Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has emphasized the need for continued engagement and dialogue with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), and for the international community not to forget about Afghanistan.

Speaking at the 150th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Tashkent, Mirziyoyev said: “We should not forget our neighbor [Afghanistan]. In our view, preventing the isolation of this country, establishing constructive relations with the current authorities, and viewing

Afghanistan, as part of the Central Asian region with untapped potential, is of particular importance.”

Mirziyoyev also emphasized the need for the acceleration of the implementation of the Trans-Afghan Railway project, from Termez to Peshawar via Afghanistan, during a meeting with the Pakistan Senate’s Chairman Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani.

The Uzbek presidential office announced that the meeting focused on key issues, including speeding up trade, investment, and transportation projects, developing the Afghan Transit Corridor, and strengthening regional cooperation and humanitarian exchanges.

In the meantime, the Islamic Emirate has welcomed the remarks made by the President of Uzbekistan.

The IEA’s deputy spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said: “I praise the positive statements and position of Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the President of Uzbekistan, regarding Afghanistan. Recently, political, economic, trade, transit, and investment relations between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan have improved. The Islamic Emirate seeks to expand its relations with neighboring countries, the region, and other countries around the world.”

In February 2021, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan signed a roadmap for the construction of the Trans-Afghan Railway project, which once complete will be a significant step towards regional connectivity and the utilization of Afghanistan’s economic potential.

Afghanistan’s Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation has voiced concern over the treatment being meted out to Afghan refugees by neighboring countries, stating that Pakistan and Iran are not abiding by international laws pertaining to refugees.

According to a statement issued by the ministry, “Afghan refugees are being subjected to violence, their property is being looted, and their household goods are being confiscated, which is against all Islamic and human principles and international laws.”

The ministry stated that Afghan refugees are also being illegally arrested in their homes, shops, and markets in Pakistan, and then taken to prison before being forcibly deported.

The ministry also urged Pakistan to end the violence and mistreatment of Afghan refugees and not use refugees as tools for its own political goals.

“All refugees should be allowed to take their wealth, belongings, and household items back to their country,” the statement read.

The ministry also called on international organizations and aid agencies to pay special attention to solving the problems of Afghan refugees and provide them with urgent assistance in Afghanistan.

In addition, the ministry said the refugees should not face oppression, coercion, or violence once they return to Afghanistan.

“Afghanistan’s wealthy people and investors are also expected to once again help Afghan refugees based on their Islamic and human feelings and brotherhood, as they have done in the past; ordinary Afghans should welcome their refugee brothers and sisters with open arms and do everything they can to help them.”

In 2023, Pakistan started a campaign to deport approximately four million Afghans who have entered the country over the past 40 years.

Last year, the authorities granted some leeway but Pakistan’s government then set a March 31 deadline to expel foreign nationals living in the country illegally. Islamabad did however push this deadline out a few days in light of Eid-ul-Fitr.

The Islamic Emirate said it has tried to put plans in place to accommodate an influx of refugees from Pakistan but stressed that any mistreatment of the refugees was unacceptable.

Ambassador Muhammad Sadiq Khan, Pakistan’s special envoy for Afghanistan, warned on Monday that “all deals with Afghanistan are off” if the Islamic Emirate government fails to act on Islamabad’s concerns regarding terrorism emanating from Afghan soil.

Pakistan has long accused the IEA of not doing enough to stop militants from carrying out attacks on Pakistani soil. The IEA has however repeatedly denied the accusations and said they will not allow any individual or group to threaten another country from Afghanistan. 

Addressing a seminar at the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI), Khan said: “TTP (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan) is a challenge, a big challenge for us. It cannot be tolerated because our young kids and boys are getting killed every day.”

“Afghanistan will have to work with us on this. If they are not working with us, then all deals are off. Nothing could have happened. There would be no further progress on anything,” he stated. 

His comments came only two weeks after his talks with senior IEA officials on a wide range of issues, including the TTP. 

Khan also stated at the seminar that in the past year, at least 500 Afghan nationals have been involved in terrorist attacks in Pakistan and that this number is on the rise. 

On the refugee issue, he said there has been an outcry about Islamabad’s decision to deport Afghans in Pakistan. He added however that so far this year only 568 Afghans have been deported, opposed to the 1.5 million Afghan refugees sent home from Iran last year. This, he said, did not cause an outcry as has happened in Pakistan. 

He also said India was behind militants in Afghanistan, providing them with financial support.