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No recognition of IEA until women’s rights and constitution issues are addressed: UN envoy
“We are trying to establish a process and preserve an important mechanism of consultation. We must be realistic about how much each meeting in this process can deliver, especially at this early stage where confidence and trust are insufficient,” she said.
The United Nations envoy for Afghanistan, Roza Otunbayeva, said on Friday Afghans broadly agree that it is important for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) to attend the upcoming Doha format meeting, but that there should also be no recognition of IEA until the issues of women’s rights, girls’ education, and an acceptable constitution were broadly addressed.
Addressing the Security Council in New York, Otunbayeva said that Afghans expect that the restrictions on women’s rights will be forcefully addressed in the upcoming meeting, but noted that expectations cannot realistically be met in a single meeting.
“We are trying to establish a process and preserve an important mechanism of consultation. We must be realistic about how much each meeting in this process can deliver, especially at this early stage where confidence and trust are insufficient,” she said.
The envoy said that engagement has led to some flexibility by IEA. “It has at the very least led to greater understanding and trust-building on all sides,” she said.
US deputy envoy Robert Wood said that the international community must insist on reversing IEA restrictions on women and girls.
“We must ensure that women and civil society participants have a voice in Doha at the UN-hosted meeting of Special Envoys coming up in a few weeks. Their concerns must be highlighted in all deliberations on Afghanistan’s future,” he said.
The envoy noted that the UN has an important role to play in Afghanistan’s re-integration into the international system.
UK Political Counsellor Fergus Eckersley also called for the IEA to reverse all policies restricting human rights and fundamental freedoms in Afghanistan.
Noting that the 2024 Afghanistan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan is only 20 percent funded, he urged the international community to increase their support. He said that the UK is on track to deliver over $190 million in aid this year.
The Islamic Emirate has repeatedly emphasized that it is committed to ensuring the Shariah rights of women and girls, and that countries should not interfere in this matter.
The third Doha meeting on Afghanistan is scheduled to be held on June 30. The Islamic Emirate, which did not attend the previous meetings, has announced that it will participate in the upcoming meeting.
Zakir Jalali, Director of the Third Political Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan, said on Friday that the discussions of the third Doha meeting on Afghanistan will focus on private sector, financial, banking, counter-narcotics and alternative livelihood issues.
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Afghanistan-Gambia ties discussed during Doha meeting
Both sides also exchanged views on strengthening diplomatic engagement and exploring future economic cooperation.
Suhail Shaheen, head of the Islamic Emirate’s embassy in Doha, has met with Omar Jah, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of The Gambia to Qatar, to discuss bilateral relations and areas of mutual interest.
According to a statement from the Afghan embassy in Doha, Jah also oversees Gambian diplomatic affairs related to Afghanistan.
The meeting focused on Afghanistan-Gambia relations, the current security situation in Afghanistan, and potential investment opportunities in the country.
Both sides also exchanged views on strengthening diplomatic engagement and exploring future economic cooperation.
Mahmood Khan Achakzai, a member of Pakistan’s National Assembly and head of the Pakhtunkhwa Awami National Party, has said that if capable statesmen had been in power, people living on both sides of the Durand Line could have moved freely across the line.
Speaking during a podcast interview, Achakzai said that countries with histories of major conflict, including Russia, Germany and the United Kingdom, now maintain far more open borders despite past wars. He said that in many such regions, only a “paper line” remains, with limited border restrictions.
Drawing comparisons with the disputed Durand Line boundary between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Achakzai argued that a similar arrangement could have been possible in South Asia.
“What is the problem here? A Punjabi could dance in Kandahar and a Pashtun could come here. Even if we are not formally one country, we could have effectively functioned like one,” he said.
The Pakistani politician also referred to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the later U.S.-led intervention, saying Afghanistan has the right to seek war reparations from those countries to support reconstruction efforts.
Achakzai further criticised the treatment of Pashtuns in Pakistan, alleging that individuals in cities including Lahore and Karachi have faced detention and deportation.
Kyrgyzstan has completed major construction work on its territory under the regional energy project CASA-1000, according to a recent report by the Eurasian Stabilization and Development Fund (ESDF). With key infrastructure now in place, further progress on the project depends on the completion of construction in Afghanistan, which is expected by the end of 2027.
The report notes that Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Pakistan have largely finalized their respective infrastructure components and are now awaiting the completion of the Afghan section before moving forward with full operational stages.
The CASA-1000 project, valued at approximately $1.2 billion, aims to establish a high-voltage electricity transmission line linking Central and South Asia. The initiative is designed to enable Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to export surplus hydropower during summer months, when electricity demand rises in Pakistan and Afghanistan due to increased use of cooling systems.
Construction work in Afghanistan was suspended in August 2021, at a stage when only about 18 percent of transmission structures had been installed, although more than 90 percent of equipment had already been delivered to the country. Following extended negotiations and security assurances, work on the Afghan section resumed in December 2024.
ESDF experts say that once construction in Afghanistan is completed, participating countries will be able to begin technical testing of the high-voltage direct current (HVDC) system. A full launch of the regional energy corridor is expected by the end of 2027, marking a significant milestone in regional energy integration between Central and South Asia.
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