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OIC chief says he will ‘pursue dialogue’ with IEA and int’l community

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(Last Updated On: March 22, 2022)

The head of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation said on Tuesday that the 48th Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers meeting will tackle a number of issues and that the organization will address the situation in Afghanistan.

Speaking during the opening session of the meeting, in Islamabad, the Secretary-General of the OIC, Hissein Brahim Taha, also said that foreign ministers would discuss the political and security situation in Afghanistan with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA).

In his address to delegates, Taha said: “I will pursue dialogue for peace, security and development in Afghanistan with de facto authorities and international partners.”

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan also commented on Afghanistan during the opening session and said: “We call for more efforts to help the brotherly Afghan people and we call on Afghans to help themselves by ensuring that Afghan lands are not used as a haven for extremist groups and respect for human rights, including Women’s right to education.”

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan meanwhile gave the opening speech at the two-day meeting and said the OIC needs to encourage the Afghan people and include them in the international community.

He said he believed the “people of Afghanistan are strong enough to evolve and go in the right direction.”

Imran Khan also said no other people had suffered as much as Afghans but noted that for the first time in over 40 years, there was no conflict in the country.

“The only danger now is through the sanctions [imposed on Afghanistan] and non-recognition”, which could cause a humanitarian crisis, he said.

Imran Khan stated that it was “extremely important” to stabilize Afghanistan because it was the “only way we are going to be able to stop international terrorism from Afghan soil”.

“Let’s not be delusional that some other country can come in and fight terrorism through drones. The only way is a stable Afghanistan government that can take care of terrorism.

“Anyone who knows the Afghan character should be cautioned, please do not push the people of Afghanistan where they feel their sovereignty is being threatened.”

The meeting, however, is taking place in the midst of Imran Khan’s toughest political phase as he is facing a no-confidence motion.

Nearly two dozen lawmakers of his own Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party have turned against him in the past week. The session for a vote on the motion has been called on 25 March.

Afghanistan has sent a delegation to Islamabad for the meeting but Pakistan’s Dawn News reported that Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi was not present.

According to Dawn News, another IEA official, Muhammad Akbar Azeemi, is leading the Afghan delegation.

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Contract worth $53 million signed for construction of last section of Khaf–Herat railway

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(Last Updated On: March 29, 2024)

A contract worth $53 million was signed Thursday for the construction of the last section of Khaf-Herat railway that connects Afghanistan with Iran.

The contract was signed between Afghanistan Railway Authority and Gamma Group in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, his office said in a statement.

The segment is 47-kilometer long, stretching from Rabat Parian to Herat International Airport and the Industrial Town, according to the statement.

It added that completion and standard operational readiness are expected within approximately two years.

“Upon its completion, this segment will integrate the Khaf-Herat regional connectivity project with Iran’s significant seaports and facilitate access to Europe via the Turkish railway network,” the statement said.

“Furthermore, traversing Afghan territory, it will bolster commercial exchanges between Central and South Asia. Notably, this project’s realization will enable the expansion of railway networks into Farah, Nimruz, Helmand, and Kandahar provinces,” it added.

Gamma operates across Europe and Asia in multiple sectors including construction, renewable energy, power transmission, mining, railways among others.

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US urges IEA to fulfill counter-terrorism commitments

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(Last Updated On: March 29, 2024)

The US State Department said on Thursday that Washington is committed to ensuring that Afghanistan can never again be a launching pad for terrorism.

“We remain committed to ensuring that Afghanistan can never again be a launching pad for terrorism, and we continue to push the Taliban (Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan) to fulfill all of their counterterrorism commitments to the international community,” the department’s spokesperson Matthew Miller said at a news briefing in Washington.

He reiterated that the United States had clearly communicated to the IEA that it’s their responsibility to ensure that “they give no safe haven to terrorists, whether it be Al Qaeda or ISIS-K or any other terrorist organization”.

Miller also reassured US allies that Washington was closely watching the developments in Afghanistan and was ready to deal with any threat emerging from the region.

“We remain vigilant against the evolving threat of these terrorist groups, and our global coalition to defeat ISIS and the C5+1 help intensify our efforts to monitor terrorist threats from the region and prevent their ability to raise funds, travel, and spread propaganda,” he said.

C5+1 refers to a diplomatic platform involving the five Central Asian states (Kazakhstan, Kyrgy­zstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) and the United States. It serves as a forum for discussing and addressing regional issues such as security, economic development, and cooperation.

“The United States remains vigilant against the evolving threat posed by terrorist groups, including ISIS-K, and has maintained an unwavering focus on terrorism since President Joe Biden took office three years ago,” Miller said.

The US, he said, was “working both unilaterally and with its partners to successfully disrupt threats across the globe and degrade ISIS”.

“We will continue to work to hold ISIS accountable for its actions and to prevent terrorist attacks against the United States and other Western countries,” Miller said.

This comes as IEA has repeatedly said that it is committed to not allowing anyone to use Afghanistan soil against any other country.

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IEA condemns Israel for confiscating 800 hectares of land in West Bank’s Jordan Valley

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(Last Updated On: March 29, 2024)

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) strongly condemned on Thursday Israel’s decision to seize 800 hectares of land in the occupied West Bank’s Jordan Valley region.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said that the recent actions by “the Zionist regime demonstrate that it does not to adhere to international laws, especially international humanitarian law.”

“Continuation of such unilateral actions and ignoring the rights of Palestinian people will further deteriorate the situation,” the statement said.

“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan expects international actors, particularly influential regional Muslim countries to fulfill their legitimate, human and moral responsibilities in supporting the oppressed people of Palestine and prevent the expansion of illegal settlements in the occupied territories,” it added.

Israeli media have reported that Israel seized 800 hectares of land in the Jordan Valley region of the occupied West Bank, claiming it as “state land.”

It is reported the seized land could be used for the construction of illegal Jewish settlements.

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