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Acting minister warns of ‘disaster’ if public fails to wear masks
Waheed Majroh, the acting minister of public health, said on Thursday that Afghanistan will face a disaster soon if people don’t pay attention to health protocols relating to COVID-19.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday in Kabul, Majroh said that people must wear masks.
“We will face a disaster soon if people don’t pay attention to health advice by the Ministry of Public Health,” Majroh said adding that: “Creating health centers and beds is not the solution” to fight COVID19.
Majroh also said the ministry is trying to address the oxygen shortage problem in Kabul and Mazar-e-Sharif.
“We are faced with a lack of oxygen, and we are trying to resolve the situation and supply oxygen (to hospitals) in Kabul and Mazar.”
Majroh once again urged people to wear masks and avoid leaving home unnecessarily.
“People must wear masks and people should stay at home for two weeks, especially those who don’t need to go out for urgent work.” Majroh said.
This comes after a number of Kabul residents told Ariana News on Wednesday that some private hospitals are turning patients with COVID-19 away due to a shortage of oxygen.
According to the residents, the price of an oxygen cylinder has also recently increased from 600 AFN to 3,000 AFN in Kabul.
Oxygen production companies meanwhile say that power outages in Kabul have slowed the production of oxygen since Tuesday night.
The US Embassy in Kabul meanwhile issued a statement Thursday stating that its citizens have reported being denied admittance to hospitals due to a lack of space.
According to the embassy, hospitals are reporting shortages of supplies, oxygen, and beds for both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 related patients.
In addition to this, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Level 4 Travel Health Notice and the Department of State has issued a Level 4 Travel Advisory advising against all travel to Kabul due to COVID-19, crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, and armed conflict.
While commercial flight options from Hamid Karzai International Airport (HKIA) in Kabul remain available, the US Embassy has strongly advised that US citizens make plans to leave Afghanistan as soon as possible.
Given the security conditions and reduced staffing, the Embassy’s ability to assist US citizens in Afghanistan is extremely limited, the embassy stated.
Pakistan says communities living along the Afghanistan-Pakistan Durand Line want peace and stability, despite ongoing security concerns in the region.
Speaking during a weekly media briefing, Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said there are no major issues between the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan, adding that residents on both sides of the Durand Line want peaceful relations and greater regional stability.
However, Andrabi claimed that terrorism originating from Afghan territory continues to undermine peace efforts.
He said Islamabad believes militant activity crossing from Afghanistan remains a significant obstacle to improving regional security and bilateral ties.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has repeatedly rejected such allegations, maintaining that no militant group is allowed to use Afghan soil to threaten neighboring countries.
Andrabi also said Pakistan remains diplomatically engaged on regional matters involving Afghanistan, Iran, India, and Somalia, stressing that dialogue and diplomacy remain Islamabad’s preferred means of resolving disputes.
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Afghanistan-Gambia ties discussed during Doha meeting
Both sides also exchanged views on strengthening diplomatic engagement and exploring future economic cooperation.
Suhail Shaheen, head of the Islamic Emirate’s embassy in Doha, has met with Omar Jah, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of The Gambia to Qatar, to discuss bilateral relations and areas of mutual interest.
According to a statement from the Afghan embassy in Doha, Jah also oversees Gambian diplomatic affairs related to Afghanistan.
The meeting focused on Afghanistan-Gambia relations, the current security situation in Afghanistan, and potential investment opportunities in the country.
Both sides also exchanged views on strengthening diplomatic engagement and exploring future economic cooperation.
Mahmood Khan Achakzai, a member of Pakistan’s National Assembly and head of the Pakhtunkhwa Awami National Party, has said that if capable statesmen had been in power, people living on both sides of the Durand Line could have moved freely across the line.
Speaking during a podcast interview, Achakzai said that countries with histories of major conflict, including Russia, Germany and the United Kingdom, now maintain far more open borders despite past wars. He said that in many such regions, only a “paper line” remains, with limited border restrictions.
Drawing comparisons with the disputed Durand Line boundary between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Achakzai argued that a similar arrangement could have been possible in South Asia.
“What is the problem here? A Punjabi could dance in Kandahar and a Pashtun could come here. Even if we are not formally one country, we could have effectively functioned like one,” he said.
The Pakistani politician also referred to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the later U.S.-led intervention, saying Afghanistan has the right to seek war reparations from those countries to support reconstruction efforts.
Achakzai further criticised the treatment of Pashtuns in Pakistan, alleging that individuals in cities including Lahore and Karachi have faced detention and deportation.
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