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Envoys voice concern over curbs on Afghan women at talks with IEA in Doha: UN
Meanwhile, US State Department said US envoys participated in the meeting after receiving assurances from the UN that the discussion would meaningfully address human rights, particularly the plight of women and girls, and that there would be opportunities for engagement with Afghan women and civil society.
International envoys raised concerns about restrictions on women and girls in Afghanistan during meetings with the Islamic Emirate in Qatar, United Nations’ political affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo said on Monday.
“Running through all the discussions was the deep international concern – from special envoys and from me – about the ongoing and serious restrictions on women and girls,” DiCarlo said in a statement.
“Afghanistan cannot return to the international fold, or fully develop economically and socially, if it is deprived of the contributions and potential of half its population,” she added.
The two-day, U.N.-led meeting was the first of its kind attended by the IEA.
Meanwhile, US State Department said US envoys participated in the meeting after receiving assurances from the UN that the discussion would meaningfully address human rights, particularly the plight of women and girls, and that there would be opportunities for engagement with Afghan women and civil society.
US State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said that US envoy Thomas West made clear that the primary reason private banks have reservations about doing more business in Afghanistan is reputational, and that it is rooted in the IEA’s human rights conduct.
“We know that the Taliban (IEA) often complains about sanctions, but given the broad general license issued by the Treasury Department, relief organizations as well as businesses have the leeway they need to support the Afghan people,” he said.
Russian envoy to UN, Vasily Nebenzya, reiterated that the world should recognize the fact that IEA is running Afghanistan.
“Taliban is de facto authorities on Afghanistan, and we’ve been saying consistently that you have to recognize this fact and deal with them as such. Because whether you like it or not, but this movement is running the country now. And you cannot simply ignore that,” he said.
Envoys have raised concern about women’s rights in Afghanistan, despite IEA saying it is an internal issue.
IEA’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid who led the delegation in Doha, says that women’s rights issue will be resolved with time.
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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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