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Pakistan sets up 24/7 call center for Afghan refugees amid ongoing deportations
The helpline service was launched in line with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar’s commitment during his visit to Kabul.
Pakistan has set up a 24/7 hotline to assist Afghan nationals and respond to complaints of harassment during their repatriation, according to a statement issued on Sunday, amid growing criticism of Islamabad’s ongoing deportation campaign.
The decision comes a day after Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar visited Kabul and met with senior Islamic Emirate officials to discuss a number of issues including the mass deportation of Afghans from Pakistan.
“Pakistan has set up a 24/7 Federal Control Room at the National Crisis Information Management Cell (NCIMC) to assist Afghan nationals and address complaints of harassment during repatriation,” a statement noted.
According to the statement, issued by the office of Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Sadiq Khan, the helpline service was launched in line with Dar’s commitment during his visit to Kabul.
Dar reportedly promised that Pakistan’s interior ministry would issue a notification within 48 hours to streamline a complaints mechanism for Afghan returnees.
On Sunday, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said Dar spoke with Acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to thank him for the hospitality extended during the visit.
Both leaders expressed satisfaction over the outcome of their talks and agreed to “expeditiously implement the decisions taken for the mutual benefit of the people of the two countries,” the ministry said
Dar also invited Muttaqi to visit Pakistan, an invitation the Afghan official accepted.
This latest move comes amid Islamabad’s drive to deport more than 800,000 Afghan refugees from the country – many of whom have lived in Pakistan for decades.
Rights groups and Afghan officials have in recent weeks voiced concern over the treatment of refugees. Many of these refugees have reported harassment, arbitrary arrests, seizure of property and possessions and family separations.
According to Pakistan, almost 85,000 Afghan refugees have returned to Afghanistan since April 1.
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Afghanistan expresses condolences over deadly gas facility blast in Qatar
At least thirteen people were killed and 66 people injured after an explosion at Qatar’s core LNG processing site of Ras Laffan on Sunday, Energy Minister Saad al-Kaab said on Monday.
In a statement, the ministry conveyed its sympathy to the government and people of Qatar, as well as to the families of the victims affected by the tragedy.
The ministry also wished the injured a swift and full recovery, prayed for mercy and forgiveness for those who lost their lives, and extended its heartfelt condolences to their families, asking for patience and strength for them during this difficult time.
At least thirteen people were killed and 66 people injured after an explosion at Qatar’s core LNG processing site of Ras Laffan on Sunday, Energy Minister Saad al-Kaab said on Monday.
The Embassy of the State of Qatar in Kabul held a roundtable discussion on Afghanistan’s relations with the international community, bringing together representatives from the United Nations and Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The meeting was attended by Georgette Gagnon, Acting Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Political Affairs, as well as Scott Smith, Head of UNAMA’s Political Affairs Division.
The Afghan side was represented by Zakir Jalaly, Head of the Second Political Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Abdul Hai Qanit, Director of the Strategic Studies Center at the ministry.
According to a statement issued by the Qatari Embassy, discussions focused on the future of Afghanistan’s relations with the international community and explored ways to support and strengthen those ties.
The roundtable reflects ongoing diplomatic efforts to encourage dialogue and engagement on Afghanistan’s international relations amid evolving regional and global dynamics.
Belgium said on Monday it had issued five visas to an Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) delegation to attend an EU meeting on migration in Brussels, in what would be the first time the EU has hosted the IEA since it returned to power in Afghanistan five years ago.
The visas are restricted in both geographical scope and duration, allowing travel only to Belgium and for a single day, a Belgian foreign ministry spokesperson said, adding that the date of the visit would not be disclosed for security reasons.
Two European officials said the delegation had been granted one-day visas valid only on Tuesday, June 23, Reuters reported.
The Commission last month invited IEA officials to Brussels to discuss deportations of Afghan migrants.
The Commission said the meeting is technical and does not constitute recognition of IEA rule.
“Member States are looking into ways to return persons who have committed serious crimes and who are possibly a security threat. So this is the initiative that the Commission is now following up on,” Commission spokesman Markus Lammert told the EU’s daily press briefing on Monday.
According to a letter seen by Reuters and addressed to Abdul Qaher Balkhi, an Afghan foreign ministry spokesman, it will focus on “the return and readmission of Afghan nationals without a right to stay in the European Union”.
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