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Engagement and diplomacy key to solving Afghanistan’s challenges, says Ratwatte
Indrika Ratwatte, Deputy UN Special Representative for Afghanistan, says the solution to Afghanistan’s problems is engagement and diplomatic dialogue.
In an exclusive interview with Ariana News, Ratwatte emphasized that the United Nations has never stated that the situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating.
“I believe engagement is the solution. In any situation where parties may have differing views, sitting at the table, putting the issues on the table, discussing them, and reaching a middle ground is key—a path that addresses the needs and expectations of all sides through a principled process of engagement,” said Ratwatte.
However, he added that Afghanistan still ranks second globally in terms of humanitarian needs, even though there is no active conflict in the country.
He shared data indicating that currently, 23 million people in Afghanistan are in need of humanitarian assistance. In his view, the global humanitarian landscape poses challenges to delivering aid to Afghanistan.
“When you look at the global humanitarian landscape and the major crises around the world, Afghanistan still ranks second in terms of humanitarian needs. First is Sudan, which clearly has an ongoing active conflict. Here in Afghanistan, there is no conflict, but the humanitarian needs remain widespread. For example, it appears that around 23 million people need some form of humanitarian aid,” he added.
Ratwatte also told Ariana News that the recent restrictions imposed by the Islamic Emirate on women attending health institutes pose a serious challenge, particularly given Afghanistan’s high maternal and infant mortality rates.
He added that UN officials have shared their concerns with the IEA about the future of Afghanistan without trained nurses and midwives.
“Afghanistan has one of the highest maternal and infant mortality rates. So, educating and supporting female healthcare workers is vital. This, I believe, is a major challenge. As we discussed with the authorities, the recent restriction on women attending health institutions was troubling,” Ratwatte stressed.
Meanwhile, he also stated that the return of Afghan refugees from Pakistan is a major concern for the United Nations.
According to him, since December 2023, more than 800,000 people have returned from Pakistan, and hundreds more have come back from Iran.
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Pezeshkian says Afghanistan, Pakistan helped Iran prevent infiltration into Iran
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said that Afghanistan and Pakistan cooperated with Tehran during the recent conflict to prevent individuals from using their territories to enter Iran and create unrest.
Speaking in a press conference on Saturday, Pezeshkian said Pakistan was cooperating with Iran “fully” while Afghanistan had also provided significant cooperation. He added that Turkmenistan, Russia and Iraq had helped Iran, while dialogue with Azerbaijan continued despite political differences.
Pezeshkian said regional cooperation had played an important role in helping Iran cope with the impact of the war and restrictions on the country.
The Iranian president also accused Iran’s adversaries of attempting to create insecurity along the country’s northwestern and southeastern borders, including plans to attack border posts and send armed individuals into Iran.
He said the plans were unsuccessful, partly because Iran responded to some of the efforts and because neighboring countries took measures to prevent individuals from using their territory to enter Iran.
Pezeshkian specifically highlighted the role of Afghanistan and Pakistan, saying both governments had deployed groups to monitor the situation along their territories.
According to the Iranian president, both countries had also made clear that no one would be permitted to use their soil to enter Iran and cause unrest inside the country.
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Ariana Airlines brings $2.3 million Boeing 737 engine from US to Kabul
The airline said the delivery represents an important step in strengthening its technical and operational capacity and supporting the continued operation of its fleet.
Ariana Afghan Airlines has brought a Boeing 737 aircraft engine from the United States to Kabul following continued efforts by the airline’s leadership to complete the shipment.
According to Ariana Afghan Airlines’ media office, the engine had been held up in the United States due to customs procedures. Following completion of the required process, the engine was cleared and transported to Kabul.
The engine was purchased from US-based Global Engine for $2.3 million. Ariana’s technical team is expected to install the engine on one of the airline’s Boeing 737 aircraft following its arrival.
The airline said the delivery represents an important step in strengthening its technical and operational capacity and supporting the continued operation of its fleet.
Ariana Afghan Airlines’ leadership said it is also working to accelerate the procurement of additional spare parts and technical equipment required to maintain and support the airline’s aircraft and operations.
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Afghanistan issues more than 650,000 passports in one year
Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, says more than 650,000 ordinary passports were issued across Afghanistan over the past Hijri year, while the visas of more than 16,000 foreign nationals were extended.
Mujahid made the remarks during the “Government in the Media Mirror” program, held under the theme “Public Services Week.”
According to him, the General Directorate of Statistics and Information also distributed nearly 2 million electronic national ID cards and around 1 million paper ID cards during the 1447 Hijri year.
Mujahid added that the agency provided hundreds of thousands of in-person and online services related to corrections and amendments to national ID cards over the past year.
The Islamic Emirate spokesperson said the General Directorate of Passports has sought to make services faster and easier by reducing the passport application form from nine pages to one page.
He also announced an expansion of services by the state-owned Afghan Post, saying the company delivered more than 5 million domestic mail items over the past year.
According to Mujahid, other measures to expand postal services included verifying and certifying hundreds of thousands of documents, launching express services, establishing a customer service center, and delivering documents directly to people’s homes.
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