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Karzai ‘invited’ IEA into Kabul to stop the chaos in August

Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai offered insights into the secret and sudden departure of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on August 15 and said he “invited” the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) to enter Kabul.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Karzai said he issued the invitation in order “to protect the population so that the country, the city doesn’t fall into chaos and the unwanted elements who would probably loot the country, loot shops.”
Karzai said that when Ghani left, his security officials also left. The then defense minister Bismillah Khan even asked Karzai if he wanted to leave Kabul when Karzai contacted him to know what remnants of the government still remained. It turned out there were none. Not even the Kabul police chief had remained, AP reported.
Karzai, who was the country’s president for 13 years after the IEA was first ousted in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, refused to leave.
Karzai said Ghani’s flight scuttled a last-minute push by himself, the government’s chief negotiator Abdullah Abdullah and the IEA leadership in Doha that would have seen the IEA enter the capital as part of a negotiated agreement.
The countdown to a possible deal began August 14, the day before the IEA came to power, AP reported.
Karzai and Abdullah met Ghani, and they agreed that they would leave for Doha the next day with a list of 15 others to negotiate a power-sharing agreement. The IEA were already on the outskirts of Kabul, but Karzai said the leadership in Qatar promised IE forces would remain outside the city until the deal was struck.
Early on the morning of August 15, Karzai said, he waited to draw up the list. The capital was fidgety, on edge. Rumors were swirling about an IEA takeover. Karzai called Doha. He was told the IEA would not enter the city.
At noon, the IEA called to say that “the government should stay in its positions and should not move that they have no intention to (go) into the city,” Karzai said. “I and others spoke to various officials and assurances were given to us that, yes, that was the case, that the Americans and the government forces were holding firm to the places (and) that Kabul would not fall.”
However, by about 2:45 pm it became apparent Ghani had fled the city. Karzai called the defense minister, called the interior minister, searched for the Kabul police chief. Everyone was gone. “There was no official present at all in the capital, no police chief, no corps commander, no other units. They had all left.”
Ghani’s own protection unit’s deputy chief called Karzai to come to the palace and take over the presidency. He declined, saying legally he had no right to the job, AP reported. Instead, the former president decided to make a public, televised message, with his children at his side “so that the Afghan people know that we are all here.”
Karzai was adamant that there would have been an agreement for a peaceful transition had Ghani remained in Kabul.
“Absolutely. Absolutely. That is what we were preparing for, what we were hoping (along) with the chairman of the peace council to go to Doha that evening, or the next morning, and to finalize the agreement,” he said. “And I believe the Taliban (IEA) leaders were also waiting for us in Doha for the same … objective, for the same purpose.”
Today, Karzai meets regularly with the IEA leadership and says the world must engage with them. Equally important, he said, is that Afghans have to come together. War has dominated Afghanistan for more than 40 years, and in the last 20 years “Afghans have suffered on all sides,” he said.
The former president has a plan. In his talks with the IEA, he is advocating the temporary resurrection of the constitution that governed when Afghanistan was a monarchy. The idea was also floated during earlier Doha talks, AP reported.
At the same time, a traditional Loya Jirga — a grand council of all Afghans, including women — would be convened. It would decide the country’s future, including a representative government, a constitution, a national flag, he told AP.
There’s no indication the IEA will accept his formula, though he says they have not rejected it in discussions.
Karzai said the world has to engage with the IEA. Afghanistan needs to operate. Government servants have to be paid. Health care facilities need to function, he told AP.
“Right now, they need to cooperate with the government in any form they can,” said Karzai who also bemoaned the unchallenged and sometimes wrong international perceptions of the IEA.
He cited claims that women and girls are not allowed outside their homes or require a male companion. “That’s not true. There are girls on the streets — women by themselves.” The situation on the ground in Kabul bears this out.
Asked to describe the IEA, Karzai said: “I would describe them as Afghans, but Afghans who have gone through a very difficult period in their lives as all other Afghans have done for the past 40 years.”
We “have been through an extremely difficult period of our history in which we, the Afghans, have made mistakes on all sides, in which the international community and those who interacted with us have made tremendous mistakes,” Karzai said. “It’s time for all of us to realize that, and to look back at the mistakes that we have all made and to make it better.”
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Female journalists complain about lack of access to accurate and timely information

A number of female journalists say the lack of access to accurate and timely information leads to numerous challenges in their course of work.
According to some of these journalists, certain officials of the Islamic Emirate often refuse to provide information to female journalists, which creates a significant obstacle in fulfilling their professional duties.
One female journalist said: “Unfortunately, we have been subjected to intimidation by some institutions and media outlets, which hinders our work. In this regard, we urge our own media and various institutions to support female journalists the same way they support male journalists, and to allow us to continue our work.”
It is also reported that cultural and social restrictions make it difficult for female journalists to carry out their activities.
Female journalists have added that their exclusion from the media not only weakens freedom of speech but also deprives society of the perspectives and experiences of half of its population.
However, some media support organizations emphasize that the working conditions for female journalists have improved compared to last year, and currently, 745 female journalists are working in various media outlets across the country.
“The number of female journalists has increased compared to last year. Currently, 745 female journalists are working in the media. Last year, the number was 601,” said Hujjatullah Mujaddidi, head of the Afghanistan Independent Journalists Union.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Information and Culture has stressed that the current media situation is favorable, and the ministry is committed to supporting journalists and media outlets in various sectors.
Since the IEA’s takeover in August 2021, many female journalists have lost their jobs, and some have been forced to leave the country.
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Pakistan ‘extends’ deadline for a week for Afghans to leave the country

The Pakistan government has pushed out the deadline to next week for hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees to return to their country due to Eid al-Fitr.
AFP reported that a government official said on condition of anonymity that “the deadline has been extended until the beginning of next week due to Eid holidays.”
In early March, Islamabad announced a March 31 deadline for Afghans holding certain documentation to leave the country.
Afghans holding Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC) — issued by Pakistan authorities and held by 800,000 people, according to the United Nations — face deportation to Afghanistan after the deadline.
More than 1.3 million Afghans who hold Proof of Registration (PoR) cards from the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, are also to be moved outside the capital Islamabad and neighbouring city Rawalpindi.
On Friday, Pakistan’s Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqv chaired a high-level meeting to review the repatriation process of ACC holders.
He stated that continuous coordination is being maintained between the federal and provincial governments regarding the repatriation process, and the federal government will provide full support to the provinces.
Additionally, a committee has been formed based on the recommendations of the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he said.
Naqvi also stated that Pakistan’s Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry will visit the provinces to resolve any issues arising during the repatriation process.
In addition, all arrangements for the repatriation of Afghan Citizen Card holders have been completed, Naqvi said, adding that a door-to-door awareness campaign is underway, and the mapping of Afghan Citizen Card holders has been finalized.
Holding centers, food provisions, and healthcare facilities have also been arranged for those returning, he said.
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Ministry of Economy calls on US to release Afghanistan’s frozen funds
While criticizing the continuation of these pressures, calls on the U.S. to release Afghanistan’s frozen assets and hand them over to the country’s central bank have continued to be made.

The Ministry of Economy has called on the United States to release Afghanistan’s frozen assets and return the funds to the country’s central bank.
Abdul Latif Nazari, the Deputy Minister of Economy, also urged the international community and other countries to lift banking sanctions and restrictions against Afghanistan and for continued humanitarian and developmental aid to help rebuild the country’s infrastructure.
Afghanistan has been experiencing an economic crisis for more than three and a half years, with many citizens facing dire financial conditions. This crisis is largely attributed to the freezing of Afghanistan’s central bank assets by the U.S. and the international community’s banking sanctions on the country.
While criticizing the continuation of these pressures, calls on the U.S. to release Afghanistan’s frozen assets and hand them over to the country’s central bank have continued to be made.
Abdul Latif Nazari, the Deputy Minister of Economy, also emphasized the importance of rebuilding Afghanistan’s infrastructure and urged the international community to support Afghanistan through sustained humanitarian and developmental assistance.
Meanwhile, experts believe that if Afghanistan’s assets are released and economic and banking sanctions are lifted, it could help the country emerge from its economic crisis and improve its financial situation.
This comes after the Islamic Emirate took power in Afghanistan, prompting the United States to freeze more than $9.5 billion of the country’s central bank reserves. However, in 2022, $3.5 billion of these funds were transferred to a trust fund in Switzerland to be used for Afghanistan’s economic aid. Currently, another $3.5 billion remains frozen in U.S. banks, while over $2 billion is held in banks in Europe and the United Arab Emirates.
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