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IEA urges UN to be impartial in reporting about Afghanistan
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has called on the United Nations to “prioritize factuality and impartiality over superficiality and prejudice” in reporting about the country.
It comes after UN Secretary General issued a new report on the situation in Afghanistan and UN envoy for the country briefed the UN Security Council.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement strongly objected to the “baseless allegations in this and other UN reports, the non-academic mechanism of compilation, mention of non-mandated topics like internal disputes over narcotics ban, ethnicization of incidents and issues, categorization of law-enforcement efforts as arbitrary and human right violations, basing arguments on unfounded allegations, anonymous sources and previous false reporting instead of ground realities and verifiable data.”
The statement also objected the “spreading a climate of fear in and showcasing Afghanistan as a conflict-zone through distorted conflation of falsified information and isolated criminal incidents, and attempting to present Afghanistan as a potential threat to other countries by coming under the coercive influence of unsubstantial political narratives of a few particular countries.”
IEA assessed positively acknowledgement of the prevalent security and stability, economic progress, implementation of comprehensive ban on narcotics, reception of forcefully expelled Afghans, rapid response to natural disasters and other efforts of the Islamic Emirate; detrimental impact of banking and economic sanctions on the Afghan people; and calls for continuation of humanitarian and steps towards basic-needs assistance to the people of Afghanistan underlined in the report of the UN Secretary-General and briefing to the Security Council by UNSG’s Special Representative for Afghanistan.
“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, in the framework of the noble religion of Islam, national sovereignty and national interests, reiterates its commitment to transparent and result-oriented engagement with all world countries, including the organization of the United Nations, at any time and any place aimed at securing mutual interests and finding solutions to mutual concerns,” the statement said.
Abdul Rahman Munir, the Deputy Minister for Counter-Narcotics at the Ministry of Interior, said on Saturday at the meeting of the Central Asian Regional Information and Coordination Centre for Combating Drugs (CARICC) in Uzbekistan that the cultivation, trafficking, and sale of narcotics in Afghanistan have “almost dropped to zero.”
Abdul Mateen Qani, spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior, said in a statement that Munir described the Islamic Emirate’s ongoing counter-narcotics campaign in Afghanistan as “a milestone of achievements.”
At the meeting, Munir emphasized cooperation among member countries and called on them to assist Afghan farmers in creating alternative livelihood opportunities so that the phenomenon of narcotics can be completely eradicated from Afghanistan.
Australia on Saturday announced financial sanctions and travel bans on four senior officials of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), citing what it described as a worsening human rights situation in the country, particularly for women and girls.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the targeted officials were involved “in the oppression of women and girls and in undermining good governance or the rule of law.”
Australia had been part of the NATO-led international mission in Afghanistan before withdrawing its troops in August 2021.
Wong said the sanctions target three IEA ministers and the IEA’s chief justice, accusing them of restricting women’s and girls’ access to education, employment, freedom of movement, and participation in public life.
The officials include Mohammad Khalid Hanafi, Minister for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice; Neda Mohammad Nadeem, Minister of Higher Education; Abdul Hakim Sharei, Minister of Justice; and Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani.
According to Wong, the measures fall under Australia’s new sanctions framework, which allows Canberra to “directly impose its own sanctions and travel bans to increase pressure on the Taliban (IEA), targeting the oppression of the Afghan people.”
Responding to the announcement, Saif-ul-Islam Khaibar, spokesperson for the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, criticized the sanctions.
He claimed that countries imposing such measures “are themselves violators of women’s rights” and called Australia’s move an insult to the religious and cultural values of Afghans.
Khaibar added that the IEA has “stopped rights violations of hundreds of thousands of women over the past four years.”
During Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to New Delhi, India and Russia issued a joint statement highlighting their close coordination on Afghanistan. Both sides appreciated the ongoing dialogue between their respective Security Councils and underscored the significance of the Moscow Format meetings in promoting regional stability.
The leaders welcomed counter-terrorism efforts targeting international terrorist groups, including ISIS, ISKP, and their affiliates, expressing confidence in a comprehensive and effective approach to combating terrorism in Afghanistan. They also stressed the urgent need to ensure uninterrupted humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people.
India and Russia have maintained close ties on regional security, particularly concerning developments in Afghanistan following the Islamic Emirate’s return to power in 2021. The Moscow Format, a diplomatic platform including Afghanistan’s neighbors, has played a key role in facilitating dialogue on peace, stability, and counter-terrorism in the region.
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