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India reiterates support for Afghan peace process
Abdullah Abdullah, Chairman of the National Reconciliation Council met with Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Friday in Delhi to discuss the Afghan peace process, bilateral ties, and regional support for peace efforts.
In a Twitter post on Friday, Abdullah said: “As always pleased to meet HE S. Jaishankar, the External Affairs Minister of India.”
“We exchanged views on the Afghan Peace Process, bilateral relations, and regional support for peace efforts,” Abdullah tweeted.
Jaishankar has also reassured Abdullah of India’s full support for peace in Afghanistan.
As always pleased to meet HE @DrSJaishankar, the External Affairs Minister of India. We exchanged views on the #AfghanPeaceProcess, bilateral relations, & regional support for peace efforts. He assured me of India’s full support for peace in Afghanistan. pic.twitter.com/6VgT5DNRnz
— Dr. Abdullah Abdullah (@DrabdullahCE) October 9, 2020
He stated that “peace in Afghanistan means peace in the region” and India would continue its assistance to Afghanistan by supporting the Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace efforts.
Meanwhile, Abdullah stated that peace in Afghanistan is in favor of the regional countries.
Abdullah, who is currently on a five-day official visit to India, has met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday and briefed him on the ongoing talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban delegations in Doha.
The Prime Minister reiterated India’s commitment towards sustainable peace and prosperity in Afghanistan and welcomed efforts towards a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire in Afghanistan, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.
“National Security Advisor Shri Ajit Doval called on Dr. Abdullah Abdullah on October 7 and discussed the Afghan peace process and related issues, including increased levels of violence across Afghanistan and peace and security in the region,” the statement read.
Meanwhile, speaking about the future of Afghanistan at the defense think tank “Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA)” in Dehli on Thursday, Abdullah stated “We need better relations with all countries. It is not our policy to decide the policies that other countries pursue each other, but we believe that peace in Afghanistan is in everyone’s interest.”
Abdullah said mistakes had been made in the past, even by Afghanistan’s international partners but that there were lessons to be learned through this.
He also stated that he hopes there has been a change in the Taliban’s attitude and said he was optimistic about this but added that only time will tell as to who is committed to the peace process.
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UNESCO: 2.4 million Afghan girls denied education since 2021
UNESCO estimates that the ban could force around 600,000 Afghan women out of the workforce by 2066 and cause $9.6 billion in lost income. It could also increase the risk of early marriage.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said on Tuesday around 2.4 million Afghan girls have been denied secondary education since the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) returned to power in 2021.
In a statement on Tuesday, UNESCO said Afghanistan is the only country in the world where girls and women are officially barred from secondary and higher education.
The organization warned that the restrictions could increase poverty, reduce employment opportunities and cause long-term damage to Afghanistan’s future.
UNESCO estimates that the ban could force around 600,000 Afghan women out of the workforce by 2066 and cause $9.6 billion in lost income. It could also increase the risk of early marriage.
Girls’ secondary schools were closed in March 2022, followed by a ban on women attending universities in December of the same year. The IEA initially described the restrictions as temporary, but they remain in place.
UNESCO also warned that the restrictions could worsen Afghanistan’s shortage of female teachers. It estimates the country could face a shortage of more than 11,000 qualified female teachers by 2030.
The organization said more than 90% of 10-year-old children in Afghanistan cannot read a simple text, while the national literacy rate is around 37%.
Nearly half of the country’s schools also lack adequate access to water, sanitation or heating, UNESCO said.
According to the report, around three million people returned to Afghanistan in 2025, putting further pressure on the education system. Since 2021, earthquakes, floods and other natural disasters have also forced around 1,000 schools to close.
Russia’s Power Machines Company is interested in investing in the rehabilitation and modernization of Afghanistan’s power plants, Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) said on Tuesday.
DABS Chief Executive Officer Abdul Haq Hamkar discussed the potential investment with technical officials from Power Machines, with talks focusing on rehabilitating existing power plants, modernizing equipment and expanding power-generation capacity.
According to DABS, Hamkar said the company would cooperate in facilitating preliminary technical assessments of Afghanistan’s power plants and in exploring investment opportunities in the sector.
Denis Rudakov, head of Power Machines’ commercial department, said the Russian company plans to conduct preliminary technical assessments of existing power plants in Afghanistan.
Based on the findings, Power Machines will prepare proposals for rehabilitating facilities, modernizing equipment and increasing electricity-generation capacity, DABS said.
Afghanistan currently has several operational power plants, while efforts are underway to increase their generation capacity and upgrade their equipment, according to DABS.
Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), on Tuesday denied that IEA authorities detained Mahmood Shah Habibi, an Afghan-American businessman the US claims disappeared in Kabul four years ago.
“We have no information about Mahmood Shah Habibi. He is not with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. If he were, this issue would have been resolved long ago,” Mujahid said.
His remarks came a day after the FBI marked the fourth anniversary of Habibi’s disappearance and renewed its appeal for information about his whereabouts.
According to the FBI, Habibi disappeared near his home in Kabul on August 10, 2022. At the time, he was working as a consultant for Asia Consultancy Group, a Kabul-based telecommunications company. He had previously served as Afghanistan’s director of civil aviation.
The FBI has alleged that Habibi was detained by the IEA’s General Directorate of Intelligence.
The FBI has continued its investigation and in 2025 released a missing-persons poster for Habibi. The U.S. State Department has also offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his location, recovery and return.
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