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Indonesian delegation vows cooperation on healthcare, education during Kabul visit
An Indonesian delegation in a meeting with Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Kabul assured that Indonesia will cooperate with Afghanistan in the area of healthcare and will offer scholarships to students.
The delegation comprised Muhammad Yusuf Kalla, the Chairman of the Indonesian Red Crescent Society and Mosque Council, Hamid Awaludin, former minister of law and human rights, and Sudirman Said and former minister of energy and mineral resources.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement said that discussions focused on the expansionof bilateral relations between Afghanistan and Indonesia, encompassing political, economic, trade, and people-to-people aspects.
Muttaqi highlighted the shared religious and cultural respect between the two nations and expressed Afghanistan’s desire to strengthen and enhance relations with its friendly and brotherly country, Indonesia.
He noted that after 45 years of war, peace has finally been established in Afghanistan, creating favorable opportunities for trade and foreign investment in sectors such as energy, mining, agriculture, road construction, and industry.
He noted that Afghanistan’s relations with the international community are expanding, and it maintains positive ties with neighboring countries and the region, adding that Afghanistan is keen on expanding its relations with Southeast Asian countries.
Muttaqi went on to say that given its strategic location, Afghanistan has established facilities in the areas of trade, investment, and transit between Central and South Asia. Additionally, it is actively engaged in major regional economic projects, including the CASA-1000 energy project, TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) pipeline, and Trans-Afghan Railway Project, he said.
Muttaqi emphasized that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has successfully tackled threats posed by Daesh and drug trafficking, assuring all countries that Afghanistan is not a threat to any nation.
According to the statement, Kalla expressed a positive evaluation of Afghanistan’s political and security situation. He expressed Indonesia’s desire to expand relations with Afghanistan across various fields and pledged to provide accurate information about Afghanistan to the Indonesian government and people.
He stated that Indonesia hopes to cooperate with Afghanistan in the field of healthcare, and offering scholarships and fellowships to Afghan students.
Both sides emphasized the importance of expanding and strengthening relations between Afghanistan and Indonesia in political, economic, trade, cultural, and educational fields.
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Over 2.13 million Afghan refugees repatriated from Pakistan
Officials say over 150,000 individuals were returned from Punjab alone, where enforcement efforts are being led by the Punjab Home Department’s Foreign National Security Cell.
More than 2.13 million Afghan nationals have been repatriated from Pakistan to Afghanistan as part of an ongoing campaign targeting undocumented foreign residents, according to Pakistani authorities cited by local media.
Officials say over 150,000 individuals were returned from Punjab alone, where enforcement efforts are being led by the Punjab Home Department’s Foreign National Security Cell. The campaign includes inspections of thousands of residential areas and hundreds of markets, resulting in numerous detentions and legal cases against Afghan nationals found without valid documentation.
The repatriation process comes amid heightened tensions along key border crossings between the two countries. Hundreds of migrants have recently been sent back via the Chaman crossing, particularly during disruptions at other transit points.
The Torkham crossing—a major gateway for cross-border movement—has faced repeated closures. Although it briefly reopened, local officials in Nangarhar Province report that it was shut again after only a few hours. Authorities in Pakistan have not provided a clear explanation for the latest closure.
According to Sediqullah Quraishi, head of Nangarhar’s Information Department, the crossing was opened temporarily on Thursday before being closed again without official clarification.
Meanwhile, hundreds of Afghan migrants remain in temporary holding centers across Punjab, where they are undergoing registration and processing ahead of their return to Afghanistan. The large-scale repatriation effort continues to raise humanitarian and logistical concerns, particularly as border access remains unpredictable.
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Human Rights Watch calls Pakistani airstrike on Kabul rehab center ‘unlawful’
Patricia Gossman, senior associate Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said available evidence suggests the strike hit a well-known civilian medical facility.
Human Rights Watch has condemned a recent Pakistani airstrike on a rehabilitation facility in Kabul, calling it “unlawful” and warning it could amount to a war crime.
The strike, which reportedly took place on March 16, targeted the Omid Drug Rehabilitation Center, located within the former Camp Phoenix complex in eastern Kabul. According to international agencies, at least 143 people were killed and more than 250 others injured, most of them patients undergoing treatment.
Patricia Gossman, senior associate Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said available evidence suggests the strike hit a well-known civilian medical facility.
“The available evidence indicates that the Pakistani airstrike against a well-known Kabul medical facility killing dozens of patients was unlawful,” she said, adding that authorities must determine why the site was targeted and who should be held accountable.
An employee of the center told the organization that three buildings were struck, including a dining hall, a residential building housing hundreds of patients, and a guard post. At the time of the attack, more than 1,000 patients were reportedly at the facility, many gathered to break their fast during Ramadan.
Human Rights Watch said satellite imagery and visual evidence show extensive destruction across the compound, with multiple structures either destroyed or severely damaged. The organization added that it found no indication the facility was being used for military purposes.
Under international humanitarian law, medical facilities are afforded special protection. The group stressed that attacks failing to distinguish between civilian and military targets, or those causing disproportionate civilian harm, may constitute serious violations of the laws of war.
Human Rights Watch has called on Pakistan to carry out a prompt, impartial investigation and ensure accountability if violations are confirmed.
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Torkham crossing closes again hours after brief reopening
Officials say the reason for the sudden closure has not been clearly communicated by authorities in Pakistan.
The key border crossing at Torkham crossing has once again been shut down, just hours after it was temporarily reopened, according to local officials in Nangarhar province.
Sediqullah Quraishi, head of information at the provincial Department of Information and Culture, said that on Thursday the Pakistani side allowed the crossing to open briefly to Afghan migrants. However, the crossing was closed again shortly afterward, leaving many travelers stranded.
Officials say the reason for the sudden closure has not been clearly communicated by authorities in Pakistan.
The Torkham crossing serves as one of the most important transit points between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Its repeated closures have caused significant disruption, particularly for migrants, traders, and families who rely on cross-border movement.
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