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Pakistan to issue smart cards to over 1.4 million Afghan refugees

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The Government of Pakistan, with the support of UNHCR, has launched a nationwide verification exercise for 1.4 million Afghan refugees during which new smartcards will be issued.

The Documentation Renewal and Information Verification Exercise, or DRIVE for short, was inaugurated at a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Islamabad by the Federal Minister for SAFRON, His Excellency Mehboob Sultan. The UNHCR Representative, Noriko Yoshida, and the Chief Commissioner for Afghan Refugees, Saleem Khan, were also present on the occasion.

During the six-month exercise, registered Afghan refugees who currently hold Proof of Registration (POR) cards will be provided with new smart cards.

“The DRIVE exercise is a leap forward for everyone,” Yoshida said, welcoming its launch. “This step will allow refugees to have better, faster, and safer access to services, including schools, hospitals, and banks.”

Yoshida added that in addition to verifying existing data, the exercise will record Afghan refugees’ skill sets, level of education, socio-economic circumstances, allowing better-targeted health, education, and livelihood support in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

“Pakistan has been hosting Afghan refugees for four decades, and a lot has changed since the last verification exercise 10 years ago. It’s crucial that we update the data of Afghan refugees to understand their situation better,” said the Federal Minister for SAFRON.

Sultan added, “As the country hosting one of the most protracted refugee situations in the world, Pakistan has strived to play its part in assisting and protecting refugees. It’s important the international community also continue to come forward, and share the responsibility and help find solutions.”

The Federal Minister for SAFRON urged POR cardholders to participate fully in this exercise. He also requested that they take all precautionary measures and observe COVID-19 protocols.

Six hundred male and female staff – a combination of government and UNHCR – will be working at some 35 DRIVE verification sites around the country, and using mobile registration vehicles, to support refugees throughout the exercise.

Measures are in place at all DRIVE sites to mitigate COVID-19 risks through enhanced hygiene, physical distancing, and the scheduling of set numbers of appointments each day.

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IEA hopes Trump govt will usher in new chapter between Kabul and Washington

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Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi said late Wednesday in a statement that in the light of a balanced foreign policy, the ministry hopes that the future American government under newly elected president Donald Trump will take realistic steps to achieve its goals so that significant progress can be made in relations between Kabul and Washington.

Balkhi said it is hoped that both countries can open a new chapter of relations in light of mutual interaction.

He added that the Doha agreement between the Islamic Emirate and the United States was signed during the presidency of Donald Trump, and after that, the 20-year occupation ended in Afghanistan.

He stated IEA hopes that Trump may play a constructive role in ending the current war in the region and the world, especially in Gaza and Lebanon.

Donald Trump on Wednesday won the presidential election in the US after beating Kamala Harris.

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DABS owed 12 billion AFN by former government officials

At present, 950 megawatts of electricity is consumed annually in the country, of which just over 300 megawatts is produced domestically and the balance is imported from neighboring countries.

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Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS), the country’s power utility company, said Wednesday that ex-officials of the former government and state institutions owe 12 billion afghanis (AFN) in unpaid electricity debt.

The head of DABS has warned the ex-officials that if they do not pay the electricity consumption fee, their houses and assets will be seized.

Last year, DABS announced that it had collected $681 million dollars in debt from former officials and commercial and industrial companies.

Head of Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS), Abdul Bari Omar, said Tuesday that the utility company pays for their imported power on the 27th and 28th of every month.

According to Omar, the company is up-to-date on its payments.

Last year, DABS's spokesperson said the company had settled debt totaling $627 million that had been carried over from the former government.

This money was paid to Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Iran.

Omar stated that in the last three months, energy production projects worth $400 million have been put into operation and other projects are on the agenda.

According to him, these projects include wind, gas, coal and solar energy initiatives.

On the Kajaki dam in Helmand, he said the dam will be able to produce 150 megawatts of electricity within the next year.

While efforts are being made to increase electricity production, Afghans continue to struggle with little or no power.

At present, 950 megawatts of electricity is consumed annually in the country, of which just over 300 megawatts is produced domestically and the balance is imported from neighboring countries.

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Afghanistan poppy cultivation grows 19 percent despite ban: UN

Many farmers in Afghanistan, one of the poorest countries in the world, were hit hard financially by the ban and have not been able to reap the same profits from alternative crops

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Opium cultivation rose by 19 percent in Afghanistan this year, the UN reported Wednesday, despite a ban by the Islamic Emirate that almost eradicated the crop.

According to a new report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), there are currently 12,800 hectares of poppies being cultivated in Afghanistan.

The 19 percent increase year-on-year remains far below the 232,000 hectares cultivated when the IEA’s supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada banned the crop in April 2022.

UNODC also stated that the center of poppy cultivation has shifted and is now concentrated in northeastern provinces instead of in the south.

The agency stated that following the poppy ban, prices soared for the resin from which opium and heroin are made.

During the first half of 2024, prices stabilized around $730 per kilogram, according to UNODC, compared to about $100 per kg before 2022.

For years Afghanistan was the world's biggest supplier of opium and heroin.

Many farmers in Afghanistan, one of the poorest countries in the world, were hit hard financially by the ban and have not been able to reap the same profits from alternative crops.

Even legal crops are only a short-term solution, according to the International Crisis Group (ICG), "so the focus should be on job creation in non-farm industries".

The UNODC and the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) called for international support for farmers to transition to alternative crops and livelihoods, something the IEA government has requested.

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