Category: Afghanistan

As per WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus the country needs USD 185 million to fight against malnutrition…reports Asian Lite News

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that over one million children in Afghanistan are facing severe malnutrition, TOLO News reported.

As per WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus the country needs USD 185 million to fight against malnutrition.

He also wrote on X that 30 per cent of the total Afghanistan population faces acute food insecurity.

He said: “Close to 1 million children are severely malnourished and 2.3 million are suffering from moderate acute malnutrition. WHO needs USD 185 million to continue providing medicine and supporting hospitals to prevent more Afghan children and women from dying of malnutrition and the consequences of food insecurity.”

Afghanistan’s Taliban-appointed Ministry of Public Health said that the number of malnourished mothers and children in the country has slightly increased compared to past years.

Six-month-old Amir has been in the nutrition treatment department of Indira Gandhi Children’s Hospital.

Amir’s mother said that he was taken from Kapisa to Kabul for treatment.

“He had inflammation and skin rash, and the doctors said to take him to Indira Gandhi Children’s Hospital. When I took him here they said that he is malnourished,” Amir’s mother said.

“Our economic situation is not good so my child became malnourished and also we can’t eat a good thing and wear a good thing, said Muska, a companion.

According to the doctors of Indira Gandhi Children’s Hospital, the number of malnourished children in Afghanistan has increased compared to past years, and in the winter 20 to 25 malnourished children visited the hospital.

A nurse, Fatima Azimi, said: “Compared to the past year, especially in winter, our patients increased and nowadays 15 to 20 patients are referred daily.”

“For children not to face malnutrition, respectable families should increase the distance between births and observe health guidelines, and our society should be saved from poverty and improved,” said a doctor Abdul Gafoor Rasooli, according to TOLO News. (ANI)

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Muttaqi noted that Afghanistan was open to interaction with every country and urged for increasing trade between Afghanistan and Britain…reports Asian Lite News

Afghan acting Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi has stressed enhancing good relations with the world community in a meeting with Robert Chatterton Dickson, Charge d’affaires of the UK Mission to Afghanistan, the media reported.

The Afghan caretaker government’s top diplomat, according to the media on Wednesday, asserted in the meeting held here in Kabul that his country wants to bolster good relations with neighbouring countries, the region and the world at large, Xinhua news agency reported.

Muttaqi also noted that Afghanistan was open to interaction with every country and urged for increasing trade between Afghanistan and Britain, saying the situation is conducive to the development of economic and political relations as well as humanitarian assistance.

The Charge d’affaires of the UK Mission to Afghanistan currently based in Doha expressed his support for a peaceful and stable Afghanistan, and condemned violence for political purposes, the state-run Bakhtar news agency added.

One year since education ban for girls

The US Special Representative for Afghanistan, Thomas West called the Taliban regime’s ban on women attending universities as “indefensible” after marking one year since the ban was imposed, Khaama Press reported.

He stated that the US prioritizes women’s access to education for the future of Afghanistan and its own interests.

West wrote on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) that all Afghans he has spoken to “are aware that Afghanistan needs a generation of female doctors, engineers, business leaders, and educators for progress and self-reliance”.

The Taliban’s Ministry of Higher Education announced on December 20 last year that education for girls at universities is suspended ‘until further notice’, Khaama Press reported.

In the past 12 months, despite protests from women within the country and global requests, the Taliban have done nothing to reopen universities to girls and, on the contrary, have imposed new restrictions on the social lives of women.

According to UNESCO, there has been a significant fluctuation in the number of female university students in Afghanistan over the past two decades. In 2001, the number of female students enrolled in universities was around five thousand. This figure saw a substantial increase over the years, reaching nearly one hundred thousand by 2021.

However, in a stark reversal, the number dramatically plummeted to zero by 2023. This drastic decline highlights the severe impact of the recent educational restrictions and bans imposed on female students in the country.

In a report, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) noted that the deprivation of education has led to girls facing early and forced marriages.

On the first anniversary of their educational deprivation, girls are again requesting the Taliban administration to reopen university gates for them, Khaama Press reported. (IANS/ANI)

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The statement said that Norway remains committed to supporting the humanitarian response in Afghanistan….reports Asian Lite News

The UNAMA (United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan) Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan, Resident Coordinator, and Humanitarian Coordinator, Indrika Ratwatte, met with US Special Representative for Afghanistan, Thomas West to discuss the humanitarian and economic conditions in Afghanistan as well as help for Afghan refugees, as reported by TOLOnews.

West, in a post on X, pledged a continued association with the UNAMA in order to address these dire issues in Afghanistan.

“Discussed support for Afghan refugees and the humanitarian and economic situation in Afghanistan. Look forward to continuing our strong partnership with UNAMA on these challenges,” he wrote.

Meanwhile, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that it had set aside close to USD 7 million to help Afghans and those who had returned from Pakistan.

“Norway increases its support for Afghanistan with USD 3.8 million (NOK 40 million) to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and USD 2.9 million (NOK 30 million) to the UN World Food Program (WFP), due to the large influx of Afghans repatriated from Pakistan,” the statement read, according to TOLOnews.

The statement said that Norway remains committed to supporting the humanitarian response in Afghanistan.

Furthermore, according to the Ministry of Economy, immigrants deported from other nations, particularly Pakistan, have so far received the support they need from the Islamic Emirate in the areas of food, housing, and sanitation, TOLOnews reported.

“The Islamic Emirate has a plan for immigrants in the fields of health, shelter and education, and it has implanted its major parts,” said Abdul Latif Nazari, Deputy of the Ministry of Economy.

Earlier, nine international non-governmental organizations expressed their concerns regarding the situation of immigrants returning from Pakistan to Afghanistan.

Afghanistan is currently grappling with a serious humanitarian crisis as according to international assessments, the country now has the highest number of people in emergency food insecurity in the world, with more than 23 million in need of assistance and approximately 95 per cent of the population having insufficient food consumption.

Moreover, the situation of human rights in Afghanistan has worsened since the collapse of the Afghan government and the Taliban’s return to power in August last year.

Additionally, the Ukraine crisis has had a massive impact on the rise in food costs and how it was out of reach for many Afghans.

Although the fighting in the country has ended, serious human rights violations continue unabated, especially against women and minorities.

Women and girls in Afghanistan are facing a human rights crisis, deprived of the fundamental rights to non-discrimination, education, work, public participation and health, reported Khaama Press. (ANI)

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The declassified documents released by Washington-based National Security Archive came to light through a tweet on Saturday by Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed…reports Asian Lite News

Newly declassified documents show how former US President Jimmy Carter authorised ‘lethal military aid’ to Afghan mujahideen against the Soviets, including allowing for the ‘training’ of the ‘mujahideen’ if need be through a third country, the media reported.

The declassified documents released by Washington-based National Security Archive came to light through a tweet on Saturday by Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed, The News reported.

“Declassified & released yesterday, by Washington-based National Security Archive, after 42 years, this most significant decision by President Carter laid basis of CIA-funded ‘Afghan Jehad’ in 1979 via Pakistan: US pumped in $2.1 billion + Saudi matching funds of $ 2.1 billion!,” the tweet read, The News reported.

Explaining that the figure given in his tweet referred to the 10-year long operation by the CIA, Syed tells The News that “this was the largest CIA covert operation after World War II … ten years, trading hundreds of Afghan mujahideen, spending $2.1 billion plus the matching amount by Saudi Arabia and I’m sure there will be other money as well.

A summary of the documents by the National Security Archive says that the released record “sheds light on the ongoing historical question about the nature and extent of support the Carter administration provided to the Afghan rebels.

Attached to Brzezinski’s summary of a December 28, 1979, meeting on Iran and Afghanistan is a copy of the original Presidential Finding, signed by Carter, authorizing covert action in the form of “lethal military” aid to “the Afghan opponents of the Soviet intervenion (sic)”.

On December 14, the National Security Archive had published what it says is “a major primary document collection on the presidency of Jimmy Carter”.

Titled ‘US Foreign Policy in the Carter Years, 1977-1981: Highest-Level Memos to the President’, the collection has more than 2,500 communication and policymaking records during the Carter regime.

In some cases, the communication has been commented on directly by Carter.

Featured strongly in the documents are Carter, his National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski and secretaries of state Cyrus Vance and Edmund Muskie.

From the Middle East to Afghanistan to China, the declassified documents are an insight into what was going on with American foreign policy during the Carter years. Says Malcolm Byrne, the archives’ director: “These personal memos from Jimmy Carter’s closest advisers show the policy process unfolding in real time…. Being able to read the president’s handwritten comments gives us an extraordinary window into his thinking on a slew of critical issues.”

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Taliban’s Deputy Prime Minister for economic affairs, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, criticized neighboring nations for deporting Afghan immigrants and called for lawful treatment of the deportees…reports Asian Lite News

Amid the ongoing deportation of Afghan migrants from Pakistan, the Taliban urged the nations not to use Afghan immigrants as a ‘political tool’ on Monday, according to TOLOnews.

Taliban’s Deputy Prime Minister for economic affairs, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, criticised certain neighbouring nations for deporting Afghan immigrants and urged them to deal with them lawfully.

The remarks were made by the Taliban officials at an event coinciding with International Migrants Day on Monday, as they highlighted the deportation of thousands of migrants from Afghanistan to Pakistan, Iran, and other nations in recent months.

“The expulsion of our Muslim brothers by the countries is an illegal decision and against fairness and good neighbourliness. The perpetrators failed to achieve the goals that were behind this persecution (expulsion),” he said, according to TOLOnews.

Earlier in November, the Pakistan caretaker government initiated a nationwide campaign to deport illegal foreign nationals, the majority of whom are Afghans. Pakistan’s decision prompted criticism from Afghanistan and several other nations, the Pakistani newspaper Dawn reported.

Of the more than four million Afghans living in Pakistan, the Pakistani government estimates that 1.7 million Afghans do not have documents. So far, thousands of Afghans have headed back to Afghanistan through the Torkham and Chaman border crossings.

Meanwhile, the Taliban’s Second Deputy Prime Minister, Abdul Salam Hanafi said: “A large number of our brothers and sisters returned to their homeland from different countries; the number of them reaches more than 700,000, who came to Afghanistan in a short time and by force,” TOLOnews reported.

On the occasion of International Migrants Day, Khalil Rahman Haqqani, the acting Minister of Refugees and Repatriation, spoke about the reasons behind the nation’s unlawful migrations.

“Afghans were tortured by different countries and are present all over the world. Even now, after forty years of sadness and poverty, they destroyed their property, children, culture and customs,” Haqqani said, according to TOLOnews.

Earlier in November, the United Nations voiced concern about the welfare of Afghan citizens who have arrived in Afghanistan amid Pakistan’s deportation of Afghan refugees and called for the suspension of the expulsion of Afghan refugees, Afghanistan-based Khaama Press reported.

UN called on the Pakistan government to halt the expulsion of more than one million Afghan refugees, at least during the winter season. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees stressed that Pakistan should halt the expulsion of Afghan refugees.

Recently, Iran’s Interior Minister announced the expulsion of 4,00,000 Afghan migrants from the country.

On the other hand, the Director-General of Foreign Nationals and Immigrant Affairs in Kermanshah province had previously declared the prohibition of Afghan citizens from entering 16 provinces of the country.

Meanwhile, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Afghan citizens make up six per cent of the resident population in Iran. (ANI)

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The report further stated that among those refugees, many influential Afghan commanders were billionaires with properties in Pakistan….reports Asian Lite News

Afghan refugees who were evacuated from Pakistan through the Chaman border have described the hardships they faced, including being locked up and forced to pay money for leaving by Pakistani officials, Pakistan vernacular media Jang reported.

One of the refugees who was evacuated from Pakistan said, “The family has moved ahead, they are not leaving our car. Policemen in Karachi catch us and lock us in the police station. They take 10,000-15,000 rupees to leave. I was born in Karachi and worked in a bakery. I have a registered card in Lyari. The Police picked me up four to five times and left after taking five to ten thousand rupees (PKR) each time.”

Jang further cited an analysis by Salim Safi, a Geo TV journalist, who said that the Afghan refugees who came to Pakistan after the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan are registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

According to Khaliq Atifi, an Afghan refugee in Islamabad, even Afghans registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) are not immune to detention or deportation.

The report further stated that among those refugees, many influential Afghan commanders were billionaires with properties in Pakistan.

The most luxurious house in Islamabad after Imran Khan belongs to an Afghan commander, Jang reported.

The Afghans who came to Pakistan under the current Taliban regime do not have computerised refugee cards. They were given short-term visas to come to Pakistan, which have expired.

However, the citizens of Peshawar believe that the policy of sending back the illegally residing people is good for Pakistan, Jang reported.

“The decision to return the Afghans residing illegally in Pakistan is not cruel; settling is not allowed in any country without proper documents,” the Pakistani citizen said.

The Pakistani citizens at the Chaman border said that the decision to evacuate the Afghan refugees was correct, but it was “not the right time.”

The policy of sending back illegally residing Afghans is considered good for Pakistan, but the decision to evacuate them was not the right time due to the cold conditions in both Pakistan and Afghanistan.

“It is cold in both Pakistan and Afghanistan and the conditions there are not so favourable. The evacuation of Afghan migrants has hit our economy hard,” the vernacular media quoted a Pakistani citizen as saying.

As many as 4,35,152 Afghan migrants have been deported from Pakistan since November 1, and the National Action Plan’s apex committee has set a deadline for all foreign nationals residing illegally in the country to leave voluntarily by October 31 or face deportation.

Meanwhile, the International Rescue Committee, Danish Refugee Council, Norwegian Refugee Council, Islamic Relief Worldwide, CARE, Intersos, and several other organisations have raised concerns over the deportation of Afghan migrants.

They have highlighted the urgent situation of 5,00,000 individuals who have returned to Afghanistan and are facing critical needs for food, shelter, and employment during the winter, TOLO News reported.

Earlier, the United Nations had also called on Pakistan to halt the deportation exercise.

Meanwhile, human rights activists and journalists have reported that the mistreatment is part of a campaign to compel Afghans to leave the country. This includes night raids during which police have beaten, threatened, and detained Afghans. (ANI)

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Parsi, a senior member of the women’s protest movement and founder of the women’s library, was arrested in Kabul on September 28, 2023, for her advocacy of women’s rights…reports Asian Lite News

Julia Parsi, a women’s rights activist in Afghanistan, has been released from prison by the Taliban administration after three months on Monday, Khaama Press reported citing sources.

Parsi, a senior member of the women’s protest movement and founder of the women’s library, was arrested in Kabul on September 28, 2023, for her advocacy of women’s rights.

Julia’s advocacy efforts were fueled by the closure of schools following the fall of Kabul in August 2021. Despite facing increasing fear and threats, Julia remained visible in the media, speaking out about women’s fundamental rights to education and work.

A number of women’s rights activists have also confirmed Julia’s release from the Taliban’s prison.

Fawzia Koofi, a former Afghan government’s House of Representatives member, wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “I am sure that prison has strengthened your and your comrades’ will to fight.”

Julia Parsi, a leading women’s rights activist, was arrested in Kabul on September 28, causing widespread public dismay. Having avoided formal education during the Taliban’s initial reign, Julia was detained for her advocacy nearly 23 years later, under the Taliban’s second rule, on charges stemming from her activism, Khaama Press reported.

A native of Takhar province, Julia dedicated many years to teaching Persian language and literature in local schools.

Her teaching mission continued in Kabul until the city’s fall on August 15, 2021. The closure of the schools she worked at following this event marked a turning point, fueling her advocacy efforts.

With the Taliban’s ascent to power, Julia’s name became synonymous with bravery in the face of adversity. She became a well-known figure in protests, where she and other women stood unarmed on the streets of Kabul, facing armed Taliban forces and voicing their demands for freedom, according to Khaama Press.

In a climate of increasing fear, with reports of her fellow protesters in Balkh facing disappearance or death, Julia remained visible in the media. She boldly spoke out about the fundamental rights of women to education and work, becoming a symbol of resistance and courage.

More than two years have passed since the Taliban banned girls from studying beyond sixth grade in Afghanistan and there is no sign of reopening the schools to girls studying above sixth grade.

Since the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August 2021, they have issued several decrees that impose restrictions on women. Afghanistan’s women have faced numerous challenges since the Taliban returned to power.

Girls and women in the war-torn country have no access to education, employment and public spaces, Khaama Press reported. (ANI)

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According to the data, 797 illegal immigrants left for Afghanistan on Saturday….reports Asian Lite News

Over 260,000 illegal Afghan immigrants have left Pakistan for Afghanistan using the border crossings in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Dawn newspaper reported.

As per official data, apart from 250,000 Afghans who left for their homeland voluntarily, 6,360 persons were deported from different parts of the country via Pakistan-Afghan border crossings in KP, including 5,228 from KP, 125 from Islamabad, 974 from Punjab and 34 from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

The data, shared by the provincial home department, also said that over 250,000 illegal immigrants had left via Torkham in Khyber tribal district, 3,646 via Angoor Adda border crossing in South Waziristan tribal district, whereas 698 persons left Pakistan for Afghanistan via Kharlachi border crossing in Kurram district, as per Dawn.

According to the data, 797 illegal immigrants left for Afghanistan on Saturday.

It added that, according to a recent survey conducted by the district administrations across the province, 761 illegal immigrants were still present in the province.

Meanwhile, the International Rescue Committee, Danish Refugee Council, Norwegian Refugee Council, Islamic Relief Worldwide, CARE, Intersos, and some other organisations have highlighted the urgent situation of 5,00,000 individuals who have returned to Afghanistan and are facing critical needs for food, shelter, and employment during the winter, TOLO News reported.

In response, these organisations are urging the international community to enhance support for the families returning to Afghanistan.

“Since the economic situation of Afghanistan is unfortunately dire and a large number of Afghan immigrants enter the country in the winter season, the aid of the international community must be focused on the people of Afghanistan,” TOLO News quoted Abdul Zahur Mudabir, an economist, as saying.

Meanwhile, certain repatriated immigrants have conveyed that they find themselves in challenging circumstances and are calling for increased attention from the interim government.

“They have helped us in Torkham with 10,000 Afghanis, and my family is huge, and the money will not even cover my expenses for a week,” said Mohammad Nayeem, a refugee.

“We request that the Islamic Emirate provide job opportunities for Afghan youth so that they do not travel to other countries because it is very controversial,” said Dawood, a refugee. (ANI)

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