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Khalilzad says Stanikzai’s call for policy change is a ‘promising development’

On Monday, Khalilzad welcomed his stance and said Stanikzai is an important IEA official, who played a key role in the Doha negotiations.

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Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US special envoy for Afghanistan, said Monday that the deputy foreign minister Shir Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai’s remarks on the violation of women’s rights was a “promising development”.

On Saturday, Stanikzai criticized the ban on education of women and girls and appealed to the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s (IEA) leader to scrap the ban on education for women.

“We call on the leadership again to open the doors of education,” he said.

He called the exclusion of girls from education an “injustice” on the part of the Islamic Emirate against 20 million of the 40 million people in Afghanistan.

Speaking at a graduation ceremony at a religious school in Khost, Stanikzai said that the Islamic Emirate’s stance was not in accordance with Sharia.

He said: “Today we are doing injustice to 20 million of the 40 million people. Will we not rise on the Day of Judgment paralyzed and having denied all rights? The right of inheritance is not given to girls. The right to choose a husband is not given.

“We get girls married in Baad practice. We don’t allow education. We don’t allow them to go to the mosque. The doors of the universities and schools are closed. We don’t even let them go to madrassa. Are we acting in accordance with the Sharia?”

“Another issue is that the whole world has a problem with us on this issue. They criticize us about it. But the path we have taken is a matter of our own liking, not the Sharia,” he said.

It is not the first time he has said that women and girls deserve to have an education. He made similar remarks in September 2022, a year after schools closed for girls and months and before the introduction of a university ban.

But the latest comments marked his first call for a change in policy and a direct appeal to the Islamic Emirate’s supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.

Stanikzai is a senior member of the IEA and headed up peace talks in Doha, Qatar, prior to the collapse of the former government.

As special envoy for Afghanistan, Khalilzad was lead negotiator during these talks.

On Monday, Khalilzad welcomed his stance and said Stanikzai is an important IEA official, who played a key role in the Doha negotiations.

He asked other Afghan religious scholars and leaders of the Islamic Emirate who privately oppose the ban on girls’ education to make their opposition public.

He also emphasized that schools and universities should be reopened by the beginning of the new solar year, in late March.

Khalilzad also welcomed the positions of Muslim scholars at the recent Islamabad International Conference which focused on girls education in Muslim societies.

It was at this conference that scholars said a ban on women’s education was against the teaching of Islam.

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Pakistan orders undocumented Afghan nationals to leave by July 10

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Pakistan has set July 10 as the final deadline for undocumented Afghan nationals to leave the country, with authorities ordered to launch a nationwide crackdown on those who remain without legal status after the deadline expires.

The Ministry of Interior has instructed provincial governments, police chiefs and the Islamabad administration to strictly enforce the directive. From July 10, officials will begin operations targeting Afghan nationals living illegally in Pakistan, while anyone found without valid documentation faces arrest.

Starting July 11, provincial authorities will be required to submit daily reports to the Interior Ministry detailing the number of undocumented Afghans identified, the action taken against them, and their legal or custodial status.

The ministry has described the operation as a top priority and called for its immediate implementation across the country.

The announcement comes amid heightened tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan over security concerns. Pakistani authorities have repeatedly accused militant groups of using Afghan territory to stage attacks, allegations the Islamic Emirate administration has consistently denied.

Earlier this week, Pakistan said a suspected militant arrested after an attack on a Pakistan Rangers Sindh camp claimed to have entered the country from Afghanistan with three accomplices. In a recorded confession released by authorities, the suspect alleged links between the group and Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, as well as support from individuals based in Afghanistan.

The Afghan government has not responded to the latest claims, and the allegations have not been independently verified.

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UNAMA confirms death of 28 civilians following Pakistani airstrikes on eastern Afghanistan

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At least 28 civilians were killed and 49 others injured in Pakistani airstrikes on three eastern Afghan provinces late Sunday, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said on Monday, warning that the toll could rise as hospitals continue treating the wounded.

In a statement, UNAMA said the strikes hit Paktia, Paktika and Kunar provinces on the evening of June 28. Women and children were among those killed and injured, according to the UN mission.

The deadliest attack took place at around 11:30 p.m. in Chamkani district of Paktia province, where at least 22 civilians were killed and 47 others wounded.

Around the same time, a separate airstrike in Gyan district of neighboring Paktika province killed six civilians. A third strike in Marawara district of Kunar province injured two children.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting confirmed that Pakistani security forces had carried out airstrikes in the three Afghan provinces.

UNAMA said it is continuing to verify the incidents and emphasized that the casualty figures remain preliminary.

“The figures are preliminary and may increase as hospitals continue to treat the injured,” the mission said.

The UN mission renewed its call for all parties to comply with international humanitarian law, stressing the principles of precaution, distinction and proportionality to protect civilians during military operations.

UNAMA also expressed its condolences to the families of those killed and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.

Meanwhile, the casualty figures released by the Islamic Emirate are higher. According to the Islamic Emirate, 36 civilians were killed and 163 others injured in the Pakistani military’s recent airstrikes on eastern Afghanistan.

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Afghanistan summons Pakistani diplomat over airspace violations and civilian bombing

Afghanistan strongly protested against the violation of its airspace and the bombing of civilian residential areas, delivering a firm and formal objection to the Pakistani diplomat.

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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan has summoned the Chargé d’Affaires of the Pakistani Embassy in Kabul in response to overnight airstrikes in the provinces of Kunar, Paktia, and Paktika.

According to the Ministry, Afghanistan strongly protested against the violation of its airspace and the bombing of civilian residential areas, delivering a firm and formal objection to the Pakistani diplomat.

The Ministry described the recent attacks as a clear violation of international principles, humanitarian law, and Afghanistan’s national sovereignty, condemning them in the strongest possible terms.

The statement further noted that Pakistan has, over the past few years, attempted to deflect its internal security and political failures by making baseless accusations against Afghanistan.

It added that such actions not only fail to address existing challenges but also seriously damage bilateral trust, good neighborly relations, and regional stability.

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