “Western countries should engage in a realistic and practical manner, just like regional countries.”
Mujahid said that Western countries, like regional countries, can remove obstacles to expanding relations with the Afghan government and move towards positive engagement.
Zabihullah Mujahid said that discussions on lifting banking sanctions and the cultivation of poppies would be held during the Doha meeting.
He called sanctions on the country’s banking system unfair.
Mujahid said that the foreign policy of the Islamic Emirate is economy-focused and concentrates on expanding relations with countries through construction and regional projects.
“In the past two years, we have made good progress in the construction of the TAPI gas pipeline with Turkmenistan. We hope that with the implementation of this project, Afghanistan will play a positive role in the exchange and connection of energy between Central and South Asia,” he said.
The second day of the Doha 3 meeting began today (Monday, July 1) in Doha, the capital of Qatar, and discussions are set to take place regarding the prevention of drug cultivation and support for Afghanistan’s private sector.
Mujahid at Doha 3 Urges Enhanced International Engagement
Before this meeting, France24 reported, citing its sources, that the Doha meeting would review the UN’s humanitarian operations in Afghanistan.
The first Doha meeting was held in May 2023, and the second in February 2024.
The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, attempted to address the challenges and concerns of the Afghan people, including girls’ education, women’s work, and their basic rights in society, the Islamic Emirate’s commitments to the international community, and other issues, in the first Doha meeting. However, this meeting concluded without the presence of the Islamic Emirate delegation.
Before this meeting, France24 reported, citing its sources, that the Doha meeting would review the UN’s humanitarian operations in Afghanistan.
In its report, France24 said: “Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, is gathering international representatives on Monday in a closed location in Doha to find ways to influence the rulers of Afghanistan (Taliban). Guterres’s problem with the Taliban government’s action to prevent girls from going to school and women from working, even for UN programs, has deepened.”
However, this meeting did not result in solving the challenges of the Afghan people and was not considered the last meeting.
The second Doha meeting on the situation in Afghanistan and global concerns was held on the 18th and 19th of February 2024 in Doha, pursuing the following objectives:
Consultation on Afghanistan
Increasing international participation in a coherent and structured manner
Appointing a special UN representative for Afghanistan
Identifying fundamental characteristics for constructive and principled engagement
Global concerns about the policies of the Islamic Emirate
Moeen Gul Samkanai, a political analyst, told TOLOnews about the Doha meetings: “The first meeting, where the Islamic Emirate delegation was not invited, has a separate significance. In the second meeting, when they were invited but did not participate due to certain considerations, this is the difference. The third meeting, where delegations were practically invited and the meeting was held, is the distinction. In future meetings, political, cultural, and diplomatic issues may have a significant impact.”
Although the Islamic Emirate delegation was officially invited to the second Doha meeting, the interim government refrained from attending due to their demands not being accepted.
Antonio Guterres, at the end of the second Doha meeting on the 19th of February 2024, said: “In fact, I received a letter with a set of conditions to be present in this meeting that were not acceptable. These conditions first of all denied us to talk to other representative of the Afghan society and demanded a treatment that would to a large extent be similar to recognition.”
“The value of these meetings is significant because the countries that had years of invasion and interference in Afghanistan have come together and want to make a serious decision in determining the future fate of Afghanistan,” said Aziz Stanikzai, a political analyst.
Now, it remains to be seen what the outcome of the third Doha meeting will be for Afghanistan.
Overview of the First and Second Doha Meetings on Afghanistan
Reports from the venue of the third Doha meeting in Qatar indicate that Roza Otunbayeva, head of the UN body for Afghanistan, Thomas Nicholson, and Asif Durrani, special representatives of the European Union and Pakistan, arrived in Doha today, Saturday, June 29th.
The third Doha meeting will be hosted by Rosemary DiCarlo, UN Deputy Secretary-General, in the Qatari capital on Monday and Tuesday, June 30th and July 1st.
Ms. DiCarlo has not yet arrived in Doha, but a UN spokesperson confirmed her travel to Qatar.
The presence of Roza Otunbayeva Mark Poots, the head and deputy political head of UNAMA, respectively, at the venue of the Doha meeting, has been confirmed, along with special envoys from the European Union and Pakistan arriving for Afghanistan.
Representatives from over 20 countries and delegates from several international organizations are participating in the second session of Doha, and a delegation from the Taliban will also be present at this conference.
Civil society and women representatives of Afghanistan, who have been key players in other international conferences on Afghanistan, have not been invited to the third Doha meeting, sparking widespread domestic and international criticism.
According to the UN rapporteur and other international observers, critics argue that excluding women and civil society from the Doha talks will come at a high cost.
Mujahid: Islamic Emirate Attending Doha Meeting to Foster Engagement
Mujahid stated that the Islamic Emirate’s participation in this meeting does not signify hostility towards any party.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, announced in a press conference that the Islamic Emirate will participate in the third Doha meeting with the aim of “engaging with all parties and resolving issues.”
Mujahid stated that the Islamic Emirate’s participation in this meeting does not signify hostility towards any party.
According to Mujahid, the Islamic Emirate invites the countries participating in the Doha meeting to engage with Afghanistan.
The spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate said: “Our participation in this meeting is not enmity towards any party but engagement with all parties, which should be understood and utilized better.”
Mujahid called on the countries participating in the third Doha meeting not to leave Afghanistan alone in difficult conditions.
Zabihullah Mujahid clarified that domestic issues of Afghanistan will not be discussed in the third Doha meeting because, in his opinion, Afghanistan’s domestic issues are related to the country, not the United Nations.
The spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate said that economic issues, restrictions, and achievements of the Islamic Emirate will be discussed in the third Doha meeting.
Mujahid said they are participating in this meeting based on conditions, but he did not provide further details on the matter.
He also commented on the Islamic Emirate’s opposition to the presence of women in the Doha meeting, stating that this opposition was to maintain Afghanistan’s unified stance in the meeting.
In part of his remarks, the spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate recounted the Eid message from the leader of the Islamic Emirate, which emphasized avoiding conflict, as an advisory message.
Mujahid, denying any conflicts within the Islamic Emirate’s system, said that the leader’s emphasis on avoiding conflicts does not indicate the presence of discord and conflict within their Islamic system.
The spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate stated: “The issue of women’s participation in this meeting was that no one other than the Islamic Emirate, which is a system, should represent Afghanistan, because if Afghans appear through several channels in external meetings, it means we are still scattered and our nation is not on one path, and it paves the way for external interventions. Therefore, it is better that whatever we do inside the country is among ourselves, but outside, we should be united as a single Afghan.”
Sheikh Hibatullah Akhundzada, the leader of the Islamic Emirate, in a recording for his Eid al-Adha sermon at the Eidgah Mosque in Kandahar, asked all the people of Afghanistan to set aside their differences.
The third Doha meeting is scheduled to be held on the 30th of June in Qatar.
Mujahid: Islamic Emirate Attending Doha Meeting to Foster Engagement
Islamabad, Pakistan — Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has warned that the country would not hesitate to launch attacks on the territory of Afghanistan, its neighbour, amid rising tensions between the two over security concerns.
When asked whether Pakistan would consider cross-border attacks to control perpetrators, the Asif replied to an interviewer, “If the need arises, there is nothing more important than Pakistan’s sovereignty.”
Addressing the legality of potential cross-border attacks, Asif argued that Pakistan must prioritise its own interests. “It is also a violation of international norms when Afghan soil is used to export terrorism, with those responsible receiving protection and safe havens by the people there,” he added.
In the interview on Thursday, he also rejected the prospects of any dialogue with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistan Taliban, an armed group accused by Pakistan of launching attacks from across the border.
“There is no chance of a dialogue with them. What do we talk about, we need to have a common ground to speak to them,” Asif said.
The interview follows Pakistan’s recent announcement of a renewed military operation named Azm-e-Istehkam, aimed at curbing escalating violence since November 2022, when the TTP unilaterally ended a ceasefire.
Founded in 2007 and aligned ideologically with the Afghan Taliban, the TTP is an armed group advocating for the reversal of the merger of Pakistan’s northwestern tribal regions with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, and stricter enforcement of their interpretation of Islamic laws in the region.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused armed groups of launching attacks from Afghanistan, where it says the ruling Afghan Taliban, in power since August 2021, provides them with a safe haven. The Taliban denies these allegations.
Relations between the two neighbours have deteriorated significantly in the past two years, with numerous border skirmishes that have often led to closures of border crossings.
In March this year, Pakistan conducted air strikes inside Afghan territory in retaliation for attacks that resulted in the deaths of seven soldiers in Pakistan’s North Waziristan district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
The Afghan interim government claimed that Pakistan targeted ordinary Afghan homes and condemned what it termed as its neighbour’s reckless actions.
Yet, even as Asif’s comments underscored the taut ties between the neighbours, Pakistan has insisted that it is not shutting the door on Afghanistan – and is keen to remain engaged in its neighbour’s future.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on June 27 in the National Assembly that the country would send a delegation to attend United Nations-hosted talks with the Afghan Taliban in Qatar’s capital, Doha, on June 30.
Khwaja Asif visited Kabul with a high-level Pakistani delegation in February 2023 [Handout: The office of Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs]
Dar, who also serves as the country’s deputy prime minister, added that the foreign office is planning a future visit by officials to Kabul.
“Afghanistan remains a top priority on our agenda. Make no mistake, Afghanistan has not been ignored by this government,” he emphasised.
However, Riccardo Valle, a researcher based in Venice with The Khorasan Diary – a non-partisan platform run by journalists – said that while improving the country’s security situation was necessary, the Azm-e-Istehkam operation could have negative consequences for Pakistan’s relations with the Afghan Taliban and may not achieve the goal of reducing violence.
“Pakistan has previously conducted air strikes, reportedly targeting TTP militants’ camps. These actions not only failed to weaken the group but also triggered strong propaganda responses from the TTP,” Valle told Al Jazeera.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in violence over the past 18 months, with data showing more than 700 attacks in 2023 alone, resulting in nearly 1,000 deaths, primarily among law enforcement personnel.
The government has dispatched numerous delegations to Kabul, including a high-level visit by Asif and Pakistan’s intelligence chief, General Nadeem Anjum, in February 2023, yet mutual distrust between the two nations persists.
Valle notes the close relationship and shared ideology between the TTP and the ruling Afghan Taliban, making it challenging to envision a scenario where the Afghan Taliban would crack down on the Pakistan Taliban.
The researcher pointed out that the announcement of Operation Azm-e-Istehkam had already stoked fierce resistance from residents and political parties in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“Today in Afghanistan, there exists a regime maintaining ties with the Pakistani Taliban. By launching this operation, Pakistan risks fostering further grievances in the province towards the state, potentially aiding the TTP,” he said.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA
‘No dialogue’: Pakistan says open to attacks on Afghan-based armed groups
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. political chief who will chair the first meeting between Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers and envoys from about 25 countries answered sharp criticism that Afghan women have been excluded, saying Wednesday that women’s rights will be raised at every session.
Undersecretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo stressed to a small group of reporters that the two-day meeting starting Sunday is an initial engagement aimed at initiating a step-by-step process with the goal of seeing the Taliban “at peace with itself and its neighbors and adhering to international law,” the U.N. Charter, and human rights.
This is the third U.N. meeting with Afghan envoys in Qatar’s capital, Doha, but the first that the Taliban are attending. They weren’t invited to the first and refused to attend the second.
Other attendees include envoys from the European Union, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the United States, Russia, China and several of Afghanistan’s neighbors, DiCarlo said.
The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021 as United States and NATO forces withdrew following two decades of war. No country officially recognizes them as Afghanistan’s government, and the U.N. has said that recognition is almost impossible while bans on female education and employment remain in place and women can’t go out without a male guardian.
When DiCarlo met with senior Taliban officials in Kabul in May, she said she made clear that the international community is concerned about four things: the lack of an inclusive government, the denial of human rights especially for women and girls, and the need to combat terrorism and the narcotics trade.
“The issue of inclusive governance, women’s rights, human rights writ large, will be a part of every single session,” she said. “This is important, and we will hear it again and again, I’m sure from quite a number of us.”
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International criticized the United Nations for not having Afghan women and civil society representatives at the table with the Taliban.
DiCarlo described the meeting as a process. “This is not an inter-Afghan dialogue,” she stressed. “I would hope we could get to that someday, but we’re not there.”
The Taliban’s foreign ministry on Tuesday reiterated the concerns they want to raise — restrictions on Afghanistan’s financial and banking system, development of the private sector, and countering drug trafficking. DiCarlo said they also raised Afghanistan’s vulnerability to climate change.
She said discussions on the first day of the Doha meeting on Sunday will focus on how the world would engage with the Taliban to achieve the objectives of peace and its adherence to international law and human rights. The assessment calls for a step-by-step process, where each side would respond to actions taken by the other.
On the second day, the participants will discuss the private sector, including getting more women into the workforce through microfinance projects, as well as counter-narcotics efforts, such as alternative livelihoods and support for drug addicts, she said.
“Hopefully, it will achieve some progress, but it will be slow,” DiCarlo said.
She stressed that the meeting isn’t about the Taliban and doesn’t signify any recognition of Afghan’s rulers as the country’s official government. “That’s not in the cards,” she said.
“This is about Afghanistan and the people and their need to feel a part of the international community and have the kinds of support and services and opportunities that others have — and they’re pretty blocked off right now,” DiCarlo said.
Before the meeting, the U.N. political chief met with the Afghan diaspora. After the meeting on Tuesday, she said the U.N. and the envoys will meet with civil society representatives including women, and private sector representatives mainly living in Afghanistan.
Women’s rights will be raised at the UN meeting being attended by Taliban, UN official says
Xi Jinping, the President of China, announced that China will continue its role in connecting to resolve Afghanistan’s issues.
He said on Friday, June 28th, in a ceremony in Beijing, that China will not change its determination for peace development.
According to Chinese media reports, he said Beijing will continue its constructive role in crises such as Ukraine, resolving the Palestine-Israel conflict, and addressing issues related to the Korean Peninsula, Iran, Myanmar, and Afghanistan.
Xi participated in Friday’s 70th anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence in Beijing.
China, although not recognizing the Taliban like other countries, maintains economic and diplomatic relations with the group and has transferred the Afghan embassy in Beijing to the Taliban.
This comes amid a dire humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan following the Taliban’s takeover in 2021. Millions of Afghans face food insecurity, with humanitarian aid struggling to reach those in need due to ongoing conflict and bureaucratic hurdles.
The United Nations has warned of a looming famine, exacerbated by severe drought conditions and economic collapse.
Restrictions on human rights, particularly for women and girls, have intensified under Taliban rule. Women’s access to education and employment has been severely curtailed, with many forced to stay home and unable to pursue opportunities they had gained in the past two decades.
The Taliban’s interpretation of Islamic law has imposed strict dress codes and limited movement for women, effectively rolling back years of progress in gender equality.
International condemnation and concern have mounted over the Taliban’s systematic repression of dissent and freedom of expression. The international community continues to call for unhindered humanitarian access and increased support for those affected by the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan.
Chinese President vows continued role in resolving Afghanistan issues
Amir Khan Muttaqi confirmed this during a meeting with Roza Otunbayeva, and also both sides discussed the agenda of the third meeting.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement said that representatives from the Ministries of Interior, Industry and Commerce, Foreign Affairs, the Central Bank of Afghanistan, and the head of the Islamic Emirate’s Qatar-based Political Office will participate in the third Doha meeting.
Amir Khan Muttaqi, the acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate, confirmed this during a meeting with UNAMA head Roza Otunbayeva, and also both sides discussed the agenda of the third meeting.
The statement of the ministry said: “The two sides discussed and exchanged views on the agenda and other related issues, in addition to the participation of the Islamic Emirate delegation in the Doha meeting.”
“The meetings are influential but cannot fundamentally solve the issues,” said Baqir Saeer, a political analyst.
Meanwhile, the US State Department also announced the participation of its special representatives for Afghanistan in the third Doha meeting, highlighting that the interim government must take its commitments under the Doha Agreement seriously, especially regarding the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan.
Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the US State Department, speaking at a press briefing, said: “We will be participating in that conference because we take – we will continue, with the international community, to impress upon the Taliban that they need to take seriously their obligations under the Doha Agreement, and that includes with regards to the treatment of women and girls, which, of course, continues to be appalling.”
At the same time, Rina Amiri, United States Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls and Human Rights, said that the cycle of conflict in this country will not stop until the issue of women and girls is included in the agenda of the Doha meeting.
Meanwhile, China’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Yue Xiaoyong, told an Iranian media outlet that the Doha meeting will be held informally and behind closed doors. The Chinese diplomat added that he hopes this meeting will not be as unsuccessful as the previous Doha meetings.
China’s special envoy for Afghanistan, said: “I don’t know how this meeting will be; but what I do know is that this meeting will be informal, behind closed doors, and it will not be in a way that people can fully discuss the issues.”
Ishaq Dar, the Foreign Minister of Pakistan, said: “In the coming weeks, a conference will be held in Doha, and there will be a trilateral meeting hosted by Doha. We will be there, and Afghanistan will be there. In this meeting, we will discuss comprehensive issues including health, and the work of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is ongoing in this regard. The issue of Afghanistan is a priority for us.”
Earlier, the United Nations emphasized that the third Doha meeting and the UN officials’ meeting with the interim government do not mean their recognition, and the Doha meeting is a process to compel the interim government to fulfill its commitments.
Ministry, Bank Delegates to Travel to Doha 3, US Special Envoys to Attend
Beijing hopes peace and reconstruction in Afghanistan will occur in a way that witnesses the formation of an inclusive government.
China’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Yue Xiaoyong, said in an interview with an Iranian media outlet that he hopes the caretaker government of Afghanistan will fulfill its promises regarding improving education, especially girls’ education.
In this interview, Yue Xiaoyong called external solutions to Afghanistan’s issues unsuccessful and said that more work needs to be done to integrate Afghanistan into the global community.
He added that Beijing hopes peace and reconstruction in Afghanistan will occur in a way that witnesses the formation of an inclusive government and a clear fight against terrorism.
China’s special envoy for Afghanistan said: “We have noticed that the caretaker government has announced its interest in improving education, including girls’ education. We hope they [the officials of the caretaker government of Afghanistan] can fulfill their plans and promises and improve girls’ education.”
China’s special envoy for Afghanistan also added that the international community should not interfere in Afghanistan’s internal affairs. Referring to the role of neighboring countries in Afghanistan’s issues, he stressed regional efforts for the quicker integration of Afghanistan into the global community.
Yue Xiaoyong further said: “In the process of peace and reconstruction in Afghanistan, we must build our efforts on equality and mutual respect, and gradually and as soon as possible, strive to bring Afghanistan back into the global community.”
“Undoubtedly, the people of Afghanistan, especially girls, need education, training, and schooling. The Islamic Emirate, just as it has fought against terrorism over the past three years, should continue to do so in the future. Regional countries can play a significant and fundamental role in achieving permanent peace and stability in Afghanistan,” said Salim Paigir, a political analyst.
The Islamic Emirate has not yet commented on these remarks by China’s special envoy for Afghanistan; however, it had previously pledged the provision of educational opportunities for girls and urged countries not to interfere in Afghanistan’s internal affairs.
China Urges Islamic Emirate to Fulfill Promises on Girls’ Education
Afghanistan Peace Campaign
