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‘No proxy war should be fought on Afghan soil by foreign nations’

Hussain said the solution for the stability of Afghanistan is regional and not to be determined by the West…reports Asian Lite News

Pakistani Senator Mushahid Hussain has said that past mistakes in the context of Afghanistan should not be repeated and no proxy war should be fought on Afghan soil by foreign countries.

Hussain, a Senator from the Islamabad Capital Territory, made the remarks at an international conference in Dushanbe hosted by the Council for Strategic Affairs, Indian Institute of Management Rohtak.

He said the solution for the stability of Afghanistan is regional and not to be determined by the West.

“Further, we must realise that Economic development, tackling unemployment and inclusive growth is the antidote for radicalisation and this needs to be implemented in Afghanistan.

“Regional infrastructure and connectivity initiatives such as Iran-Pakistan-India oil pipeline, belt-road initiatives etc. are welcome. We need to revive the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India economic corridor as well for the economic interests of these countries particularly Afghanistan,” he added.

The conference, which focused on the topic “Framework of engagement: Afghanistan in focus of Central and South Asian nations”, was attended by representatives from all Central Asian nations, along with India and Russia. The countries came together to discuss finding innovative methods of engagement in conflict situations.

ALSO READ: Iran renews call for inclusive govt in Afghanistan

Saidov Saidovich, Professor of the Department of International Relations and Diplomacy of the Russian-Tajik (Slavonic) University, said that drug trafficking is a major reason for destabilising Afghanistan.

Revenues from drug trafficking are supporting the Taliban regime even while they have a limited acceptance in Afghanistan, he said, adding that India and Russia are the most important countries that can help stabilise the Afghan situation.

In his remarks, Prof Abdul Ghani said that the old Silk Route must be revived with the support of India through Iran. Railroads should also be developed to have greater trade relations between Central Asia and India through Iran.

Ruslan Kazkenov, Chairman of the Civic Peace Association, said that they are looking forward towards cooperation with India to get peace.

Referring to his recent visit to Afghanistan, he added that he was approached by the representatives of the Taliban government, who sought his help for providing humanitarian assistance to the people of the war-torn nation.

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Afghanistan Arab News News

Afghan Ambassador to US steps down

Afghan Ambassador to US steps down

The Afghanistan embassies in Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Italy, Poland and Iran are said to be facing similar economic challenges…reports Asian Lite News

Adela Raz, the Afghan Ambassador to the US, has stepped down from her post, a senior official at the mission said, calling the new restrictions imposed by the US Department of State on the Embassy as the reason for her resignation.

Afghan Deputy Ambassador Abdul Hadi Nijrabi told TOLO News on Friday that the US State Department had decided to stop political and diplomatic activities of Afghanistan in the US.

He said the State Department in a letter to the Afghanistan embassy in Washington demanded the diplomatic activities be halted.

“The letter sent by the US State Department to the embassy said only the ambassador is allowed to continue work from home, but not on political and diplomatic activities. The rest of the diplomats cannot work anymore,” he said.

Raz is the third senior Afghan diplomat who stepped down from her position within the past six months, TOLO News reported.

Previously, the Afghan Ambassadors in China and Turkmenistan resigned from their positions.

With the Taliban taking over the country last August, the Afghanistan diplomatic missions have been facing economic problems.

Officials at the Afghanistan embassy in Washington said that the financial system of the mission has been suspended by a bank for over four months.

ALSO READ: ‘Int’l aid alone will not save Afghanistan’

“It has been over four months that the salaries of the Afghanistan embassy’s (staffs) have been suspended. All diplomats are facing problems,” TOLO News quoted Safi Delawar, who worked as an adviser for the Afghanistan embassy in Washington, as saying.

The Afghanistan embassies in Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Italy, Poland and Iran are said to be facing similar economic challenges.

The Taliban-led government’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) however, has welcomed the closure of those embassies which are not in contact with the incumbent regime.

“The Afghanistan diplomatic missions being closed in many countries is a good act because they don’t cooperate with the current government and are trying to misuse their authority,” said an official from the Ministry.

Afghan Ambassador to US steps down

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-Top News UK News

UK govt cuts free medication, toiletries for Afghan asylum seekers

Faiz Mohammad Seddeqi, 30, a former guard at the British Embassy in Kabul, is one such evacuee from Afghanistan and has been staying at one of the hotels for almost six months…reports Asian Lite News

Asylum seekers in Britain being housed in hotels have been told by the UK Home Office to pay for non-basic toiletries themselves, a letter has revealed.

People fleeing the Taliban, some of whom worked for the British military or authorities, say the latest move from the British government shows that it “does not care” about them anymore.

It was revealed that the Home Office is spending £4.7 million ($6.36 million) per day housing asylum seekers in hotels and providing for them — an estimated £127 per person.

Faiz Mohammad Seddeqi, 30, a former guard at the British Embassy in Kabul, is one such evacuee from Afghanistan and has been staying at one of the hotels for almost six months.

He was evacuated with his wife and son during the Taliban’s swift takeover of Afghanistan in August last year.

“When we see this kind of reaction and decision from the Home Office, it means ‘from onward we don’t care about you and we are not concerned about you — you need to manage everything by yourself,’” he said.

He said that the hotel in Watford where he and his family are staying is “not very clean” and that the food they are given is “not good.”

The letter he received, addressed from the Afghanistan Resettlement Arrivals Project at the Home Office, reads: “Until now, in addition to your Universal Credit payments and the accommodation and meals provided in the bridging hotels, we have also provided some additional items.

“I am writing to inform you that from Feb. 11 we will no longer provide those additional items and you will need to purchase these for yourself using your Universal Credit payments.”

According to the letter, asylum seekers will still receive “main meals,” including “baby food and baby milk,” but will no longer receive “complimentary snacks, toiletries (aside from basic toiletries) or over-the-counter medication.”

The letter added: “You will need to pay your own transport or taxi fares to appointments,” referencing the Home Office’s desire for those being resettled to find work.

“All hotel residents continue to receive fully furnished accommodation, including a choice of three meals a day, constant access to drinking water, basic toiletries and their utility costs are covered,” a Home Office spokesperson said.

Some 25,000 asylum seekers and 12,000 Afghan refugees are now staying in hotels in the UK, the Home Office told the Home Affairs Committee this week.

At the session, MPs were told that the UK government was “optimistic” that it can find a revised way of working with councils on managing costs.

Meanwhile, Home Secretary Priti Patel said that the current policy toward housing the evacuees was “thoroughly inadequate,” adding: “We do not want people in hotels.”

She said that the government and local authorities were “absolutely struggling” to move Afghan refugees into more suitable, permanent accommodation because the infrastructure to do so is “insufficient.”

ALSO READ-Sunak admits attending controversial lockdown party

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Afghanistan Arab News Woman

Afghan women activists submit demands to Taliban in Oslo

Afghan women’s rights activists have submitted a paper to the Taliban delegation visiting Norway demanding rights…reports Asian Lite News


Hoda Khamosh, one of the women’s rights representatives at the meeting, called for the release of two female activists who disappeared last week, reported Tolo News.

Another Afghan activist Mahbouba Seraj, who attended the meeting, said the Islamic Emirate should fulfill whatever they promise at the meeting.

“If they continue this way, to tell us something and do something else, that’s when the trust is going to break, completely. When the trust breaks completely, they should remember what happened to the ex-government of Afghanistan. We lost trust with them too. The people of Afghanistan could not find themselves in that government either,” said Mahbouba Seraj.



“Yes, they were listening. I should say that. They really were listening. We gave them a paper. We asked them what we wanted. They took it. They were very, very cordial about it,” she said.

“The representatives of the international community spoke their own concerns over human rights and the rights of women and stressed that the Taliban need to build trust,” said Nazifa Jalali after attending the meeting.

At the same time, Amir Khan Muttaqi said, “We will try and ask about the incident (in which women activists were allegedly arrested by the Taliban). It is not possible in a government that has 40 million citizens that no one gets arrested and jailed and that we can not protect people from harm. It is possible, it is a government, some people are jailed, some people get released. It is not an abnormal action … that only exists in Afghanistan,” said Amir Khan Muttaqi.

Recently, the UN and the Human Rights Watch (HRW) have demanded the immediate launch of an inquiry into the disappearance of two Afghan activists, who were reportedly abducted from their homes, the media reported.

In a statement on Sunday, the UN Assistant Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) expressed grave concerns over the “disappearance of two Afghan women activists, Tamana Zaryabi Paryani and Parawana Ibrahimkhel, reportedly abducted from their homes overnight on Wednesday (January 19)”, reports TOLO News.

“We urge the Taliban to provide information on their whereabouts and to protect rights of all Afghans,” the UNAMA said.

Paryani and Ibrahimkhel had staged demonstrations in support of women’s rights in Kabul.

“We are deeply concerned about the whereabouts of the two protesters who were arrested on Wednesday night. It has been four days now that they have been missing and there is no information. The Taliban have denied that they have taken these women, but they also haven’t indicated that they have any knowledge of their whereabouts or any plan to try to locate them,” said Heather Barr, Associate women’s rights director of the HRW.

Meanwhile, some women’s rights activists staged gatherings in the capital Kabul and central province of Bamiyan, where they called for the release of Paryani and Ibrahimkhel.

ALSO READ: Afghan girls will be back in schools by March: Taliban

“We are not aware of the location of the women who have been detained despite five days passing. Why is everyone silent … at least inform us about their health condition,” said a participant.

“We call on the UN to hear the voice of Afghan women, especially the voice of female protesters, because protesting is the right of every citizen. The protestors must not be suppressed,” said Waheeda Amiri, a women’s rights activist.

However, the Taliban government have denied the alleged arrests of these two activists, saying that it has started an investigation into the case.

“The investigation is underway to find out the truth, but we haven’t found any clues about them. Efforts are underway,” TOLO News quoted Bilal Karimi, a deputy spokesman, as saying.

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Afghanistan Arab News News

Taliban returning to its old ways, says think-tank

Taliban returning to its old ways, says think-tank

Taliban has jailed a popular professor at Kabul University for criticizing the outfit, shot at women opposing restrictions on their rights, and publicly given Afghan males haircuts for the New Year, reported a Canada-based Thinktank, International Forum for Rights and Security (IFFRAS)…reports Asian Lite News

The recent arrest of a prominent Afghan University professor and outspoken critic in Kabul, Faizullah Jalal, a professor of law and political science at Kabul University, is yet another example of Taliban’s return to old ways.

Jalal, since the Taliban took over, has made multiple appearances on television talk shows, blaming the Taliban for the increasing financial crisis and criticizing them for ruling by force.

In one television interview, Jalal referred to Taliban spokesman Mohammad Naeem as a “calf,” a derogatory term in Afghanistan.

This infuriated Taliban, which followed his arrest. According to the Taliban, Jalal is “trying to instigate people against the system and was playing with the dignity of the people”.

(Photo IndiaNarrative)

The Taliban also said that they have arrested the professor so that others do not make similar senseless comments.

Jalal’s wife Massouda, who had run against former President Hamid Karzai in 2004 as Afghanistan’s first woman candidate for the presidency, recently posted on Facebook that her husband had been arrested by Taliban forces and detained in an unknown location.

“Dr. Jalal has fought and spoken out for justice and the national interest in all his activities pertaining to human rights,” she said.

Over 30,000 students in Kunduz have been deprived of schooling because their classrooms happen to be in a conflict zone between the former Security Forces of Afghanistan and the Taliban, the Thinktank said.

The international community is making efforts to provide aid and assistance to the Afghans in the strife-torn country however United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) High Commissioner Filippo Grandi declared that the Taliban must keep some promises if their financial resources are to be unfrozen.

According to International Forum for Rights and Security (IFFRAS), this is possibly the strongest statement yet from a UN institution that the Taliban must change their methods. However, it is not clear if the Taliban is in any mood to change colours.

Earlier, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said that the Taliban must allow Afghan women and girls to attend schools and minorities must be represented in the government, reported TOLO News.

He also stated, “it is important to maintain that dialogue with the Taliban because all these systems will be temporary in nature, and how to ensure that Afghanistan is viable, is a viable country able to support its people, I think it will only be achieved through dialogue between the international community and the Taliban themselves,”, reported the Thinktank.

ALSO READ: Taliban under fire over missing Afghan activists

With all the messaging going on Taliban will have to mend its ways if it does not want to face any sanctions by the international community.

Following the Taliban’s takeover in mid-August, the US froze nearly $10 billion in assets and imposed sanctions on Afghanistan.

The suspension of foreign aid has had a significant negative impact on the Afghan economy and people’s livelihoods. Women and children are disproportionately affected.

The international community wants to provide aid to the country but Taliban, on the other hand, still seems to be resorting to its old ways. (ANI)

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Afghanistan News World

IOM raises alarm over millions of displaced Afghans

IOM raises alarm over millions of displaced Afghans

The Ministry said that it has launched a nationwide distribution of aid to the displaced people…reports Asian Lite News

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has expressed serious concerns over the massive number of displaced people in Afghanistan, saying that there were “664,000 newly displaced by the conflict in 2021” and the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

In a statement, the UN agency said: “There are now an estimated 5.5 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) in Afghanistan, including those living in protracted situations, and 664,000 newly displaced by conflict in 2021.

“This is in addition to more than 924,744 undocumented Afghan returnees who returned from Iran and Pakistan between January 1, 2021 and the end of September 2021, and the more than 2.2. million refugees and 3.5 million undocumented Afghan nationals already in neighboring countries, primarily Iran and Pakistan.”

Afghanistan is going through a severe humanitarian crisis, and many world countries and humanitarian organisations have voiced their concerns but there has yet to be a substantial amount of aid provided, reports TOLO News.

Narmi, a mother of five children and one of hundreds of thousands of displaced Afghans who are struggling with difficult conditions, said: “Life is passing. The government didn’t help me. We don’t have food at home.”

ALSO READ: Concern raised over millions of displaced Afghans

“We have left our homes due to war and poverty. I am working to find food,” Mohammad Afzal, another displaced person, told TOLO News.

Meanwhile, the Taliban-led government’s Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation said it has been trying to gain more humanitarian assistance from international donors to support the displaced people.

The Ministry said that it has launched a nationwide distribution of aid to the displaced people.

However, a former media officer for a UN office in Afghanistan said: “We are in a condition that both the international organisations and the Afghan government are incapable of solving.”

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Afghanistan News World

Putin Monitors Afghan-Tajik border row

Putin Monitors Afghan-Tajik border row

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the situation on the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border is a cause for concern…reports Asian Lite News

Putin voiced his concern at a meeting with his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rahmon in the Russian port city of Saint Petersburg on Monday.

“The situation on the border with Afghanistan now causes some alarm and concern,” Putin was quoted as saying by a Russian media outlet.

Putin Monitors Afghan-Tajik border row

The Russian leader told his Tajik counterpart that Russia and Tajikistan were developing cooperation on dealing with security issues.

He added some weapons and equipment had been provided to help Tajikistan’s armed forces efficiently counter threats emanating from outside, the report said.

ALSO READ: Putin warns tit for tat against aggressive West policy

Moscow has been trying to fortify its military base in Tajikistan with weapons and other equipment.

On his part, Rahmon said that the two countries closely cooperate in the field of security, and he was ready to discuss international and regional issues, particularly the Afghan problem, with Putin.

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Afghanistan Arab News News

Hundreds of Afghans stranded at Iran border

Hundreds of Afghans stranded at Iran border

Hundreds of Afghan nationals trying to enter Iran have become stranded after Tehran closed its borders due to the outbreak of the new Omicron Covid-19 variant…reports Asian Lite News

The Afghan civilians are currently stranded at the Islam Qala port in the border province of Herat, TOLO News reported.

“We have visas, but they still don’t allow us across. They (Iranian border forces) treat us like illegal people. I am shaking because of the cold weather but I am still waiting for their positive response,” Shoib Omarzada, a resident of Kapisa province who came to Islam Qala to cross the border to Iran, told TOLO News on Monday.

Hundreds of Afghans stranded at Iran border

“There is no food and the weather is cold as well. We went to the border but Iran says it is closed. I have spent 30,000 Afs and I have waited four nights here,” said Juma Gul Rahmani, a resident of Herat province.

Meanwhile, Humayoun Hemat, the Deputy Commissioner of Islam Qala, said that Iran should admit those who have visas and spent money on travelling documents.

Officials of the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan said that they have discussed the issue with their Iranian counterparts, reports TOLO News.

ALSO READ: Afghans who helped Britain fight Taliban still stuck in Afghanistan

“The decision to close the border was not made by the Iran Consulate, it was made by the Foreign Ministry in Tehran in coordination with the country’s Health Ministry. We have talked to the Foreign Ministry (of Iran) to reopen the gate for the people who have reached the border,” said Sher Ahmad Mahajar, a local official of the Department of Foreign Relations in Herat.

Earlier in a statement, Iran’s Consulate in Herat said that based on the decision made by the government in Tehran, the borders with Afghanistan would be closed to prevent the spread of the virus.

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-Top News India News

At trilateral meet, India says Afghan territory must not be used by terror groups

However, the humanitarian gesture had hit a roadblock as Pakistan till Wednesday was non-committal on allowing the consignment to pass through its territory…reports Ateet Sharma

India told Russia and China today that Afghan territory must not be used for terror activities by Pakistan-based terrorist groups like Lashkar-e-Tayyiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad.

New Delhi’s expectations were put forward by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar when he chaired the 18th meeting of the Russia-India-China (RIC) trilateral framework which was also attended by Sergey Lavrov and Wang Yi, the foreign ministers of Russia and China, via videoconference on Friday.

“It is necessary for the RIC countries to coordinate respective approaches on the threats of terrorism, radicalization, drug trafficking etc,” said Jaishankar while reiterating India’s stand on having an inclusive and representative government in Afghanistan.

The minister told his two counterparts from Moscow and Beijing that, in line with India’s commitment to the well-being of Afghan people, New Delhi had offered supply of 50,000 metric tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan to address the drought situation in the country.

However, the humanitarian gesture had hit a roadblock as Pakistan till Wednesday was non-committal on allowing the consignment to pass through its territory.

“RIC countries need to work together to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches the Afghan people without hindrance and without politicization,” Jaishankar said today. He stressed that as a “contiguous neighbour and a “long-standing partner” of Afghanistan, India is concerned about the recent developments in that country, especially the suffering of the Afghan people.

All three ministers agreed that cooperation among the RIC countries will contribute not only to their own growth but also to global peace, security, stability and development.

Jaishankar, in his address, also reaffirmed India’s continued commitment to foster closer dialogue and cooperation among the three largest nations in the Eurasian region under the RIC mechanism.

“I believe that our cooperation in areas like trade, investment, healthcare, education, science & technology and politics etc could significantly contribute to global growth, peace and stability,” he said.

During Friday’s meeting, particular attention was also paid on overcoming the consequences of the pandemic of the new coronavirus infection.

“Covid-19 pandemic has alerted us to the need for more reliable global supply chains, especially in health. RIC countries must recognize vaccination certificates issued by each other. The world should avoid unreasonable and unscientific travel restrictions,” tweeted Jaishankar after the meeting.

In the joint statement released later, the three countries stressed the necessity of urgent elimination of UNSC proscribed terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda, ISIL and others for lasting peace in Afghanistan and the region.

Calling on the Taliban to take actions in accordance with the results of all the recently held international and regional formats of interaction on Afghanistan, they reaffirmed the importance of ensuring that the territory of Afghanistan should not be used to threaten or attack any other country.

The three ministers also expressed their determination to counter the spread of illicit drug trafficking in opiates and methamphetamine from Afghanistan and beyond, which poses a serious threat to regional security and stability and provides funding for terrorist organisations.

Russia said that the exchange of views that took place confirmed the similarity of the positions of the three countries with regard to strengthening the multilateral foundations of international cooperation, as well as approaches to solving pressing problems of our time.

“During the talks, which took place in a constructive atmosphere, key issues on the global and regional agenda were considered. A concurrent disposition was expressed to expand interaction within the framework of multilateral organizations and associations, primarily in the UN, G20, SCO, BRICS,” said the Russian Foreign Ministry.

ALSO READ-Afghanistan mustn’t be a threat: India

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Afghanistan Arab News World

Afghan Women Dare Taliban

The protesters said that the silence of the UN against the ongoing situation in Afghanistan is “shameful”…reports Asian Lite News

A number of women took to the streets of Kabul on Tuesday to protest against the closed schools for girls and accused the international community of being silent about what is going on in Afghanistan, Khaama Press reported.

The women who had gathered at the gates of UNAMA in Kabul said that the international community, human rights group, and the United Nations are completely indifferent to the restrictions imposed by the Taliban on Afghan women.

The protesters said that the silence of the UN against the ongoing situation in Afghanistan is “shameful”.

ALSO READ: Record 22.8 mn people in Afghanistan to face starvation

The women chanted “rights to education, rights to work, are the fundamental rights of women” and “history will be ashamed of the silence of the UN”.

In the meantime, the Afghan women wanted to get a chance to meet with the head of UNAMA Deborah Lyons to talk to her about women’s rights and to submit her letter in this regard, the report said.

In a parallel all-women demonstration in Kabul, women asked for the opening of schools for girls and said that their rights should not be violated.