Latest News
Pakistan ends ‘drive’ to issue smartcards to registered Afghan refugees
The Pakistan government has concluded its country-wide campaign to verify and update the data of an estimated 1.4 million registered Afghan refugees and to issue them with smart identity cards, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, said Sunday.
Following a short pilot, the campaign, supported by UNHCR, began on 15 April 2021 and ended on 31 December 2021. It was the first large-scale verification of refugees in Pakistan in the last 10 years.
According to early provisional results, the data of 1.25 million Afghan refugees was updated and expanded as a result of the campaign, officially known as the documentation renewal and information verification exercise (DRIVE).
Among them were 200,000 children under the age of five who were registered by their refugee parents.
More than 700,000 new smart identity cards have also been issued to date. The remaining cards will be printed and distributed in early 2022.
These cards, which will be valid until 30 June 2023, contain biometric data and are technologically compatible with systems used in Pakistan to authenticate the identities of nationals.
The new smart identity cards are an essential protection tool for Afghan refugees and give them faster and safer access to health and education facilities and to banking services, UNHCR said in a statement.
Panjshir’s Parande hydropower dam has been fully completed and is now approaching the operational phase, officials announced on Saturday.
The spokesperson for the governor of Panjshir, Saifuddin Laton, said that for the first time, the province will benefit from electricity generated from its own water resources.
Laton added that the project was designed and implemented by Ukrainian electrical engineers in collaboration with the company Inter Global Middle East, at a cost of $7.6 million.
The dam is expected to have a generation capacity of four megawatts.
Noorullah Noori, the Minister of Borders and Tribal Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, has called Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif a “mentally ill” person for threatening Afghanistan with attacks.
Speaking at a gathering, Noori asked Khawaja Asif to study history before making a decision.
He said: “Your history against Bangladesh and India is clear. Our history against Russia, America and Britain is clear. You judge.”
Pakistani officials have consistently claimed that attacks in the country are organized by militants in Afghanistan, a claim that the Islamic Emirate denies.
Pakistan carried out attacks in Kabul and Paktika about a month ago, which led to deadly clashes between the two sides.
The two sides have held three rounds of talks, but the talks have been inconclusive.
Tahawol: Kabul warning amid Afghan-Pakistan talks deadlock
Saar: Why third Kabul-Islamabad talks hit deadlock
Parande hydropower dam in Panjshir fully completed
Islamic Development Bank to build standard cardiac hospital in Kabul
Morocco defeats Afghanistan 4–0 in Islamic Solidarity Games futsal tournament
Gazans trek to ruined homes as Israeli forces pull back under ceasefire
Seven Israeli hostages freed in ceasefire deal after more than two years
Season 3 of Amir Hajizada Kabul Premier League kicks off with opening ceremony in Kabul
Trump arrives in Israel as hostage release begins
Islamic Emirate warns Pakistan over border incursions; Cancels Kabul visit
Tahawol: Kabul warning amid Afghan-Pakistan talks deadlock
Saar: Why third Kabul-Islamabad talks hit deadlock
Tawsia: Afghanistan’s self-sufficiency and transit problems discussed
Tahawol: Third round of Kabul-Islamabad talks in Turkey discussed
Saar: Russia’s positive remarks on Afghanistan discussed
-
Sport4 days agoRasooli to lead Afghanistan in Rising Stars Asia Cup 2025 Defense
-
Sport5 days agoAfghanistan futsal team thrashes Tajikistan 9–5 in ISG opener
-
Sport3 days agoAfghanistan to face Iran in Islamic Solidarity Games futsal clash
-
Sport2 days agoAfghanistan crush Nepal, South Africa in Hong Kong Sixes
-
Latest News4 days agoAfghan foreign ministry rejects Pakistan’s claim of multiple calls from Muttaqi
-
Latest News2 days agoIndia to establish agricultural research center in Afghanistan
-
Business4 days agoAriana Airlines slashes cargo fees to boost Afghanistan’s trade
-
Latest News2 days agoPakistan urges Islamic Emirate to relocate TTP to Afghanistan, sources say