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Afghan residents demand security during Eid

Afghanistan, Balkh Province, Khulm district, November 2011 To prevent flooding in the future, the villages in Khulm and neighboring Deh Dahdi district joined together in April 2011 to create an integrated watershed management system. It is integrated, because it tackles the water problem in multiple ways: by building terraces and check dams to slow the force of water, prevent run-off and conserve soil; by creating reservoirs to harvest rain water; and by planting pistachio trees, to increase water infiltration, prevent soil erosion and provide livelihood opportunities. Over 5,800 skilled and unskilled workers are involved in building the infrastructure for the system, which will ultimately benefit some 50,000 people in 25 villages. The project is part of WFP’s Food-for-Assets initiative, a mechanism that uses food as a means to support people’s initiatives to create assets that build their resilience against shocks and improve livelihoods. In Afghanistan, WFP implements over 100 of these projects around the country in food insecure areas, creating assets such as dams, irrigation systems, and road networks that link villages to larger markets. WFP partnered with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and assessed project proposals that came directly from villages in the two districts. After selecting the project with the communities and agreeing on the way forward, the organizations worked closely with the implementing partner, a local NGO, and the district government, to make sure that each party knew the role they had to play. The participating communities provided some basic tools and the manpower; the government provided land; FAO provided technical assistance; and WFP provided food to compensate the participating communities for their labour. As of 30 November, WFP had provided more than 500 MT of wheat, pulses, vegetable oil and salt – commodities which WFP was able to provide thanks to generous contributions from the Governm

The city of Mazar-e-Sharif has seen a number of tragic events since the Islamic Emirate took control, including the killing of the governor of Balkh…reports Asian Lite News

As the festival of Eid is inching closer, the residents of Mazar-e-Sharif city of Afghanistan have raised demands for tight security at mosques and public places, reported TOLOnews.

They said that they wished to celebrate Eid fearlessly. Notably, Mazar-e-Sharif is the fourth largest city in Afghanistan and the capital of the Balkh province. Speaking to TOLOnews, Ahmad Shakib, a resident of Mazar-e-Sharif called out to the Taliban to ensure the security of the mosques and recreational areas.

“We are on the eve of Eid al-Adha. We ask the security forces to ensure the security of the mosques and recreational areas so that people can celebrate Eid without fear,” he said.

Separately, another resident of Mazar-e-Sharif, Abdul Hossein said, “We ask the security forces of the Islamic Emirate to ensure the security of the mosques during the days of Eid.”

Meanwhile, Balkh Security Command officials pledged better security during the nights and days of Eid.

“We reassure the people of Balkh province, especially Mazar-e-Sharif, that our security forces are fully prepared to provide security during the days and nights of Eid,” said Mohammad Asif Waziri, the spokesperson for the Balkh Security Command.

The city of Mazar-e-Sharif has seen a number of tragic events since the Islamic Emirate took control, including the killing of the governor of Balkh.

Since the Taliban seized power in August 2021, the law and order situation in the country has only deteriorated, with the rise in cases of terrorism and blasts.

The group banned women from going to schools, and later in December last year, they banned women from going to universities and working with aid agencies. Moreover, Afghanistan is also facing a severe economic crisis after the Taliban takeover in August 2021, that followed by the suspension of international aid and the freezing of more than USD 9 billion in foreign reserves, as per a TOLO News report.

Prisoners to be released

According to the Supreme Court, the Supreme leader of the Taliban, Hibatullah Akhundzada released orders to free 2,178 prisoners ahead of Eid-al-Adha, Khaama Press reported.

The statement said that at least 489 other prisoners were given reduced sentences for Eid. The Khaama Press News Agency is the largest online news service for Afghanistan, established in October 2010 in Kabul, Afghanistan.

According to Helmand Province’s Deputy Head of Information and Culture on Monday, at least 118 prisoners were freed from the provincial prisons. However, according to the report, some of their inmates have completed their prison terms while others were punished by whipping, as per Khaama Press.

Moreover, some rights and education activists are still imprisoned and are not freed yet. Matihullah Wesa is one of the activists who has not been freed.

Matiullah Wesa was unlawfully detained by the Taliban’s General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI) on March 27 this year, as he left the mosque after evening prayers.

The day after his detention, the GDI raided his home and seized his laptop and mobile devices, reported Khaama Press.

Although, the spokesperson of the Taliban announced his detention on March 29 and charged him with criminal activity. There is no way to protest the legitimacy of his detention.

Moreover, his family is also not allowed to visit him, according to Khaama Press.

The Taliban authorities have not released him despite the massive condemnation. (ANI)

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Afghan personnel hunted by Taliban denied UK sanctuary

A member of Taliban stands guard at a security checkpoint in Kandahar city, Afghanistan, Sept. 11, 2021. (Photo by Sanaullah Seiam/Xinhua/IANS)

Tobias Ellwood MP, chair of the defense select committee, warned that the Taliban were still hunting Afghan workers who aided Western forces…reports Asian Lite News

Afghans who worked for the UK military and who are at risk of Taliban reprisal attacks are being refused sanctuary in the UK, The Independent reported.

The revelations are part of an investigation by the newspaper into Britain’s relocation policies regarding Afghan military personnel who aided UK forces.

The Independent’s latest report found that former mechanics, laborers and chefs are being rejected by the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme because they fail to classify as having served in frontline roles alongside British troops.

But that distinction is not recognized by Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers, with the former staff and contractors facing revenge attacks as a result of their work for British forces.

Tobias Ellwood MP, chair of the defense select committee, warned that the Taliban were still hunting Afghan workers who aided Western forces.

He said: “I don’t believe the Taliban share the same criteria. They gained access to databases of all local Afghans who were assisting ISAF forces and local Taliban continue to hunt them down for execution. Each case should be judged on its own merit.”

Some of the Afghans who aided the UK war effort and who fled to the UK in the wake of the Taliban takeover have appealed to the government to help their former colleagues still trapped in Afghanistan.

But Armed Forces Minister James Heappey has said that the government has no intention of expanding the ARAP criteria to include former non-frontline staff and contractors.

An Afghan mechanic who repaired troop carriers and armored vehicles during the conflict was rejected by the scheme last year, but is now appealing the decision through a judicial review.

He was left jobless when British troops pulled out of the country, and later worked for NGOs and as a contractor for private military forces.

But following the Taliban takeover, the man was forced into hiding, with his former colleagues demanding that the UK grant him sanctuary through the ARAP scheme.

A former British Army adviser and colleague of the mechanic told The Independent: “We are trying to do our best for him and his family but he is in a very bad situation. A lot of people are being disappeared and he is all the time hiding himself because many people know that he worked with the British Army.

“Lots of people in the same situation applied for ARAP. I don’t know why ARAP just rejected his case.”

The mechanic’s solicitor, Stephanie Alban, who is challenging the decision, said: “His life is in danger so I thought they would deal with it in days and not weeks. He is in hiding and he has been moving to avoid the Taliban.

“People in the local area would know that he worked for the British. He’s on their record so they will be looking for him and targeting him. It feels like these employees have just been forgotten. You shouldn’t have to do judicial reviews just to get a simple decision on a straightforward case.”

Other Afghan personnel denied by the ARAP scheme have said that they were still exposed to danger and risk despite not serving in frontline combat roles.

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Afghan female entrepreneur teaches girls in ‘secrecy’

In a horrifying first, Taliban ready to recruit women for suicide bomber squads in army

The Taliban promised to reopen all schools on March 23, 2022, but on that day they once more closed secondary institutions for girls…reports Asian Lite News

Despite the Taliban being in power, an Afghan entrepreneur has brought a fresh wave of change in the country by helping young girls receive education in diverse subjects, Khaama Press reported.

The 43-year-old female entrepreneur, who before the Taliban takeover used to run a restaurant in Kabul is now teaching girls under ‘secrecy’. She opted to stay in Afghanistan and offer a safety net to certain Afghan women who had nowhere else to go rather than leaving the nation.

“I felt as though an earthquake had struck and taken everything away from me,” Khaama Press quoted the female entrepreneur as saying. Taj Begum restaurant was closed as the Taliban did not allow women to run such businesses. But leaving with the thousands of others fearing a return to the Taliban’s brutal rule of the 1990s was not an option for the trailblazer.

“Half of society has been wiped out from the face of the earth. As a woman, I have taken it upon myself to act not only for my own benefit but for the benefit of all women,” she said according to the Afghan news agency.

The Afghan businesswoman established the Mother Educational Center following the shift in government (MEC). The institution offers 500 girls the chance to get instruction in a variety of areas, including maths, physics, painting, photography, jewellery creation, and the English language, Khaama Press reported.

After the fall of the Ashraf Ghani government and the Taliban taking over Kabul, the country’s females are the worst sufferers. Females in the country are prohibited from leadership posts and are not allowed to travel unless accompanied by a male companion.

The Taliban promised to reopen all schools on March 23, 2022, but on that day they once more closed secondary institutions for girls.

There is still no word on when or if these schools will reopen or if the ban is indefinite.

According to the Taliban, women’s rights are an internal issue in Afghanistan and foreign countries should not interfere.

“They should understand their responsibilities regarding Afghanistan. They impose their sanctions on the people of Afghanistan, on these women. They have frozen the money and don’t allow improvement,” said Islamic Emirate’s spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid. (ANI)

‘Schools to allow girls back after formalising new curriculum’

Girls will be allowed back into schools in Afghanistan once work on a new curriculum that is being developed is finished, the head of the security department in Parwan, Azizullah Omar, told TOLOnews

“There is no problem with the start of schooling. There is only a problem with the curriculum. And therefore a committee has been formed for its reform. After confirmation of the clerics, the schools will begin,” he said. This comes as female students expressed concerns, saying that the closure of schools has affected morale.

“I am absolutely hopeless about life. We hoped the schools would be reopened in the new educational year,” said Zuhal, a student.

“We ask the Islamic Emirate to reopen the doors of schools for us,” Mursal, a student was cited as saying by the publication.

Girls and women were recently barred from attending their universities. They have been urging the interim government to reopen universities for them, TOLONews reported.

“We had our eyes on the reopening of our universities and thus we would be allowed to go to universities,” said Husna Behzad, a student.

The ban on female schooling was met with condemnation both from inside Afghanistan as well as from the international community.

Families in Afghanistan called on the Taliban yet again to open schools for girls in grades 7 to 12 as they are worried about the future of their daughters in the country under the regime of the organisation, TOLOnews reported.

This comes as schools in Afghanistan reopened for the academic year, however, the female students in the country are still denied their basic right to attain education.

Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, schooling above grade six for them has been closed. Later in December last year, girls and women were barred from going to universities and working with NGOs.

In a statement given to TOLOnews, families lamented over the ongoing situation in the country and said that the cruel decision of the de facto authorities has put the future of their daughters at stake. “I have four grandchildren who did not attend school and are now staying with me.They should decide whether or not to attend school,” Kabul resident Abdul Jalil said.

Another resident, Raziq said, “I have two daughters. One of them is in grade 8 and another one is in grade 10. We are calling on the Islamic Emirate to allow them to go to their schools.

“This comes as female pupils have also expressed sadness over their schools closing. Zainab, a student, stated, “We urge the Islamic Emirate to reopen the schools for us so that we can finish our education,” according to TOLOnews.

“We request the current government to reopen the doors of the schools for us in the coming year,” a student said.

Furthermore, the closure of schools for females in Afghanistan has affected the stationery vendors heavily. They claimed that the closure of schools for female students had an impact on their industry.

“It has had an 80 per cent impact on us. As good as the market was before, it is not anymore,” TOLOnews quoted Rafiullah, a stationary seller as saying.

Although the interim administration insisted that the ban on girls’ education was temporary and that they would permit it once the environment was appropriate, more than one and a half years have passed since then. However, the environment is still unsuitable for girls attending universities and schools.

The previous year, on September 18, the high schools in Afghanistan opened their gates to boys whereas girls were ordered to stay at home by the Taliban.

Taliban has imposed draconian restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression, association, assembly and movement for women and girls.

The Taliban’s decision to ban female students above grade six from going to school has drawn widespread criticism at the national and international levels.

Further, the Taliban regime which took over Kabul in August last year has curtailed women’s rights and freedoms, with women largely excluded from the workforce due to the economic crisis and restrictions. (ANI)

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-Top News Afghanistan Asia News

Explosion kills Afghan provincial governor

governor of Afghanistan's northern Balkh province Hajji Mullah Mohammad Daud Mazamil.(photo:twitter.com/Zabehulah_M33)

They did not, however, specify which “rebel” group these individuals were allegedly affiliated to…reports Asian Lite News

The governor of Afghanistan’s northern Balkh province was killed in a blast that targeted his office in Mazar-i-Sharif city on Thursday, the spokesman of the Taliban-run government in Kabul confirmed.

“Unfortunately I have received information that Hajji Mullah Mohammad Daud Mazamil was killed in a blast organised by enemies of Islam,” Mujahid said in a tweet.

According to police, the blast took place at 9.27 a.m. on the second floor of Mazamil’s office when a suicide bomber blew himself up, killing himself and two others including the Governor.

Two more people, including a civilian, were injured in the attack.

This is the first time that the armed elements opposing the Kabul regime has targeted a high profile official since the Taliban assumed power in Afghanistan in August 2021.

No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the attack.

This attack comes a day after provincial Taliban authorities claimed they had killed eight “rebels and kidnappers” in Mazar-e Sharif, the Balkh provincial capital, reports the BBC.

They did not, however, specify which “rebel” group these individuals were allegedly affiliated to.

Recently, Afghan police had killed eight alleged kidnappers in a crackdown against outlaws in Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of northern Balkh province, provincial police spokesman Mohammad Asif Waziri said on Wednesday.

“Units of police launched an operation against the hideout of a kidnapping gang in Khwaja Khairan locality, Police District 7 of Mazar-i-sharif city Wednesday morning, killing eight and discovered arms and ammunitions including three assault rifles, two pistols and three cars from the site of the operation,” Waziri told Xinhua news agency.

Two police personnel had been injured during the fire exchange with the gang, the official added.

In similar operations, the police arrested 10 people on the charge of involvement in criminal activities in Balkh province some two weeks ago.

The Afghan caretaker government has vowed to crack down on criminal elements in Afghanistan to ensure law and order in the war-torn country.

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Afghanistan India News

India to send 20,000 MTs wheat for Afghan people

A joint statement was adopted and it was agreed to continue consultations in this format on a regular basis…reports Asian Lite News

India in partnership with the United Nations World Food Programme will send 20,000 metric tonnes of wheat for Afghan people through the Chabahar Port in order to address the humanitarian crisis in the country.

India on Tuesday, while hosting the first India-Central Asia Joint Working Group on Afghanistan, upon the requests by United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Central Asian Republics, offered customized capacity-building courses for their relevant stakeholders/officials. Moreover, India and the UNODC also agreed to partner in the efforts to counter drug trafficking, including the efforts for rehabilitation of the Afghan drug user population, especially the Afghan women and providing assistance in the development of alternate livelihood opportunities.

The Joint Working Group (JWG) meeting was an opportunity for the regional countries to discuss important issues related to Afghanistan. The discussions were constructive and guided by the interests and welfare of common Afghans.

It was attended by the Special Envoys/Senior Officials of the Republic of India, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan. Country representatives of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) and the United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP) also participated in the meeting.

The participants during the meeting, exchanged views on the current situation, including the political, security and humanitarian situation in Afghanistan. The participants emphasized the importance of the formation of a truly inclusive and representative political structure that respects the rights of all Afghans and ensures equal rights for women, girls and members of minority groups, including access to education.

A joint statement was adopted and it was agreed to continue consultations in this format on a regular basis.

Tolo News recently reported that as Afghanistan continues to face the worst humanitarian crisis amid ongoing political chaos, the United Nations (UN) warned that two-thirds of Afghans are facing severe hunger and are in urgent need of aid, with six million facing the risk of famine.

With at least six million people facing the risk of famine in Afghanistan due to a reeling economic crisis, the deputy executive director of UNICEF, Omar Abid urged the international community not to forget the basic rights of women and children in Afghanistan, as well as to assist them.

The current population of Afghanistan is 41,201,762 as of Monday, February 6, 2023, based on Worldometer elaboration of the latest United Nations data.

This comes as Afghanistan’s most vulnerable citizens have requested assistance from relief agencies. (ANI)

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‘Afghan withdrawal a dark chapter for Britain’

Taliban members inspect the site of a roadside bomb blast in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Jan. 16, 2022. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua/IANS)

The department estimates there are around 300 eligible Afghans plus their families whom it is still trying to locate to bring back to the UK…reports Asian Lite News

The UK’s withdrawal from Afghanistan was “a dark chapter” for the UK, senior Conservative Tobias Ellwood has said.

The Defence Committee, led by Mr Ellwood, is urging the government to hold an “honest” inquiry into the UK’s departure from Afghanistan, which led to the return of the Taliban to power.

The MPs’ report warns the country is again becoming a haven for terrorists.

They also say thousands of people eligible for evacuation to the UK are still living at risk in Afghanistan.

Responding to the report, the government said it worked “tirelessly to safely evacuate as many people out of Afghanistan as possible”.

The Ministry of Defence spokesperson added: “We owe a debt of gratitude to Afghan citizens who worked for, or with, the UK armed forces in Afghanistan and to date we have relocated over 12,100 individuals under the scheme.”

The department estimates there are around 300 eligible Afghans plus their families whom it is still trying to locate to bring back to the UK.

It added it would respond fully to the MPs’ report in due course.

In 2001, following the 9/11 attacks, US-led troops – including British forces – invaded Afghanistan and ousted the Taliban government.

Twenty years later, America and its allies pulled out of the country leading to the sudden collapse of the Western-backed Afghan government and the resurgence of the Taliban.

Britain’s 20-year military presence in Afghanistan cost nearly £30bn and the lives of 457 British military personnel.

Ellwood, chair of the House of Commons Defence Committee, describes the UK’s withdrawal from Afghanistan in the summer of 2021 as “a dark chapter in UK military history” – not just for the troops who served there, but also for those Afghans who helped them.

His committee’s 30-page report argues the speed at which the Afghan government fell was “a greater surprise to the military establishment than it might have been”.

The report calls for an “open, honest and detailed review” of the decisions made by the UK during its time in Afghanistan.

While the MPs praise the evacuation effort in 2021 – which saw 15,000 people bought to the UK – they also say the plans should have been better prepared.

They argue a lack of effective co-operation has led to “real and painful human consequences for those who reasonably expected to be evacuated but were not”.

Several thousand Afghans eligible for relocation are still stranded and should be flown back to the UK for their own safety, the MPs say.

Ellwood welcomed funding for veterans and praised British troops who served in Afghanistan. “The bravery of those on the ground was never in doubt,” he said.

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Trudeau govt urged to bring Afghan women MPs to Canada

The statement further added that women and girls are not safe in Afghanistan, especially not these courageous female MPs who paved the road for Afghan women under the previous administration…reports Asian Lite News

After former Afghan parliamentarian Mursal Nabizada was shot dead in Kabul on Sunday, a group of Canadian Members of Parliament called for immediate action to bring back eight Afghan women MPs who are left behind in complete desperation in Kabul as the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan under Taliban rule have made the lives of people miserable, Khaama Press reported.

Mursal Nabizada, a former Afghan MP, and her bodyguard were shot and killed in her house in the centre of Kabul, according to Kabul Police on Sunday. One of the few MPs who remained in Kabul when the Taliban retook power was Nabizada. The investigation regarding the killing of Nabizada is underway.

In a joint statement, six Canadian MPs stated that they had been working on bringing the eight remaining Afghan women MPs to Canada for more than a year, according to Khaama Press.

The statement further added that women and girls are not safe in Afghanistan, especially not these courageous female MPs who paved the road for Afghan women under the previous administration.

“We urge the Canadian government to act on this matter urgently and take immediate actions to assist in getting these women to safety,” the statement read.

Moreover, Afghan women Members of Parliament from the previous government who remained in Kabul after the Taliban seized power in August 2021, now face immediate threats, Khaama Press reported.

Under the Taliban’s rule, Afghans’ quality of life has drastically worsened, especially for women and girls. Women are increasingly prohibited from engaging in public spaces, sports, jobs, and education as time goes on.

Since 15 August 2021, the de facto authorities have barred girls from attending secondary school, restricted women and girls’ freedom of movement, excluded women from most areas of the workforce and banned women from using parks, gyms and public bath houses.

These restrictions culminate with the confinement of Afghan women and girls to the four walls of their homes.

According to a UNICEF report released in August, the fact that girls in Afghanistan are deprived of secondary education has cost the country’s economy at least USD 500 million over the past 12 months, which amounts to 2.5 per cent of GDP. (ANI)

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-Top News Afghanistan

Afghan, Iran women struggle strengthening democracy

Fighting against the most oppressive regime in the contemporary world, Afghan women now amplify their voices and wishes for freedom in the new movement in Iran…reports Raha Azadeh

Since the collapse of the Islamic Republic women have been erased from the political and social spheres. However, women have been constantly demanding their rights through protests on the streets, rallies, and social media campaigns. Nowadays they are trying hard to change their circumstances and to shape the future of their country and the next generation.

From the women’s rally in Herat a few days after its fall on August 12, 2021, chanting “don’t be afraid, we are all together,” to “food, work, freedom,” in Kabul, women demanded their rights and the protection of their advances they had achieved over two decades of tireless work. Observing misogynous measures and forceful implementation of oppressive policies against women, such as covering their faces, banning them from walking in public parks, and traveling without a male accompanying/a male family member, Mahram, women have come up with numerous methods of protesting. They have been standing for their rights alone and without a single Afghan man accompanying them.

The rise of militant misogynist conservatism in the name of religion and culture in Afghanistan, where gendered contestations have recreated a crucial role in defining people’s national, cultural, and social identities, is constituting another gender apartheid regime. Under the Taliban regime, women are facing the same sexist and discriminatory rules as they did in 1990s. The transition from a “gender apartheid system” to a non-sexist constitution and public laws, which focuses on values like equality, human dignity, and advancing human rights and freedom, seems impossible in a patriarchal world, especially in Afghanistan.

Still Afghan women are demanding their rights and taking their issues to the streets. Soon in their neighboring country, Iran, another movement with a shared goal and slogan, “women, life, freedom,” began to spread across the country in 2022 after the young Mahsa Amini died as the result of being brutally beaten by Iran’s morality police, who enforces the country’s compulsory hijab law. Fighting against the most oppressive regime in the contemporary world, Afghan women now amplify their voices and wishes for freedom in the new movement in Iran.

Campaigns in Iran and Afghanistan inspire each other

The two movements share several characteristics and challenges: First and foremost, both Afghan and Iranian women’s movements stand against oppressive regimes. The Iranian and the Taliban regime’s responses to women’s protests have been ferocious, while the protesters have displayed extraordinary courage in their peaceful demonstrations. Women in Iran and Afghanistan have inspired one another in their struggle for emancipation. Women in both countries face extreme gender inequality in various fields due to male dominance, the intertwining of religion and culture, and the existence of cultural and religious patriarchal that constructs the power of resistance to equal rights. The Iranian regime and the Taliban, through their harsh interpretation of the hijab, the veil, as a religious symbol and its connections with notions of shame, honor, and identity, use the veil as an indicator of solid convictions regarding gender relations or a sign of religious devotion. This is just one manifestation of how women in Afghanistan and Iran face fundamentalist interpretations of Sharia.

The Afghan and Iranian women’s rights campaigns are a substantial inducement to one another. The Iranian protest movement is a true demonstration of the critical role that men can play in standing in solidarity with women and the popularity of the movement. Similarly, the Afghan women’s movement depicts that women can resist misogynistic male rulers with or without global attention and support. Even though not widespread, the Afghan women’s campaign has prevented a regime without respect for human rights from being recognized worldwide. They show that there is strength in women’s campaigns, even in a small crowd. Afghan women’s non-violent resistance provides an example of taking fearless and bold steps toward breaking gender apartheid and moving on the complex path to a non-sexist constitution, something the western power regards as impossible.

The Afghan and Iran societies are tight not only by culture and religion but by the oppression they experience in their daily lives and the challenges they face in the quest for freedom. The tragic death of Mahsa Amini, followed by widespread protests, connected women of two communities against all forms of oppression and teamed them together over a shared goal, eliminating gender-based violence and women’s rights to freedom.

Western powers must put the demand for gender equality into practice

Afghan and Iranian women have struggled for equality and against oppression for centuries, a battle that can be won if supported. At least in Iran, the women’s movement is assembled of women and men who fight and sacrifice daily to achieve gender equality and help women to  enjoy the freedom they deserve. It is time for Western governments to apply a feminist lens in their relations with Iran and Afghanistan. With Iran’s and the Taliban’s discriminatory record on women’s human rights and freedom, the Western governments’ policy toward Tehran and Kabul must be gender aware. The Western powers need to show a more substantial interest in bringing their important invention for promoting gender equality into action, in terms of feminist foreign policy.

The Western countries can also support the women’s movements in Afghanistan and Iran by working with and strengthening the work of the civil society in the two countries. Civil society has long been the driver of social change in Afghanistan and Iran. The West can sustain civil society activists in Afghanistan and Iran to heighten their tactics to resist authoritarian constraints. Usually, civil society enjoys popular support due to its closeness to the people. Thus, they can link the broader public to social movements. This is particularly needed for the women’s movement in Afghanistan, as civil society can make its resources available for women. Many NGOs and civil society organizations have perished after the collapse of the Islamic Republic in Afghanistan and in the last four decades in Iran because they were considered radical by the government, but those still functioning should be supported.

In Afghanistan and Iran women demonstrate that women must prevail, when the loss of freedom is mounting and women’s human rights are facing backlashes. Afghan and Iranian women’s struggle for gender equality contribute to the strengthening of democracy and democratic values as well as to international peace. Thus, supporting women’s movements is supporting human rights and freedom.

ALSO READ-EU condemns Taliban over further curbs on Afghan women

READ MORE-Afghan women face social, economic deprivation under Taliban

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Germany launches new program to help at-risk Afghans

She acknowledged that it would be a “mammoth task” to implement the program, including safely getting applicants from Afghanistan to Germany…reports Asian Lite News

The German government said Monday that it is launching a new program to help to bring about 1,000 people who are at risk of persecution in Afghanistan to Germany each month.

The program is part of an agreement between the three governing parties. It provides a formal structure for the way German authorities were already handling applications from Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover last year.

Officials said the program is aimed at Afghan citizens who are at risk because of their work for women’s and human rights. Also eligible are journalists, scientists, political activists, judges educators and those persecuted for their gender, sexual orientation or religion.

Germany has given refuge to about 26,000 people from Afghanistan since August 2021. Many of those had previously worked for the German military or police during their deployment in Afghanistan.

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the new humanitarian relocation program is intended to give those persecuted by the Taliban “a bit of home and the chance of a free, self-determined and secure life.”

She acknowledged that it would be a “mammoth task” to implement the program, including safely getting applicants from Afghanistan to Germany.

“But we won’t let up,” she said.

Applicants will need to be nominated for the program by civil society groups approved by the German government.

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UK govt under fire over treatment of Afghan refugees

McColl described the UK’s evacuation of Afghans as “random,” and at times prioritizing animals over people…reports Asian Lite News

The government is facing criticism over its failure to safeguard Afghan refugees who worked with coalition forces during the war in Afghanistan, The Guardian reported on Monday.

About 6,200 people along with their families are eligible for relocation under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP).

The ARAP scheme has brought more than 10,000 Afghans to the UK, and the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) will allow up to 20,000 to settle in the country.

However, as Western allies mark the one-year anniversary of NATO’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, the government faces accusations of abandoning many Afghans to persecution at the hands of Taliban.

Ret. Gen. Sir John McColl, who served as first head of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, told BBC Radio 4’s “World at One” that Defense Secretary Ben Wallace and other ministers should “hang their heads in shame.”

McColl described the UK’s evacuation of Afghans as “random,” and at times prioritizing animals over people.

“The system was broken when we withdrew from Kabul last year and it remains broken. It was a source of shame then and it continues to be a source of shame,” McColl said.

Those eligible for ARAP include people still in Afghanistan and those who have fled, most often to Pakistan, but also Iran, where strained relations between London and Tehran have hindered the scheme’s ability to assist people.

Earlier this month, nine expert groups on Afghanistan criticized the government’s resettlement schemes as “unjustifiably restrictive.”

They also expressed deep concern over the government’s failure to provide a safe route for Afghan women, girls and oppressed minority groups.

According to sources at the Ministry of Defense, about 1,050 people evacuated out of Afghanistan under ARAP are living in hotels in Pakistan while awaiting processing and transportation to the UK or another destination.

However, the ministry expressed frustration that many Afghans who are brought to the UK end up, as one highly placed source put it, “stuck in hotels.”

The ministry source attributed this to the government’s failure to put adequate plans in place.

With only 7,000 Afghans having been rehoused, the UK government is still providing hotel accommodation to 9,500 people who sought refuge in the UK, The Guardian reported.

The news outlet also said that thousands of Afghan refugees were told by the Home Office to search for housing on the websites Rightmove and Zoopla.

A Home Office spokesperson said that the UK intends to welcome up to 20,000 people in need via ACRS.

“Already we are proud this country has provided homes for more than 7,000 Afghan evacuees, but there is a shortage of local housing accommodation for all,” they said.

“While hotels do not provide a long-term solution, they do offer safe, secure and clean accommodation. We will continue to bring down the number of people in bridging hotels, moving people into more sustainable accommodation as quickly as possible.”

The Home Office has said that local authorities will receive £20,520 per person over a three-year period to support the resettlement of Afghan families, with flexibility to use the funds in various ways.

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