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Health ministry signs MoU with Lahore University to support Kabul hospital
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed on Tuesday between Pakistan’s Lahore University and Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Health for ongoing support, both financially and technically, of the Mohammad Ali Jinnah Hospital in Kabul.
This hospital, in the west of the capital, has been supported by the Pakistan government for the past few years.
The visiting delegation agreed on Tuesday to not only continue providing the hospital with medical equipment but also turn the hospital into a training facility.
Pakistan’s ambassador to Kabul, Mansoor Ahmad Khan meanwhile said that the university would help run the hospital.
“Afghan Minister of Public Health H.E. Dr. Qalandar Ebad and a team from University of Lahore signed a Letter of Understanding for assistance in running M. A. Jinnah Hospital Kabul and upgrade its facilities to make it a teaching hospital,” Ahmad Khan tweeted on Tuesday.
He said: “The cost has not been estimated yet because it is an ongoing project, but Lahore University provides monthly assistance with medical equipment, technical equipment and training for the hospital’s doctors.”
The IEA’s Ministry of Public Health welcomed the university’s move to increase the hospital’s technical and human resources’ capacity.
However, Ebad said they did not sign the MoU with the ambassador of Pakistan to Kabul nor with the Pakistan government. He said the MoU was with the university.
“We didn’t sign this agreement with the ambassador of Pakistan but with the hospital delegation from Lahore. The delegation from Lahore wants to make the hospital professional, technical and capable,” Ebad said.
In addition to improving the hospital and its services, the university will also pay the salaries of staff and other expenses.
The non-payment of salaries over the past few months has been a serious cause of concern for staff at the hospital.
According to them, they have faced serious financial pressure due to not having received salaries, which were paid by the former government.
“We are asking the (new)
government to pay us our salaries because we are facing countless problems,” said Abdul Ghafoor, a health worker at the hospital.
According to the IEA officials, this type of cooperation will be extended to a number of other hospitals that were built and supported by Pakistan in the last few years.
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Over 2.13 million Afghan refugees repatriated from Pakistan
Officials say over 150,000 individuals were returned from Punjab alone, where enforcement efforts are being led by the Punjab Home Department’s Foreign National Security Cell.
More than 2.13 million Afghan nationals have been repatriated from Pakistan to Afghanistan as part of an ongoing campaign targeting undocumented foreign residents, according to Pakistani authorities cited by local media.
Officials say over 150,000 individuals were returned from Punjab alone, where enforcement efforts are being led by the Punjab Home Department’s Foreign National Security Cell. The campaign includes inspections of thousands of residential areas and hundreds of markets, resulting in numerous detentions and legal cases against Afghan nationals found without valid documentation.
The repatriation process comes amid heightened tensions along key border crossings between the two countries. Hundreds of migrants have recently been sent back via the Chaman crossing, particularly during disruptions at other transit points.
The Torkham crossing—a major gateway for cross-border movement—has faced repeated closures. Although it briefly reopened, local officials in Nangarhar Province report that it was shut again after only a few hours. Authorities in Pakistan have not provided a clear explanation for the latest closure.
According to Sediqullah Quraishi, head of Nangarhar’s Information Department, the crossing was opened temporarily on Thursday before being closed again without official clarification.
Meanwhile, hundreds of Afghan migrants remain in temporary holding centers across Punjab, where they are undergoing registration and processing ahead of their return to Afghanistan. The large-scale repatriation effort continues to raise humanitarian and logistical concerns, particularly as border access remains unpredictable.
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Human Rights Watch calls Pakistani airstrike on Kabul rehab center ‘unlawful’
Patricia Gossman, senior associate Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said available evidence suggests the strike hit a well-known civilian medical facility.
Human Rights Watch has condemned a recent Pakistani airstrike on a rehabilitation facility in Kabul, calling it “unlawful” and warning it could amount to a war crime.
The strike, which reportedly took place on March 16, targeted the Omid Drug Rehabilitation Center, located within the former Camp Phoenix complex in eastern Kabul. According to international agencies, at least 143 people were killed and more than 250 others injured, most of them patients undergoing treatment.
Patricia Gossman, senior associate Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said available evidence suggests the strike hit a well-known civilian medical facility.
“The available evidence indicates that the Pakistani airstrike against a well-known Kabul medical facility killing dozens of patients was unlawful,” she said, adding that authorities must determine why the site was targeted and who should be held accountable.
An employee of the center told the organization that three buildings were struck, including a dining hall, a residential building housing hundreds of patients, and a guard post. At the time of the attack, more than 1,000 patients were reportedly at the facility, many gathered to break their fast during Ramadan.
Human Rights Watch said satellite imagery and visual evidence show extensive destruction across the compound, with multiple structures either destroyed or severely damaged. The organization added that it found no indication the facility was being used for military purposes.
Under international humanitarian law, medical facilities are afforded special protection. The group stressed that attacks failing to distinguish between civilian and military targets, or those causing disproportionate civilian harm, may constitute serious violations of the laws of war.
Human Rights Watch has called on Pakistan to carry out a prompt, impartial investigation and ensure accountability if violations are confirmed.
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Torkham crossing closes again hours after brief reopening
Officials say the reason for the sudden closure has not been clearly communicated by authorities in Pakistan.
The key border crossing at Torkham crossing has once again been shut down, just hours after it was temporarily reopened, according to local officials in Nangarhar province.
Sediqullah Quraishi, head of information at the provincial Department of Information and Culture, said that on Thursday the Pakistani side allowed the crossing to open briefly to Afghan migrants. However, the crossing was closed again shortly afterward, leaving many travelers stranded.
Officials say the reason for the sudden closure has not been clearly communicated by authorities in Pakistan.
The Torkham crossing serves as one of the most important transit points between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Its repeated closures have caused significant disruption, particularly for migrants, traders, and families who rely on cross-border movement.
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