The organisation stated that since last year, due to a reduction in foreign aid, the number of malnourished children seeking treatment has increased, reports Asian Lite News
The World Food Programme (WFP) in Afghanistan has warned that this year, up to three million children could suffer from malnutrition under the Taliban regime, Khaama Press news agency reported.
The organisation stated that since last year, due to a reduction in foreign aid, the number of malnourished children seeking treatment has increased.
Khaama Press reported, citing Mona Sheikh, Head of Nutrition at the World Food Programme in Afghanistan who said in a video posted on the organisation’s account on its social media platform X, “We will be able to assist about 1.6 million malnourished children.”
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) previously announced that in 2023, it assisted 715,000 malnourished children in Afghanistan.
According to international organizations, many families in Afghanistan under Taliban control are unable to provide food for their children.
Additionally, reports indicate that since the Taliban took power, Afghanistan has been facing a dire humanitarian crisis, exacerbating the already precarious situation. The lack of stability and access to basic necessities has led to widespread suffering, particularly among vulnerable groups like women and children.
Moreover, the shortfall of funds from international organizations has significantly hindered relief efforts in Afghanistan. This has left millions of people at risk of famine and deprived them of essential humanitarian aid, further worsening the humanitarian situation in the country.
Despite over 450 days passing, universities in Afghanistan remain closed to girls, with no signs of reopening on the horizon, TOLO News reported.
Expressing their frustration, female students highlight the significant delay in their academic progress, urging the Talibani caretaker government to prioritise the reopening of universities this year.
Khadijah, speaking on behalf of many, emphasises, “The education of girls holds immense importance; it reflects the literacy and development of entire families. Neglecting it jeopardises the education and advancement of society as a whole,” as reported by TOLO News.
Echoing these sentiments, Narow pleads, “We implore authorities to unlock the doors of schools and universities for girls, as their education is crucial for building a strong and progressive society.”
Concerns are also voiced by university professors, who fear that the continued closure of universities to girls will hinder the country’s progress. (ANI)
The landlocked Afghanistan is grappling with an exacerbated drought…reports Asian Lite News
Nearly 80 per cent of Afghanistan’s population lacks access to potable water, according to a report from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Afghanistan.
The report pointed out that the severe drought conditions, economic instability, and the devastating effects of prolonged conflicts have significantly reduced Afghanistan’s water infrastructure, Xinhua news agency reported.
The crisis disproportionately affects female-headed households, which face additional barriers in accessing public water facilities, exacerbating their vulnerability, it added.
The landlocked Afghanistan is grappling with an exacerbated drought.
The Afghan caretaker government has been building small dams, water supply networks, and water canals across the country to improve and store groundwater.
The aerial strikes reportedly were in response to last week’s Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) attack on Pakistani armymen in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Mir Ali region…reports Asian Lite News
Tensions simmered in the South Asian neighbourhood as Pakistan on Monday launched airstrikes in the border regions of Afghanistan, reportedly killing at least eight civilians, including three children.
Confirming the aerial strikes in the Khost and Paktika provinces, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement that “such incidents can have very bad consequences which will be out of Pakistan’s control”.
According to TOLO News, the Taliban said they have responded to these attacks and targeted Pakistani military centres with heavy weapons.
Mujahid said the bombardment began at around 3 a.m. (local time) and targeted the houses of civilians in the Barmal district of Paktika province and the Afghan Dubai area of Sepera district in Khost province.
Calling the “reckless action” a violation of Afghanistan’s territory, he said that “Pakistan should not blame Afghanistan for the lack of control, incompetence, and problems in its territory”.
The aerial strikes reportedly were in response to last week’s Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) attack on Pakistani armymen in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Mir Ali region.
Seven soldiers, including a Lieutenant Colonel and a Captain, were killed in the attack that was denounced by Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Vowing retaliation, President Zardari said: “Pakistan has decided that whoever will enter our borders, homes or country and commit terror, we will respond to them strongly, regardless of who it is or from which country.”
Meanwhile, as several media outlets in Pakistan reported that TTP commander Abdullah Shah was killed in the Pakistani airstrikes, Mujahid said in the statement: “The person named Abdullah Shah, who the Pakistani side claims was targeted in the incident, is in Pakistan.”
This came even as a video went viral on X showing a man, identifying himself as Shah, saying: “Whatever propaganda is being spread against me is baseless.”
The TTP, also known as the Pakistan Taliban, became active in 2007 and operates across the porous border with Afghanistan, even as the Taliban denies harbouring them.
The group has been responsible for numerous terrorist attacks in Pakistan, targeting both the military establishment and civilians.
The manner in which the PLA-GHQ Rawalpindi alliance sabotaged the US-led war against terror in Afghanistan has never been documented, at least in public, writes Prof. Madhav Das Nalapat
On 12 December 2000, the US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) handed the Presidency to George W. Bush, ignoring the numerous flaws in the vote counting process in Florida, a state where the Republican nominee’s brother Jeb was the Governor.
The 43rd President of the United States (POTUS) created history by emerging as the only US President elected not by the people but selected by the Supreme Court of the United States. Vice-President Dick Cheney by his side, George W. Bush initiated a necessary war against the Taliban in Afghanistan, winning it together with the Northern Alliance.
After that triumph, error after error was made by US policymakers in that unfortunate country, which culminated in the US surrender to the Taliban in 2021. This was through President Biden operationalizing the surrender document approved by President Trump in 2020. What has thus far gone unmentioned by multiple accounts of the 2001-21 Afghanistan war is the role played by elements who were citizens of the PRC, as well aspects of the role played by GHQ Rawalpindi.
It is a matter of worry for countries that have de facto or de jure security alliances with the US that its numerous intelligence agencies seem to have several blind spots about the CCP. In Afghanistan, among the “active methods” used against US forces in particular was for nationals of the PRC, to not just infiltrate women and young men into brothels and bars, but also to financially control several such establishments.
Many of the ladies and youths who gave Coalition troops hours of happy escape from the war reported their interactions with such soldiers to conveyors of intelligence to agencies in the PRC. As a consequence of drunken stupors and drug-induced loquacity, several bits of actionable intelligence were gleaned by the faraway controllers of the bars, brothels and bedrooms frequented even by senior officers and officials from the US and from other coalition partners.
Useful intel was transmitted to the Taliban, usually through contacts linked to the Pakistan military, to ensure that the extremist militia kept a step ahead of the Coalition. A consequence of such actions was that by 2006, drug addiction had become ubiquitous among US servicemen in particular, leading several to mow down innocent civilians in the belief that they were “hostiles”.
More generally, elements who in actuality opposed the Taliban were labelled as Taliban sympathisers by GHQ Rawalpindi with the consequence that the Taliban secured the advantage of having their most capable Afghan opponents in the field of battle eliminated by Coalition forces acting on the basis of tainted intel supplied to them. An army that had sworn to support the war against the Taliban in actuality went about doing the opposite.
As for the PRC nationals who were in the “Happy Hours” trade in Afghanistan, information about combat operations and deployments gleaned by sex workers in such establishments was passed on via Pakistan army contacts to Taliban elements, so much so that by 2009, the tide of battle had changed in favour of the Taliban in more than two-thirds of Afghanistan. This was despite the fact that the majority of the Afghan population, not just Tajiks and Hazara but many Pashtuns as well, were opposed to a return of the Taliban.
The manner in which the PLA-GHQ Rawalpindi alliance sabotaged the US-led war against terror in Afghanistan has never been documented, at least in public. Such a conclusion would have gone against the triumphalist narrative that characterised the George W. Bush years. Routing the Taliban during 2001-3 was laudable, but what happened afterwards was criminal.
Such a folly was capped by the manner and scope of President Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, an act that is certain to make the country once again a breeding ground for extremism and terror. Few countries would now trust the US as a security partner after such a withdrawal, at least as long as Joe Biden is President.
Despite some erroneous past decisions, the US Supreme Court redeemed itself on March 4 by unanimously striking down efforts by the Department of Justice to influence the forthcoming Presidential poll. This is being sought to be accomplished by ensnaring Donald Trump in a medley of cases, and seeking to send him to prison well before November 5, the date of the election.
Were the Department of Justice to succeed in sending Trump to prison months or even weeks before the US Presidential polls, the 46th POTUS would be elected the 47th POTUS in a landslide. US voters respect fair play, and the present administration’s Operation Imprison Trump resembles events that have just played out in Pakistan, where Imran Khan, the actual winner of the popular vote, is in jail and an individual known for his deference to GHQ Rawalpindi has been anointed as the Prime Minister.
These columns have more than once pointed to Biden’s feverish prosecution of the Ukraine war as the single biggest factor behind his unpopularity, given the worldwide economic hardship the US-UK-EU war effort against Russia and its sanctions have had.
The Ukraine war that intensified in 2022 may mark the end of the Atlantic Alliance as the primary force in global geopolitics, and the emergence of India, Brazil and Indonesia as the troika to watch. Those Democratic Party functionaries in charge of some states in the US such as Colorado sought to block Trump from the Presidential ballot on the fictitious charge of having led an insurrection on January 6, 2021.
The US Supreme Court has ruled that it ought to be the US Congress rather than individual states that ought to have the final say on eligibility, and given that the Presidency is a national and not a state position, such a ruling makes complete sense. In these columns, almost at the start of his term in the White House, it had been suggested that Joe Biden declare that he would only serve a single term. Had he done so, the historical record for the Biden years would be very different from what it is shaping up to be.
The head of the UN Deputy Mission in Afghanistan urged the Taliban to abolish the restrictions placed on women…reports Asian Lite News
he Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and Head of the UN Deputy Mission in Afghanistan, Roza Otenbayeva, has once again drawn attention to the growing risk that prohibitions on women would drive Afghanistan even deeper into poverty and isolation, according to Khaama Press.
The head of the UN Deputy Mission in Afghanistan urged the Taliban to abolish the restrictions placed on women and girls as the world observes International Women’s Solidarity Day on March 8.
Otenbayeva regrets seeing in Afghanistan a “disastrous negative investment” rather than investing in women, which causes serious harm to women and girls and impedes peace and prosperity, according to a statement released by UNAMA.
In its statement, UNAMA also highlighted Afghan women’s appeal for international solidarity in their advocacy, guarantees women’s active involvement and representation in all talks about Afghanistan’s future, and uphold foreign aid that specifically benefits women, reported Khaama Press.
In addition to these pressing appeals, Afghanistan is experiencing severe humanitarian problems that are made worse by political unrest and violence, which increases the vulnerability of women and girls.
The dire need for swift action to alleviate the situation of women and girls–who are disproportionately impacted by the conflict and socioeconomic limitations–is highlighted by the global leaders.
In order to ensure that women actively participate in defining the future of their country and contribute to peace and prosperity for all, it is crucial that coordinated efforts be made to remove obstacles, promote inclusivity, and support women’s rights in Afghanistan as the international world rallies support for their rights.
Notably, many governments across the world have denounced the Taliban’s full-scale attack on the rights of Afghan women and girls.
Despite the Taliban’s initial promise to take a moderate approach towards women’s rights after it seized power in August 2021, the ban on higher education is just one of many steps that the armed group has taken to further segregate the country and limit women’s role in society.
In the immediate aftermath of August 2021, the Taliban banned girls from going to school beyond the sixth grade and imposed strict rules requiring women to wear hijabs and to travel only with a male chaperone. (ANI)
A member of Taliban stands guard at a security checkpoint in Kandahar city, Afghanistan, Sept. 11, 2021. (Photo by Sanaullah Seiam/Xinhua/IANS)
The UK government argued he had not worked closely enough with the UK in Afghanistan to qualify for relocation. A UK government spokesperson says officials are “considering” the ruling…reports Asian Lite News
An Afghan judge who has been forced to go into hiding from the Taliban was wrongly refused relocation to the UK, the High Court has ruled.
The anonymous claimant prosecuted Taliban and Islamic State group members, and has since avoided an assassination attempt, the court heard.
The UK government argued he had not worked closely enough with the UK in Afghanistan to qualify for relocation. A UK government spokesperson says officials are “considering” the ruling.
The Afghan judge is currently in hiding in an unspecified third country with his wife and children, two of whom are in poor health, it emerged in court.
He lives with the constant “risk that they may be forcibly returned to Afghanistan”, according to a ruling in his favour. Zoe Cooley, the claimant’s solicitor, said the government had a “moral, as well as a legal, responsibility to bring our client and his family to safety”.
The ruling does not automatically qualify him for relocation but does mean the government must now reassess his application in light of the court’s findings.
Cooley called on the UK government to act “very swiftly” to bring the judge and his family to the UK before it was “too late”. The Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme was set up to offer people who worked for or with the UK government in Afghanistan a path to move to the UK.
It is aimed at those who could be exposed to retribution by the Taliban, which re-seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021, due to their association with international forces involved in the invasion.
The Afghan judge who brought the High Court case first applied to ARAP in August 2021 but was rejected in March 2022 – a decision upheld by an appeals panel in May 2023.
The government officials responsible for reviewing the application effectively ruled that he did not directly work for or with the UK government and was therefore not eligible. Now High Court judge Justice Julian Knowles has ruled that decision was “irrational” and based on “plainly faulty” reasoning as the Afghan judge’s activities “personally and directly” had helped to further the UK’s goals in Afghanistan.
The High Court heard the judge asked for help to leave Afghanistan during the August 2021 evacuation but “did not receive a reply” and was left in the country. He served as a senior judge for six years in an area which saw some of the heaviest fighting and counter-insurgency during the Afghanistan war.
The court heard he oversaw cases involving murder, violence against women, terrorism, kidnapping, drug smuggling and corruption. The perpetrators were often members of the Taliban and the Daesh group.
When the Taliban had surrounded his home city in 2021 during its rapid campaign to seize control of Afghanistan, the judge had to be “air-lifted out of the region by military aircraft” for his safety, the High Court was told.
Justice Knowles accepted the claimant’s evidence that the Taliban had had informants on the court’s staff during his time as a judge – some of whom now hold high-ranking positions in the government. Some of the people the judge sentenced in Afghanistan have since “obtained high positions in the present Taliban regime”. The judge was involved in cases where suspects were apprehended after operations based on intelligence provided by “international forces” operating in Afghanistan.
This followed an Afghan delegation’s visit to Iran, highlighting the growing economic cooperation between the two countries….reports Asian Lite News
The Taliban administration in Afghanistan has pledged a $35 million investment in Iran’s Chabahar port, signalling a strategic shift towards diversifying trade partnerships.
Iranian Special Envoy to Kabul, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, revealed this commitment, emphasising Afghanistan’s intention to broaden economic ties, the Khaama Press reported.
This announcement followed a visit by an Afghan delegation to Iran, underlining the strengthening economic collaboration between the two nations.
Notably, the investment focuses on the Fakher construction project within the Chabahar Special Economic Zone, envisioning a 25-story residential complex. This initiative aims to bolster Afghanistan’s access to global waters and enhance its trading capabilities.
According to the Khaama Press reports, the interaction between Afghanistan and Iran occurs amidst tense relations between the two nations, stemming not only from border disputes and water rights issues but also from strained ties with neighbouring Pakistan.
The port of Chabahar is located outside the Persian Gulf and therefore, is relatively free from the turbulent geopolitics of the Gulf. However, the presence at Chabahar will be useful to monitor the strategic developments in the Persian Gulf as well as in the Gulf of Oman.
Chabahar’s location along the Makran coast, near the port of Gwadar developed by China in Pakistan, is significant. Gwadar is long seen as the likely site of the second Chinese military base in the Indian Ocean. Therefore, India’s presence at Chabahar matters from the point of view of maritime as well as continental strategy. With the intensifying turbulence in Pakistan and the instability in Balochistan, the importance of Chabahar has gone up significantly.
The statement recognised Yaqoobi for her unwavering commitment to supporting visually impaired individuals in Afghanistan….reports Asian Lite News
In a recent announcement, the US Department of State revealed that Benafsha Yaqoobi from Afghanistan is among the distinguished recipients of the 2024 Women of Courage Award, Khaama Press reported.
The statement recognised Yaqoobi for her unwavering commitment to supporting visually impaired individuals in Afghanistan.
The commendation extended to Yaqoobi highlighted her extensive work as a defence lawyer, specifically advocating for women survivors of violence. Together with her husband, she co-founded the “Rahyab Organisation” in 2008, focusing on the education and empowerment of visually impaired individuals in the region, according to Khaama Press.
Notably, Yaqoobi herself is visually impaired, and the US State Department acknowledged her tireless efforts in advocating for the rights of disabled citizens in Afghanistan. The Women of Courage Award, an annual honour, is bestowed upon women who have demonstrated exceptional contributions in peace, justice, courage, leadership, human rights, and gender equality.
While currently residing outside of Afghanistan, Yaqoobi is set to receive the prestigious award on March 4th. Afghanistan, having acceded to the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2012, is committed to providing essential support, including healthcare and education, for visually impaired individuals.
Amidst these commendations, Yazdani Parast, a blind journalist, conveyed concerns to Khaama Press about diminishing attention from supporting organisations for visually impaired individuals in Afghanistan. Parast emphasised the urgent need for assistance, especially during the cold winter season and the upcoming month of Ramadan.
Though precise data on the current number of visually impaired individuals in Afghanistan is unavailable, UN estimates from 2016 indicated that their numbers exceeded 400,000, with 1.5 million individuals experiencing visual impairments, Khaama Press reported. (ANI)
The ministry of education has culled up to 700 ‘ghost schools’ from official lists since the government took power more than two years ago…reports Asian Lite News
The Afghan caretaker government’s ministry of education has identified and annulled 700 “ghost schools” across the country, the spokesman for the ministry Mansour Ahmad Hamza said.
“The ministry of education has culled up to 700 ‘ghost schools’ from official lists since the government took power more than two years ago,” the local Television channel Tolonews quoted the official on Monday as saying
Xinhua news agency reported that during the previous U.S.-backed regime in Afghanistan, “ghost” schools, teachers, students, soldiers and police personnel existed as a pretext to enable those at the helm to earn money illegally from the foreign donors.
Based on the information of the ministry of education, over 18,000 primary, secondary and high schools are operating in Afghanistan where 260,000 teachers are currently working, the report added.
Recently, the Taliban had allowed girls graduating from 12th grade to get admission to state-owned medical institutes, the media reported.
“The enrolment of girls who graduated from 12th grade has started in state-run medical institutes in Kapisa, Parwan, Panjshir, Wardak, Ghazni, Paktika, Logar, Khost, Badakhshan, Paktia and Bamyan provinces,” the state-run Bakhtar news agency reported on Tuesday without giving further details.
Since the Afghan caretaker government took over power following the withdrawal of US-led forces in August 2021, girls from 7th grade and above cannot attend classes until further notice, Xinhua news agency reported.
Consensus over key issues
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that international representatives have reached consensus on some key issues concerning Afghanistan after a two-day meeting in Doha, but obstacles remain.
“We want an Afghanistan in peace, peace with itself and peace with its neighbours and able to assume the commitments and the international obligations of a sovereign state,” Guterres said on Monday at a press conference after the meeting.
However, Guterres pointed out that overcoming some obstacles is still necessary to break the deadlock on the Afghanistan issue, Xinhua nedws agency reported.
On the one hand, “Afghanistan remains with a government that is not recognised internationally and in many aspects not integrated into the global institutions and global economy,” he added.
On the other hand, there is a common international perception of deteriorating human rights, particularly for women and girls in the country, Guterres said.
The UN Chief added that a common roadmap must be developed to address the concerns of the international community and the Afghan authorities.
The meeting, chaired by Guterres, was attended by representatives from more than 20 countries and international organisations, including China, Russia, and the US. Taliban, the de-facto authorities in Afghanistan, did not attend.
According to the UN Chief, the conditions set by Taliban authorities to attend the meeting were “not acceptable”.
“These conditions first of all denied us the right to talk to other representatives of the Afghan society and demanded a treatment that would, to a large extent, be similar to recognition,” Guterres said.
There are around 1.7 million Afghan refugees who are being forced by the Pakistan establishment to leave Pakistan….reports Asian Lite News
The Afghan Cultural Association in Austria (AKIS) and the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPO) organized a session on Tuesday in Vienna, Austria, over the forceful expulsion of Afghan refugees from Pakistan and its implications for Europe. The said session was attended by around 30-35 SPO party members, including senior members such as Gerhard Spitzer, SPO Party Secretary of the 21st District of Vienna, Bernhard Herzog, District Councilor of SPO and Jurgen Bozsoki, Head of the SPO office in 10th District.
Ghousuddin Mir, the President of the Afghan Cultural Association in Austria, was the main speaker during the session. During his speech, Mir elaborated on the implications that Europe might face shortly because of the forceful expulsion of Afghan refugees from Pakistan. He also presented on the human rights violations of Pakistan against Afghan refugees in Pakistan.
Elaborating on the same issue, he mentioned that, as per the UNHCR report, Pakistan hosts around 2.8 million Afghan refugees, out of which 1.5 million Afghans are estimated to be living in Pakistan without any documentation, including some 600,000 who arrived in the country following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021.
Evidently, in October 2023, the Pakistani government ordered a sudden crackdown on Afghan refugees and migrants who have been living without any documentation. There are around 1.7 million Afghan refugees who are being forced by the Pakistan establishment to leave Pakistan. More than 60% of these Afghan refugees have been residing in Pakistan for more than 15 years, the same press statement claimed.
Furthermore, most of these Afghan refugees are not willing to go back to Afghanistan and would make efforts to use the regular migratory route to reach Europe. This refugee situation created by Pakistan would have an impact on Europe, the statement said.
Additionally, Pakistan has traditionally been the first migratory stop for Afghans leaving Afghanistan. Most of the Afghans had made Pakistan their home and have been staying there with their children for years. However, this scenario would change because of this indiscriminate and unwanted action by Pakistan. In the coming years, more Afghan refugees would move towards Europe, possibly en-masse in batches. This would put pressure on the migratory systems in Europe. Austria being the gateway to Europe could receive more Afghan refugees on this front.
The statement further stated that this sudden action by Pakistan is neither required nor a solution for the terror threat faced by them. Most of these Afghans have been residing in Pakistan for a very long time and have never been a threat to the country. The reasons for the recent spurt in terror attacks across Pakistan are not because of these Afghan refugees. It is due to the actions of the Pakistan Army vis-a-vis the terror organisations such as Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan. Pakistan’s Army has provided space for these terror organisations to grow and are now finding it difficult to control them. They have shifted the blame on poor Afghan refugees for political reasons to hide their inability.
The statement also implicated that, the international community must raise their concerns with Pakistan and ensure that the Afghan refugees are treated by the International Human Rights law and that any action by Pakistan complies with these international instruments.
Many SPO members also raised questions on the present status of this issue and discussed on role of the party in addressing the rights of the Afghan refugees in Pakistan and to reduce the negative fallout of such issues on Europe. (ANI)
