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Blinken urges world to press IEA to respect Afghans’ rights
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday called on the international community to press the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) to respect the rights of all Afghans.
Addressing the 49th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Blinken also called for redoubling efforts to address the “growing” humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
“We must redouble our efforts to address the growing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, and press the Taliban (IEA) to respect the rights of all Afghans, including by stopping the unjust detentions of women protestors and journalists, ending reprisals, and allowing all Afghans to be educated and work in every sector,” Blinken said.
Respect for the fundamental rights of citizens and the protection of Afghan women’s political and civil rights is a condition by the international community for recognition of the current government in Afghanistan.
IEA, however, says it is committed to ensuring the rights of all Afghans.
“Major problems will not arise with a government that is committed to people’s rights and welfare,” said Bilal Karimi, deputy spokesman for IEA.
Meanwhile, US Special Representative for Afghanistan Tom West has said that it has been a collective international effort to press IEA to allow aid workers access across the country, and the dialogue with it in this regard has been fruitful.
Speaking to US broadcaster NPR, West said that private sector actors in Europe have shipped several hundred million dollars physically to Afghanistan.
“So far the Taliban has not sought to intervene in or seize any of those shipments,” West said.
A high-ranking Uzbek delegation comprising government officials and private sector representatives from the Republic of Karakalpakstan arrived in Kabul on Saturday to discuss the expansion of trade and economic cooperation with Afghanistan.
The delegation is headed by Amanbay Orinbayev, Chairman of the Supreme Council of Karakalpakstan.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, the delegation is expected to hold talks with Nooruddin Azizi, the Minister of Industry and Commerce, focusing on strengthening bilateral trade and economic relations.
The ministry said the visiting delegation will also participate in trade connectivity meetings and business-to-business sessions aimed at enhancing commercial cooperation between the two sides.
As part of the visit, the Uzbek delegation is also scheduled to travel to Balkh province, where members will attend additional trade meetings and inaugurate an exhibition showcasing Uzbekistan’s domestic products.
Hamid Karzai, former president of Afghanistan, has expressed concern over recent developments along the Durand Line, saying Pakistan has increased military and economic pressure on villages and residents living near the line.
In a statement, Karzai said the apparent purpose of these pressures is to push residents of Durand Line areas to seek help from Pakistani institutions for resolving security and other local issues.
He added that, amid this situation, some tribal elders from both sides of the Durand Line recently signed documents described as “peace agreements,” which were later officially welcomed by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to Karzai, these developments amount to an effort by Pakistan to legitimize the Durand Line and represent an action against Afghanistan’s national sovereignty.
The former Afghan president also urged the relevant Afghan authorities to provide the public with a clear explanation regarding the recent agreements and developments along the Durand Line.
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SAARC failure pushes Pakistan toward trilateral ties with Afghanistan, China, Bangladesh: Dar
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar has said that the failure of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is pushing Pakistan toward exploring trilateral cooperation frameworks involving Afghanistan, China, and Bangladesh.
Speaking at the South Asian Federation of Accountants (SAFA) Conference in Lahore on Friday, Dar said SAARC has “unfortunately not been able to kick off,” limiting regional economic integration and cooperation.
He said Pakistan is now looking at alternative regional arrangements to strengthen economic connectivity and trade, including trilateral formats such as China–Pakistan–Afghanistan and China–Pakistan–Bangladesh.
Dar stressed that South Asia cannot remain in “isolation,” noting that the region, home to nearly two billion people, is missing significant economic opportunities due to weak cooperation among neighbouring countries.
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was established in 1985 to promote economic and regional integration among South Asian countries, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
The organisation was designed to encourage cooperation in areas such as trade, development, education, and cultural exchange. However, in recent years, SAARC’s effectiveness has been significantly limited due to political tensions between member states, particularly between India and Pakistan, leading to stalled summits and reduced regional engagement.
As a result, regional economic cooperation in South Asia has largely remained underdeveloped compared to other regional blocs around the world.
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