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IEA calls on West to lift sanction, remove leaders from blacklist
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan [IEA] had called on the United States and the international community to lift their sanctions on the current government and to remove high-ranking IEA members from UN and US blacklists.
The IEA regained power in Afghanistan in mid-August after the US pulled out its troops, almost 20 years after the IEA was ousted by U.S.-led forces following Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. The International Community has not yet recognized the IEA as Afghanistan’s government.
Bilal Karimi, IEA’s Deputy Spokesman, stated: “The officials of the Islamic Emirate must be removed from the blacklist and sanctions, and this is the inalienable right of Afghans, and this was documented in the long negotiation process, which was a very credible agreement signed in Doha with the United States.”
Earlier this month, Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi had also called on the United States to lift its sanctions against the IEA and said they seek the world’s “mercy and compassion” to help millions of desperate Afghans.
He also urged Washington and other nations to release upward of $10 billion in funds that were frozen when the IEA took power on August 15.
“Sanctions against Afghanistan would … not have any benefit,” Muttaqi said
“Making Afghanistan unstable or having a weak Afghan government is not in the interest of anyone,” he added.
Muttaqi emphasized that the IEA wants good relations with all countries including the United States.
The United States, meanwhile, last week formally exempted U.S. and U.N. officials doing permitted business with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan [IEA] from U.S. sanctions to try to maintain the flow of aid to Afghanistan as it sinks deeper into a humanitarian crisis.
Reuters reported that it was unclear, however, whether the move would pave the way for proposed U.N. payments of some $6 million to the IEA for security.
Reuters on Tuesday exclusively reported a U.N. plan to subsidize next year the monthly wages of IEA-run Interior Ministry personnel who guard U.N. facilities and to pay them monthly food allowances, a proposal that raised questions about whether the payments would violate U.S. sanctions.
The Treasury Department declined to say whether the new license would exempt the proposed U.N. payments from U.S. sanctions on the IEA.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US special representative for Afghanistan, has questioned Pakistan’s commitment to the welfare of the Afghan people, citing Islamabad’s policies over the past three decades.
Khalilzad said in a post on X that Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif advocated for the rights of Afghan women during his speech at the UN General Assembly on Friday.
Sharif said: “Fundamental rights of the Afghan people — especially women and girls — must be respected.”
Responding to the remarks, Khalilzad said Pakistan’s policies over the past 30 years raise questions about Sharif’s commitment to Afghan welfare.
He cited Pakistan’s support for militant groups against US forces and what he described as the poor treatment of Afghan refugees as examples.
Khalilzad also said Afghanistan and Pakistan need and should have much better relations, adding that “a reset is necessary.”
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met with the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Rabab Fatima, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X that Misri underscored the need to keep addressing the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people as a priority.
Misri also appreciated the role of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and reaffirmed India’s continued cooperation with the United Nations on Afghanistan.
The meeting comes as Afghanistan continues to face humanitarian and economic challenges, with international agencies warning of significant needs among the Afghan population.
Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi has called for pragmatic and coordinated international engagement with Afghanistan, saying the country’s long-term stability is closely linked to the security and sustainable development of Central Asia.
Speaking during the general debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday, Tileuberdi said humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan remains essential but alone cannot break the cycle of poverty, displacement and dependency.
He said Kazakhstan supports a “pragmatic, coordinated and step-by-step” approach to international engagement with Afghanistan, with the United Nations playing a central role.
Tileuberdi also said Kazakhstan is working with the UN to operationalize the United Nations Regional Centre for the Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty.
He said the success of the centre should be measured by the results and assistance it delivers to the region.
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