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Karzai urges Pakistan to avoid threatening Afghanistan
Former Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai on Tuesday called on Islamabad to stop issuing threats and to carry out a “deep review” of its policies related to Afghanistan, saying that prevailing “insecurity” in Pakistan is the result of its own policies.
Karzai had been responding to a statement issued after Pakistan’s National Security Committee (NSC) meeting early this week which stated that Pakistan would not allow its neighbor to harbor terrorists.
The statement meanwhile implied that Pakistan might resort to targeting safe havens across the border.
Karzai however stated that the current insecurity in Pakistan is mostly due to policies of the Pakistani government. He urged Islamabad to carry out a "deep review" of its policies of the past decades and make changes to it.
The former Afghan president also asked Pakistan to avoid threats “over the use of excessive force and facilitate good and civilized relations with Afghanistan to ensure stability and peace in the region”.
Meanwhile, Hina Rabbani Khar, the State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Pakistan sent a message to Afghanistan on Tuesday stating that the country’s security is its red line.
Giving a briefing to the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, the minister of state said that Pakistan aimed to have cordial ties with its neighbors, adding that Pakistan should not be the victim of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s (TTP) terrorist activities.
Khar, who recently visited Afghanistan, meanwhile stated that Afghan officials had given their complete assurance that their territory would not be used against Pakistan.
US weighs in
The United States has also responded to the situation and US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said at a press briefing on Tuesday that the US was aware of the NSC’s recent statement.
“The Pakistani people have suffered tremendously from terrorist attacks. Pakistan has a right to defend itself from terrorism,” Price said.
He said that the Islamic Emirate must uphold the very commitment they had made that their soil would never be used as a launchpad for international terrorist attacks.
“These are among the very commitments that the Taliban have been unable or unwilling to fulfill to date,” he added.
Islamic Emirate’s response
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s (IEA) spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid meanwhile said Tuesday that the IEA wants good relations with all neighboring countries, including Pakistan, and that the spate of “false” statements by Pakistani officials is regrettable.
He had been responding to the remarks and statement by Pakistan over their reports that Afghanistan’s soil is being used by militants against Pakistan.
Mujahid said the Islamic Emirate is determined to not allow Afghanistan’s soil to be used to pose threats to other countries including Pakistan.
“We are committed to this purpose, but the Pakistani side is also responsible for trying to resolve the situation, refraining from baseless allegations and provocative thoughts because it creates mistrust,” said Mujahid.
According to him, the Islamic Emirate values peace and stability in the country and wants stability for the entire region and continues its efforts for this purpose.
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Afghanistan is ruptured from the international community: UN envoy
Otunbayeva said that the end of armed conflict in Afghanistan has delivered a period of stability and created opportunity for a positive peace.
Afghanistan is ruptured from the international community, Roza Otunbayeva, the UN Secretary General's Special Representative for Afghanistan, said at the UN Security Council meeting on Wednesday.
Otunbayeva said that the end of armed conflict in Afghanistan has delivered a period of stability and created opportunity for a positive peace.
“A number of positive steps have been taken in the fields of economy, infrastructure, and foreign relations to seize this opportunity and begin to address the many negative legacies of war,” she said. “I have growing concerns, however, that this opportunity is being missed. The Afghan population faces a serious humanitarian and development crisis as international funding drops.”
The envoy, however, noted that the adoption of the moral oversight law shortly after the Doha meeting has undermined this process.
“We are at the same time trying to address the political legacy of Afghanistan’s long conflict. In the current situation, Afghanistan is ruptured from the international community. Individual Taliban (IEA), many of whom are de facto ministers, are under sanctions and cannot travel without permission from this Council. Afghanistan’s Central Bank assets are frozen, limiting the development potential of the private sector,” she said.
At the meeting, US and UK representatives also called on the IEA to reverse restrictions on women and girls.
“The Taliban (IEA) cannot expect the international community to move forward on the UN process without first meeting their international obligations on the fundamental freedoms of women and girls, political inclusion, and counter terrorism.” said Jess Jambert-Gray, Deputy Political Coordinator of UK at UN.
Chinese and Russian envoys expressed over security risks from Afghanistan.
“Terrorist forces such as Da’esh, Al-Qaida, and ETIM are still active in Afghanistan, posing a threat to Afghanistan and international and regional security. We call on the interim government of Afghanistan to take vigorous actions to resolutely combat the various terrorist forces in its territory, and to prevent Afghanistan from once again becoming an enclave for terrorist organizations.” Said Fu Cong, Chinese envoy to UN.
Russian envoy Vassily Nebenzia said: “The Russian Federation has consistently advocated for a realistic and comprehensive approach to Afghanistan, which should be based on objective analysis and a balanced assessment of the situation. It is imperative to have constructive cooperation within the international community on the Afghan issue. First and foremost, it means paying due regard for the needs of the Afghans themselves and rejecting one’s own narrow interests, as well as maintaining patient dialogue with the de facto Afghan authorities on a wide range of pressing problems, without blackmail or pressure.”
Pakistan’s envoy Munir Akram termed the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as the largest terrorist organization in Afghanistan.
He said that TTP is conducting almost daily terrorist attacks against Pakistan with full support and protection of the Islamic Emirate and sponsorship of Pakistan’s major adversary.
The Islamic Emirate, however, denies all these allegations and human rights violations and says that if anyone has evidence about the presence of terrorists, they can provide them.
"We have six neighbors, No neighboring country has complained. There is only one country that sometimes makes allegations. Unfortunately, instead of getting information and stating the facts, the Secretary General of the United Nations made an accusation that did not suit him,” said Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.
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IEA appoints ambassador to Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan handed over the Afghan embassy to the Islamic Emirate in February this year.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday announced the appointment of Abdul Ghafar Bahr as the new ambassador of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) in Uzbekistan.
Hafiz Zia Ahmed, Deputy Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, announced Bahr’s appointment on his X account.
Bahr was present at the recent farewell meeting of Khawaja Shadmanov, Ambassador of Uzbekistan in Kabul, with Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Amir Khan Muttaqi.
Uzbekistan handed over the Afghan embassy to the Islamic Emirate in February this year.
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Muttaqi invited to upcoming Moscow format meeting on Afghanistan
The next Moscow format meeting is expected to be held in the next two weeks, Muttaqi announced on Thursday, adding that a high-level IEA delegation will attend it.
Russian ambassador in Kabul Dmirtry Zhirnov, in a meeting with Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Amir Khan Muttaqi on Wednesday, invited him to participate in the next meeting of the Moscow Format of Consultations on Afghanistan.
During the meeting, Zhirnov emphasized that Russia places great importance on its relations with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and, therefore, seeks to ensure the participation of Afghan delegations in all forums hosted by Russia, whether regional or international, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Expressing gratitude for the invitation, FM Muttaqi noted that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, viewing the Moscow Format as a constructive and beneficial initiative, has actively participated in previous meetings since its inception.
Muttaqi further called the upcoming meeting as a valuable opportunity to engage in constructive discussions with senior Russian officials and representatives from regional countries on matters of mutual interest and bilateral cooperation.
The next Moscow format meeting is expected to be held in the next two weeks, Muttaqi announced on Thursday, adding that a high-level IEA delegation will attend it.
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