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Blinken discusses recent decisions by IEA ahead of Security Council vote

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(Last Updated On: June 5, 2022)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a recent discussion with a leading American forum that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has not fulfilled commitments to the international community, based on recent decisions affecting the Afghan people.

In response to a question on Washington’s position ahead of the expected vote on travel bans on IEA leaders this month, Blinken said the decisions, including those on women and girls go “directly counter to the expectations of the international community that are in a UN Security Council resolution.”

The Security Council waived travel bans on senior IEA leaders in April 2019 for the sake of peace talks and extended the suspension in March this year. 

This month, however, the UNSC must decide whether to adjust the current regime of sanctions, including the travel ban, against IEA leaders, the Hill reported recently.   

Blinken said in his discussion with Foreign Affairs that some decisions by the IEA have had an impact on the normalization of their ties with countries around the world.

According to Blinken, if the IEA seeks to establish normal relations with countries, including the US, it must live up to its commitments to the international community.

“It is clear to the Taliban (IEA) that as long as they seek to establish more normal relations with any country, including the United States, they must live up to their commitments, so we’ll see what happens in the next few weeks,” said Blinken.

“Respecting global demands will have a real impact on the normalization of their ties with the world,” he said. 

However, Blinken has stated that sanctions will not affect humanitarian aid being provided by the US to Afghanistan.

“We will do everything we can to ensure that humanitarian aid does not go to the hands of the Taliban (IEA). We will continue to assist those in need in Afghanistan. 

“We will continue to lead this assistance. Sanctions won’t affect humanitarian aid. We are looking for ways to help the people of Afghanistan so that the aid packages do not directly benefit the Taliban,” he added. 

On the other hand, the IEA has repeatedly stated that it has met the conditions for gaining global legitimacy and has assured the international community that no threats will be posed to them from Afghanistan. 

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Girls’ education is a ‘vital issue’ for Afghanistan: Karzai

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(Last Updated On: April 25, 2024)

Former president Hamid Karzai said in a meeting with Iran’s ambassador and special representative, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, that education of girls was a “vital issue” for Afghanistan.

Karzai said he appreciated Iran’s cooperation and its standing with the Afghan people, especially Iran’s contributions to education in Afghanistan.

During the meeting, Karzai said peace and stability in the region are in the interest of all regional countries.

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Uzbekistan’s humanitarian aid arrives in Balkh

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(Last Updated On: April 25, 2024)

A shipment of humanitarian aid from Uzbekistan was handed over on Thursday to the local officials of Balkh province in the trade port of Hairatan.

Local authorities said the aid, which includes flour, oil, wheat, sugar and meat, has been handed over by Uzbekistan’s Surkhandarya governor to the governor of Balkh.

The governor of Surkhandarya stated the purpose of sending this aid was to support the people of Afghanistan and stressed the need for the development of good relations between the two countries.

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Afghanistan’s problems caused more damage to Pakistan than 3 wars with India: Durrani

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(Last Updated On: April 25, 2024)

Islamabad’s special envoy for Afghanistan Asif Durrani said on Wednesday that Pakistan has suffered more due to Afghanistan’s internal situation than Pakistan has suffered in three wars with India in terms of blood spilt and finances drained.

Durrani said at a one-day International Conference titled “Pakistan in the Emerging Geopolitical Landscape”, which was organized by the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) and the German Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES), that over 80,000 Pakistanis died in the two decades of the War on Terror and that his country was still counting its dead and injured.

“After the withdrawal of NATO forces, it was hoped that peace in Afghanistan would bring peace to the region. However, such expectations were short-lived,” he said.

He also stated that attacks by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant group on Pakistan’s border areas increased by 65 percent, while suicide attacks increased by 500 percent.

“The TTP’s enhanced attacks on Pakistan while using Afghan soil have been a serious concern for Pakistan. Another worrying aspect is the participation of Afghan nationals in these attacks,” he said.

Durrani also said Pakistan had suffered geopolitically since the Soviet Union invaded the neighboring country.

“The post-9/11 world order has negatively impacted Pakistan. Apart from losing 80,000 citizens’ lives, including 8,000 law enforcement agency personnel, the country’s economic opportunity cost is estimated at $150 billion,” Durrani said.

Talking about the future outlook for Pakistan in the regional context, Durrani said that while “our eastern neighbor is likely to continue with its anti-Pakistan pursuits, the western border poses an avoidable irritant in the short to medium term.”

However, he said Pakistan can overcome its difficulties with Afghanistan, including the TTP challenge.

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