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Foreign partners pledge ‘conditions-based’ support to Afghanistan

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Addressing delegates at the key donor pledging conference in Geneva on Tuesday, the European Union’s (EU) foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called for an immediate ceasefire in Afghanistan and said that any move to set up an Islamic Emirate would affect the bloc’s support.

Borrell told delegates at the pledging conference: “A ceasefire should not be an outcome of the (peace) process, it should accompany the process from today…Any attempt to restore an Islamic Emirate would have an impact on our political and financial engagement.”

Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, who announced the EU’s pledge at the conference, said: “A pledge of €1.2 billion (US$1.4 billion) for the next four years illustrates our commitment to the Afghan people. Our assistance will support the Afghan authorities’ agenda for democratic, sustainable development and modernisation, helping to lift people out of poverty, improve governance, reduce corruption and enhance the daily lives of the Afghan people.”

In a statement issued by the EU after the announcement, the bloc said: “The EU’s support to Afghanistan is conditional upon an inclusive, Afghan-owned, Afghan-led peace process that builds on the political and social achievements of the last 19 years.”

The EU was not however alone in its conditions-based approach as many other countries echoed these words.

Top of the list among a number of conditions was that of women’s rights and most donors pledged support on condition that women’s voices continued to be heard, that women form a key component to the peace process and that their rights are preserved.

Reuters meanwhile reported that uncertainty over whether compromises needed for peace might lead to backsliding on human and women’s rights, has made some countries wary about making long-term commitments to an Afghan administration – which needs foreign money to cover about three-quarters of its spending.

Some diplomats said that keeping a tight rein on funding could provide foreign governments with some leverage to inject a greater sense of urgency into the peace process.

Also, most governments are under intense pressure to make savings as they ramp up spending to help their own economies recover from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, diplomats told Reuters.

Countries pledged billions of dollars on Tuesday in addition to the EU’s 1.2 billion euros ($1.43 billion).

According to Shamroz Khan Masjidi, spokesman for the Ministry of Finance, Afghanistan’s foreign partners pledged a total of US$6 billion for development over the next four years.

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Afghanistan says Pakistani military post destroyed near Spin Boldak

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Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense says a Pakistani military post near Spin Boldak was targeted and destroyed after Pakistani forces opened fire toward Afghanistan.

Ministry spokesperson Enayatullah Khwarazmi said in a post on X that Afghan forces suffered no casualties or damage in the clash.

Khwarazmi also rejected claims made by the Pakistani side about the incident, describing them as “propaganda.”

 

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Mujahid: Pakistan attacking Afghanistan to evade Mecca Pact responsibilities

He warned that the Islamic Emirate would give an “appropriate response” to what he called the Pakistani military regime’s “bullying.”

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Islamic Emirate spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid has accused Pakistan of carrying out attacks on Afghanistan to divert attention from its domestic problems and to evade responsibilities under the “Mecca Pact.”

Speaking at a religious seminary in Kandahar, Mujahid said Pakistan was facing political and economic challenges at home and was using attacks on Afghanistan to shift public attention away from protests and its internal problems.

“Pakistan, by violating the territory of its neighboring Islamic country, wants to divert attention from its failures,” he said.

Mujahid also criticized Pakistan’s political situation, claiming that political space had been restricted and that freedoms guaranteed under the country’s laws were not being allowed.

He said Pakistan’s economic problems had also increased significantly and accused the country of seeking to distract the public from those problems by engaging in conflict with Afghanistan.

Mujahid further accused Pakistan’s military leadership of putting the Pakistani people at risk through what he described as its “false position.”

He warned that the Islamic Emirate would give an “appropriate response” to what he called the Pakistani military regime’s “bullying.”

His remarks followed Pakistani airstrikes on Kandahar, Paktia and Khost provinces on Thursday, which Afghan authorities said killed four civilians.

The strikes came three days after attacks on Kunar and Paktika provinces, in which Afghan authorities said three civilians were killed.

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Kabul rejects U.S. claim that meth seized in Pakistan was of Afghan origin

Balkhi said the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has imposed an absolute ban on the production, trafficking and use of all types of narcotics in Afghanistan.

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Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi has rejected a U.S. claim that 463 kilograms of synthetic drugs seized in Pakistan were of Afghan origin, calling the attribution “unfounded and politically motivated.”

Balkhi said the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad should investigate the origin of the seized drugs in Pakistan rather than attributing them to Afghanistan.

“The attribution by the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad of the synthetic drugs bound for Sri Lanka and intercepted in Pakistan through joint U.S.-Pakistani efforts as ‘Afghan-origin’ is an unfounded and politically motivated allegation,” Balkhi said.

He said the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has imposed an absolute ban on the production, trafficking and use of all types of narcotics in Afghanistan.

Balkhi also claimed that following the ban in Afghanistan, the cultivation, production and trafficking of narcotics have increased “on the other side of the Durand Line.”

He further argued that Afghanistan does not have the capacity to produce synthetic drugs and said crossing points along the Durand Line have been completely closed to all movement for nearly a year.

His remarks came after the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad said U.S. and Pakistani anti-narcotics authorities had seized 463 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine worth an estimated $21 million and bound for Sri Lanka.

The embassy said the operation led to multiple arrests and highlighted ongoing U.S. cooperation and training with Pakistani authorities to disrupt international drug-trafficking networks.

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