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Possible ban on UN’s female staff sparks widespread concern

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Responding to indications by the UN in Afghanistan that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) plans to stop Afghan women from working for the organization has sparked widespread concern among the international community.

In a tweet on Wednesday, former US special envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad said the IEA had to respect women’s rights to education and work in the “public and private” sectors during Doha negotiations.

He said the IEA must fulfill its commitment to the agreement.

Khalilzad also said any decision to ban women from working in UN offices is "wrong" and will increase the suffering of the Afghan people.

According to him, such actions will reduce humanitarian aid to the country and emphasized that a decision of this nature would complicate the interactions of the international community with the IEA and harm the interests of Afghanistan.

"Afghan women have the inalienable right to study and work, these rights are recognized in Islam and international conventions," Khalilzad tweeted.

Concerns were raised on Tuesday when the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) got to hear that the IEA was clamping down on its female staff.

In a tweet on Tuesday, UNAMA said its female staff in Nangarhar had been stopped from reporting for work. Reuters then reported that the instructions were applicable countrywide.

UNAMA expressed its concern and warned the IEA it would not be able to continue its work without female employees.

UN Secretary-General Guterres tweeted: "I strongly condemn the prohibition of our Afghan female colleagues from working in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province."

"If this measure is not reversed, it will inevitably undermine our ability to deliver life-saving aid to the people who need it."

The Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, also reacted on his Twitter page and said the IEA decision to ban Afghan women UN staff from working is another gross violation of their fundamental rights, is against the UN Charter and will seriously impact essential services for Afghans. Women staff are essential, he said.

“I urge Taliban (IEA) to reverse the decision immediately,” Bennett tweeted.

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Armed attack on civilians in Daikundi-Ghor area sparks international reactions

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Daesh-affiliated members' armed attack on civilians in an area between Daikundi and Ghor provinces has provoked international reactions. In this attack, 14 civilians were killed.

The United Nations has condemned the attack on Hazara community and described it as "heinous".

UNAMA has urged the Islamic Emirate to identify the perpetrators of this attack.

Karen Decker, Chargé d'Affaires of the US Mission to Afghanistan, has also strongly condemned the attack and expressed her condolences to victims and their families.

The Embassy of Japan in Afghanistan also condemned the attack in a post on X and called it “heinous terrorist attack”.

IEA’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed on Friday that 14 civilians were killed in an attack in an area between Daikundi and Ghor provinces.

Daesh claimed responsibility for the attack.

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US aid to Afghanistan should be conditioned on treatment of women and children: McCaul

McCaul also said that by not including the Afghan government in the Doha negotiations, Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US special representative for Afghanistan peace, made a big error.

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Michael McCaul, Republican chair of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee, has said that any aid or assistance Washington gives to Afghanistan has to be conditioned on treatment of women and children.

In an interview with the Voice of America, McCaul said that girls in Afghanistan should be allowed to go to school and enjoy their fundemental rights.

Referring to the restrictions against women, he said that Afghanistan has now returned to the "Stone Age".

McCaul also said that by not including the Afghan government in the Doha negotiations, Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US special representative for Afghanistan peace, made a big error.

“They (Afghan government) felt like they were sidelined,” he said.

McCaul also stated that the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan without an action plan was a “fatal flaw” because many Americans and their Afghan allies were left behind.

This comes as the Islamic Emirate has said that the rights of women and girls are an internal issue of Afghanistan and Sharia laws must be respected.

IEA has also said that foreign aid to Afghanistan is managed by international organizations and the Islamic Emirate does not use it.

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Pakistan’s ex-PM Khan says terrorism cannot be eliminated without dialogue with Afghanistan

He said that a large number of policemen in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been killed in the fight against terrorism and if terrorism is not controlled, the economy will come to a standstill.

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Pakistan's jailed former prime minister, Imran Khan, said on Friday that terrorism cannot be eliminated without having dialogue with the authorities in Afghanistan.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Khan expressed his support for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapour's proposal for a direct dialogue with Kabul.

“Ali Amin is absolutely right,” Imran Khan stated. “They should be beseeching him to go and talk to Afghanistan for the sake of God."

A day earlier, Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif criticized Gandapur's plan to talk to Kabul, saying it was a direct attack on the federal government.

When questioned about the possibility of a province directly engaging with another country when a federal government and the Foreign Office were already in place, Imran Khan replied: "Forget the Foreign Office, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been the most affected by terrorism.”

He said that a large number of policemen in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been killed in the fight against terrorism and if terrorism is not controlled, the economy will come to a standstill.

Khan urged the government to lend a hand to anyone attempting to eradicate the menace of terrorism.

"If someone is trying to end terrorism, cooperate with them," he stated, dismissing the perception that Gandapur’s intentions were anti-state. "Ali Amin is speaking in the favour of the country, not against it."

Clarifying Gandapur’s stance, he pointed out, "Ali Amin spoke about going but didn’t say he was leaving immediately, — he didn’t even fix a time." Khan concluded his talk by saying, "What wrong has Ali Amin said?"

Gandapur announced on Wednesday that he would send a delegation to Afghanistan to resolve bilateral issues.

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