The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) said on Monday the call by different countries for them to form an inclusive government in Afghanistan is “unwarranted and futile,” reiterating that it is an internal matter.

In the latest instance, Pakistan and China issued a joint statement on Sunday, calling for the establishment of an inclusive government in Afghanistan and also on the Islamic Emirate to adopt moderate policies.

But the Islamic Emirate considers the current government to be inclusive and emphasizes that countries do not have a clear understanding of inclusiveness.

“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has repeatedly emphasized that the current government is inclusive and the issue of inclusion and non-inclusion is related to Afghanistan and Afghans,” IEA’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said.

“This is not the issue of foreign countries. Unfortunately, some countries repeat this issue. So far, their request has not been successful. Secondly, their request is unwarranted. This policy should be changed. Whatever is related to the people of Afghanistan should be left to the people of Afghanistan,” he said.

In addition to call for establishing an inclusive government, China and Pakistan called for concerted efforts of the international community to positively support Afghanistan in properly addressing challenges in such areas as humanitarianism and economic development, encourage the interim government of Afghanistan to build an inclusive political framework, adopt moderate policies, and pursue good-neighborliness.

They called on the international community to encourage the IEA to firmly combat terrorism, including not allowing its territory to be used for terrorist acts.

The European Union announced Monday it will provide 150 million euros to help the people of Afghanistan.

The announcement comes as senior representatives of the international community gathered in Brussels on Monday to discuss Afghanistan’s food and health crisis.

EU said in a statement that this funding will support partners working inside Afghanistan (nearly 126 million euros), respond to the needs of Afghan refugees in Pakistan (over 11 million euros), and help humanitarian organisations in Iran (nearly 11 million euros), as well as strengthen disaster preparedness.

In Afghanistan, aid will focus on food assistance, shelter, healthcare and access to water and sanitation. Up to 14.5 million euros are earmarked for education.

“The people of Afghanistan are currently facing one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world,”  EU Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, said.

“Over 50% of the population need humanitarian aid, and over 85% of the population are in poverty. It is crucial that the world does not look away from this ongoing emergency.”

EU said that its humanitarian aid is solely channelled through its humanitarian partners working on the ground.

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Thomas West, the US special representative for Afghanistan affairs, met with Uzbekistan officials to discuss issues around Afghanistan.

In a post on X on Sunday, West stated that he had a discussion with Abdulaziz Khafizovich Kamilov, Deputy Chairman of the National Security Council of Uzbekistan, and Ismatullah Irgashev, the country’s special representative, about Afghanistan.

He added that during this meeting, he discussed many common interests and the way forward in Afghanistan.

According to him, this meeting was held in Washington.

This comes ahead of the June 30 Doha meeting which will see special representatives of various countries come together for the third time to discuss the situation in Afghanistan.

The Doha meeting will be hosted by the United Nations

Last week the Islamic Emirate issued a statement on the meeting and said the acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Amir Khan Muttaqi met with the UN Secretary General’s special representative for Afghanistan, Roza Otunbayeva, and the two sides discussed the upcoming Doha meeting.

According to the statement, the UN envoy said her team is working on the meeting’s agenda and seeks to prepare the agenda in such a way that is acceptable to all parties.

She added that she wants to hear the Islamic Emirate’s opinion on the final agenda of the Doha meeting, and once the agenda is finalized, official invitations will be sent to the participants of the meeting.

Muttaqi emphasized that it is important to prepare the agenda in a way that is acceptable to all parties.

He added that the IEA government has shared its position on the third Doha meeting with all parties and is working closely with the stakeholders in this matter.

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