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Pakistan envoy concerned Afghanistan is being ‘forgotten’
Durrani warned that the dire economic situation could force Afghans to leave the country and head to Pakistan.
Another 9/11 could originate from Afghanistan, which has been forgotten by the international community, Pakistan’s special envoy for Afghanistan Asif Durrani said on Monday.
“Afghanistan has almost been forgotten. There is no doubt about it and this was in fact highlighted during the Doha 3 session in June.
“Humanitarian assistance is not up to the mark. Even last year only one-third of the commitments were fulfilled,” said Durrani.
He pointed out that the Ukraine war and the Israel-Palestine conflict has pushed Afghanistan out of the international spotlight, leaving it forgotten by the world.
He said with the limited news on the country in the media around the world, he thinks “it can push back Afghanistan to pre-9/11 conditions and which in fact then give birth to 9/11.”
Durrani warned that the dire economic situation could force Afghans to leave the country and head to Pakistan.
“This is something we should be sensitive about and the international community should know their responsibilities,” he added.
He also warned that reports of the presence of different terrorist groups, including Daesh, was a major challenge for the region and beyond.
“My worry is that ISKP (Daesh) is gaining ground inside Afghanistan and that should be a source of concern for everyone in the region and beyond because of their actions in Iran, their actions in Moscow and also many operations inside Pakistan. If that can happen here it can happen elsewhere.”
“So it should be a concern for everyone.”
However, Durrani also said he thinks the Islamic Emirate is on the path to being recognized internationally.
“We should not forget that they are faced with tremendous challenges. Number 1, they are not recognised by any country, secondly, when they came to power, their coffers were empty, thirdly, they were not expecting a meltdown of Ashraf Ghani government.”
“On the balance, if you look at it during the past 3 years, I think the security situation in Afghanistan has improved, there is less corruption, which is internationally acknowledged,” he added.
But Durrani questioned the Islamic Emirate’s actions in some aspects.
“The Afghan Taliban (Islamic Emirate) have also implemented certain rules and regulations which in fact may suit the Afghan conditions but certainly do not fit into the Islamic tenets which they claim they have implemented,” he said.
He welcomed the improved security situation in Afghanistan but said peace has become a problem for Pakistan as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have increased attacks on Pakistan by 70 percent in the past three years.
The Islamic Emirate has long been accused by Pakistan of allowing TTP to plot and plan attacks from Afghanistan.
On this, Durrani said diplomacy was working and he was confident the issue would be resolved.
Meanwhile, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan said that the entire country is under the control of the forces of the Islamic Emirate and is safe.
The Deputy Spokesman of the Islamic Emirate, Hamdullah Fitrat, said Afghanistan is not a threat to any country and the Islamic Emirate has made it clear that it does not allow the territory of Afghanistan to be used against the security of any other country.
“Rejecting any concerns on this matter, we say once again that the entire geography of Afghanistan is under the control of the forces of the Islamic Emirate and is safe,” said Fitrat.
Children recovering from malnutrition in Afghanistan often return to households that lack the resources to provide the nutritious food they need to fully recover and grow, Action Against Hunger has warned.
The organization said recurrent drought, poverty, food insecurity and limited household incomes are making it difficult for families to prevent children from falling back into malnutrition after completing treatment.
However, repeated drought and other climate-related shocks have reduced harvests and household income, leaving families struggling to provide adequate nutrition for their children.
Action Against Hunger said the situation highlights the need to go beyond treating malnutrition and address the underlying causes of hunger and poverty.
The warning comes as malnutrition cases continue to rise across Afghanistan. In June 2026, the Therapeutic Feeding Unit in Kabul recorded 142 new admissions, a 149 percent increase compared with the same period in 2025.
Similar increases have been reported in other provinces where Action Against Hunger operates. In Lashkar Gah, Helmand province, the organization expanded the capacity of its therapeutic feeding unit from 45 beds to 72 and then to 118 within a matter of weeks due to the sharp rise in cases.
Action Against Hunger said climate-related shocks, including severe winter conditions, drought and water shortages, have further weakened food security across the country. Water shortages have damaged agricultural production in rural areas, forcing some families to leave their homes in search of livelihoods and basic necessities.
The organization stressed that sustained investment in both emergency nutrition services and longer-term livelihood programmes is needed to help families break the cycle of poverty and recurrent malnutrition.
Cobi Rietveld, Afghanistan Country Director at Action Against Hunger, said addressing the root causes of hunger is essential for achieving lasting progress against malnutrition.
“When families have the means to earn a living and provide for their children, the benefits extend far beyond nutrition,” Rietveld said, adding that livelihood support can help families meet their needs with dignity, protect children’s futures and build resilience against future crises.
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UNESCO: 2.4 million Afghan girls denied education since 2021
UNESCO estimates that the ban could force around 600,000 Afghan women out of the workforce by 2066 and cause $9.6 billion in lost income. It could also increase the risk of early marriage.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said on Tuesday around 2.4 million Afghan girls have been denied secondary education since the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) returned to power in 2021.
In a statement on Tuesday, UNESCO said Afghanistan is the only country in the world where girls and women are officially barred from secondary and higher education.
The organization warned that the restrictions could increase poverty, reduce employment opportunities and cause long-term damage to Afghanistan’s future.
UNESCO estimates that the ban could force around 600,000 Afghan women out of the workforce by 2066 and cause $9.6 billion in lost income. It could also increase the risk of early marriage.
Girls’ secondary schools were closed in March 2022, followed by a ban on women attending universities in December of the same year. The IEA initially described the restrictions as temporary, but they remain in place.
UNESCO also warned that the restrictions could worsen Afghanistan’s shortage of female teachers. It estimates the country could face a shortage of more than 11,000 qualified female teachers by 2030.
The organization said more than 90% of 10-year-old children in Afghanistan cannot read a simple text, while the national literacy rate is around 37%.
Nearly half of the country’s schools also lack adequate access to water, sanitation or heating, UNESCO said.
According to the report, around three million people returned to Afghanistan in 2025, putting further pressure on the education system. Since 2021, earthquakes, floods and other natural disasters have also forced around 1,000 schools to close.
Russia’s Power Machines Company is interested in investing in the rehabilitation and modernization of Afghanistan’s power plants, Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) said on Tuesday.
DABS Chief Executive Officer Abdul Haq Hamkar discussed the potential investment with technical officials from Power Machines, with talks focusing on rehabilitating existing power plants, modernizing equipment and expanding power-generation capacity.
According to DABS, Hamkar said the company would cooperate in facilitating preliminary technical assessments of Afghanistan’s power plants and in exploring investment opportunities in the sector.
Denis Rudakov, head of Power Machines’ commercial department, said the Russian company plans to conduct preliminary technical assessments of existing power plants in Afghanistan.
Based on the findings, Power Machines will prepare proposals for rehabilitating facilities, modernizing equipment and increasing electricity-generation capacity, DABS said.
Afghanistan currently has several operational power plants, while efforts are underway to increase their generation capacity and upgrade their equipment, according to DABS.
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