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Possible ban on UN’s female staff sparks widespread concern
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.
Pakistan says communities living along the Afghanistan-Pakistan Durand Line want peace and stability, despite ongoing security concerns in the region.
Speaking during a weekly media briefing, Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said there are no major issues between the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan, adding that residents on both sides of the Durand Line want peaceful relations and greater regional stability.
However, Andrabi claimed that terrorism originating from Afghan territory continues to undermine peace efforts.
He said Islamabad believes militant activity crossing from Afghanistan remains a significant obstacle to improving regional security and bilateral ties.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has repeatedly rejected such allegations, maintaining that no militant group is allowed to use Afghan soil to threaten neighboring countries.
Andrabi also said Pakistan remains diplomatically engaged on regional matters involving Afghanistan, Iran, India, and Somalia, stressing that dialogue and diplomacy remain Islamabad’s preferred means of resolving disputes.
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Afghanistan-Gambia ties discussed during Doha meeting
Both sides also exchanged views on strengthening diplomatic engagement and exploring future economic cooperation.
Suhail Shaheen, head of the Islamic Emirate’s embassy in Doha, has met with Omar Jah, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of The Gambia to Qatar, to discuss bilateral relations and areas of mutual interest.
According to a statement from the Afghan embassy in Doha, Jah also oversees Gambian diplomatic affairs related to Afghanistan.
The meeting focused on Afghanistan-Gambia relations, the current security situation in Afghanistan, and potential investment opportunities in the country.
Both sides also exchanged views on strengthening diplomatic engagement and exploring future economic cooperation.
Mahmood Khan Achakzai, a member of Pakistan’s National Assembly and head of the Pakhtunkhwa Awami National Party, has said that if capable statesmen had been in power, people living on both sides of the Durand Line could have moved freely across the line.
Speaking during a podcast interview, Achakzai said that countries with histories of major conflict, including Russia, Germany and the United Kingdom, now maintain far more open borders despite past wars. He said that in many such regions, only a “paper line” remains, with limited border restrictions.
Drawing comparisons with the disputed Durand Line boundary between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Achakzai argued that a similar arrangement could have been possible in South Asia.
“What is the problem here? A Punjabi could dance in Kandahar and a Pashtun could come here. Even if we are not formally one country, we could have effectively functioned like one,” he said.
The Pakistani politician also referred to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the later U.S.-led intervention, saying Afghanistan has the right to seek war reparations from those countries to support reconstruction efforts.
Achakzai further criticised the treatment of Pashtuns in Pakistan, alleging that individuals in cities including Lahore and Karachi have faced detention and deportation.
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