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Pakistan suggests world gathering on Afghan refugee issue
Muhammad Abbas Khan said a summit could encourage Western countries to increase their quotas and expedite the resettlement process of Afghan refugees
Pakistan on Tuesday suggested an international multilateral summit be convened to bring together stakeholders to address challenges related to the voluntary repatriation and third-country resettlement of Afghan refugees.
According to Pakistani media, the idea was floated by Muhammad Abbas Khan, chief commissioner for Afghan refugees (CCAR) at the Ministry of States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON), at an Islamabad seminar.
Dawn News reported that Khan suggested the main objective of such a conference should be to encourage Western countries to increase their quotas and expedite the process for admitting Afghan applicants into their countries from Pakistan.
Speaking at a seminar titled “Challenges and Opportunities in Repatriation and Resettlement of Afghan Refugees”, Khan emphasized the importance of international burden-sharing.
He shared that there were around 600,000 Afghan resettlement applicants registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) but that the organization’s quota for resettlement applications for the year was only 8,000.
This, he said, was very unrealistic.
He also stated that the repatriation process of Afghan refugees posed numerous challenges.
According to him, Pakistan has repatriated over four million Afghan refugees since 2002.
He also said Afghanistan’s capacity to absorb large numbers of refugees was limited.
Khan said a tripartite meeting with the Afghan government and the UNHCR would be held soon to discuss issues related to refugees.
According to Dawn News, he stated that the repatriation process of illegal Afghans had gone smoothly and successfully and over 600,000 had returned since the process began in November 2023.
The United Nations meanwhile announced earlier this week that 2.2 million Afghan migrants returned from Iran and Pakistan between September 15, 2023 and September 30, 2024.
On Sunday, November 17, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) released new data, noting that many of the deported individuals were provided with initial assistance.
The UN agency added that the Iranian government has intensified its deportation of Afghan migrants, resulting in hundreds of individuals crossing the borders into Afghanistan daily.
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Islamic Emirate’s army now self-sufficient, says chief of army staff
Mohammad Fasihuddin Fitrat, Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces, says that over the past four years, the army forces of the Islamic Emirate have shown no hesitation in defending and protecting Afghanistan, and that today the country’s army is standing on its own feet.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Defense, Fitrat made these remarks at a meeting with media representatives, political analysts, and a number of government officials aimed at coordination and strengthening cooperation. He added: “Nations that cannot stand on their own feet and rely on others, even if they grow, will not be capable of achieving real progress.”
Fitrat also expressed appreciation for the role of the media in ensuring security and in supporting the country’s defense forces, stating: “We and you, as citizens of this land, must put our hands together and build the country together, take pride in our forces, and strive with all our strength for the country’s development. We have created an army that defends honor, territorial integrity, and the borders of the country, and serves as the guardian of our freedom.”
He emphasized that the Islamic Emirate is working to establish an army equipped with modern weapons so that it can defend the country’s territory under all circumstances.
He stated that the country’s army has proven to the people that anyone who looks at this land with ill intent will face a firm and courageous response, and that it has also been made clear to neighboring countries that any aggression against Afghanistan will be met with a response several times stronger.
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Afghan health minister attends second WHO summit in India
Noor Jalal Jalali, the Minister of Public Health of the Islamic Emirate, participated in the second World Health Organization meeting on traditional medicine during his official visit to India.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the Ministry of Public Health said that the meeting was held in India with the participation of representatives from around 100 countries, health ministers from 23 countries, professional experts from various nations, and officials from different departments of the World Health Organization.
During the meeting, discussions were held on the standardization of traditional medicine, training of individuals active in this field, recognition of traditional medicine as an established reality, and the sharing of countries’ experiences in this area.
The ministry stated that the purpose of participating in the conference was to standardize traditional medicine in Afghanistan, adding that for several decades this sector has been practiced in a non-standard manner and without a defined curriculum or clear principles.
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Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan boost trade and digital finance ties
Minister Sydykov, in turn, pledged the continuation of Kyrgyzstan’s humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and highlighted his country’s interest in working together on e-governance initiatives.
Afghanistan’s Deputy Prime Minister for Administrative Affairs, Abdul Salam Hanafi, has met with a high-level Kyrgyz delegation led by Minister of Economy and Commerce Bakhyt Sydykov to discuss expanding bilateral trade and strengthening cooperation in digital financial services.
During the meeting, Hanafi reaffirmed Afghanistan’s readiness to deepen ties with Kyrgyzstan, stressing the importance of developing electronic administration systems and modern banking channels to facilitate trade and financial transactions between the two countries.
Minister Sydykov, in turn, pledged the continuation of Kyrgyzstan’s humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and highlighted his country’s interest in working together on e-governance initiatives. He also pointed to potential cooperation in areas such as the printing of securities and the development of electronic payment systems.
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