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Sarwar Danish says enemy playing a psychological war game

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Second Vice President Sarwar Danesh said on Thursday Afghanistan’s enemy was playing a psychological war game by trying to create fear, panic, despair and division as it stepped up high-profile targeted assassinations around the country. 
 
Speaking at the First Human Rights Defenders National Conference in Kabul he also said Afghanistan’s political system and Constitution were not in contradication of the principles, values, beliefs and rules of Islam.
 
Referring to recent assassinations and attempted assassinations, Danesh said under the current circumstances “we need to tighten our ranks in every way and not give in to the enemy’s psychological warfare.”
 
Danish said the aim of recent attacks was to destabilize the entire system, the values of the past 20 years, to create fear, panic, despair, division, distance between government and the people, to gain points at the negotiating table or to stop the peace process.
 
Speaking at the same conference, Aziz Rafiee, head of Afghan Civil Society Forum and chairman of the Human Rights Defenders Committee, said that human rights defenders face many threats and that the committee has so far this year registered 54 cases in this regard. 
 
He said the Joint Commission for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, chaired by Professor Sarwar Danesh, is expected to improve the working and living conditions of human rights defenders, adding that the committee reaffirms its commitment and co-operation to the commission. 
 
Shahzad Akbar, head of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) also addressed the conference and raised the issue of threats made against human rights defenders.
 
Akbar said that a mechanism should be set up to protect and secure human rights defenders, and that the role of government and international institutions was crucial in this regard.
 
Sima Samar, former minister of the State Ministry for Human Rights Affairs, told the conference that ensuring the security and safety of human rights defenders is the responsibility of  government, but that in this instance everyone’s cooperation is necessary.
 
A UNAMA Representative also addressed the conference and stated that recent insurgent attacks show how much human rights defenders in the country have to deal with and how much they are threatened. 
He said the United Nations supports human rights defenders in Afghanistan and welcomes the establishment of a Joint Commission for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, chaired by the Second Vice President, and will work closely with the Commission.
 
The EU representative also said that the European Union is committed to supporting human rights defenders and to the establishment of the joint commission on human rights defenders
 
He called for a thorough investigation into the recent security incidents, and said that the investigations are expected to identify the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
 
Deputy Minister of Justice Zakia Adeli also addressed conference delegates and said the ministry is working on regulations to protect human rights defenders and that once this has been finalized it is hoped this will pave the way for better protection of human rights defenders.
 
The first National Conference of Human Rights Defenders was organized by the Human Rights Defenders Committee in cooperation with human rights defenders from across the country as well as with the help of national and international human rights organizations.

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Khalilzad warns Pakistan-Afghanistan tensions likely to worsen after fresh airstrikes

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Former U.S. special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad has warned that the latest Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan and recent violence inside Pakistan are part of a wider crisis, saying he sees no indication that the situation is about to change.

In a post on X on Thursday, Khalilzad described the Pakistani airstrikes that have killed Afghan civilians and the increasing use of force against civilians in Pakistan as “interconnected tragedies,” implying both effected by Pakistan’s establishment.

“Unfortunately, I do not see any signs of change,” Khalilzad said, adding that current indicators suggested the use of force against Pakistanis would “likely get worse” in the coming days.

His comments came after Pakistan carried out a new wave of airstrikes inside Afghanistan overnight Thursday, saying it had targeted 10 locations used to launch and store drones.

Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the strikes were conducted in response to drones launched from Afghan territory a day earlier and described them as “deliberate, precise, calibrated and proportionate.”

Afghan officials said the strikes killed four civilians. The attacks reportedly hit locations including Kandahar, Khost and Paktia provinces. Afghanistan’s Islamic Emirate authorities have denied launching the drones cited by Pakistan and have condemned the strikes.

The latest attacks follow Pakistani airstrikes earlier this week in Kunar and Paktika. Pakistan said those operations killed 28 militants, while the United Nations confirmed that three Afghan civilians — a man, a woman and a girl — were killed, with four others injured.

The renewed airstrikes come amid a sharp deterioration in relations between Kabul and Islamabad. Pakistan has accused Afghanistan of allowing militant groups, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), to operate from its territory and launch attacks inside Pakistan.

Afghan authorities reject the allegations and say militancy inside Pakistan is an internal issue.

Khalilzad has previously called for a change in Pakistan’s strategy toward both its internal security problems and Afghanistan.

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Afghanistan summons Pakistani chargé d’affaires over latest airstrikes

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Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Pakistan’s chargé d’affaires to Kabul and lodged a strong protest against the violation of Afghan airspace and Pakistani military airstrikes on several Afghan provinces.

The ministry handed the Pakistani diplomat a formal protest note following the attacks on Kandahar, Paktia and Khost provinces on Wednesday night, which reportedly caused civilian casualties.

The Islamic Emirate strongly condemned the strikes, calling them a violation of Afghanistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and contrary to Islamic, international, humanitarian and good-neighborly principles.

The ministry also rejected what it called baseless claims that Afghan territory was being used as a source of Pakistan’s recent security incidents.

It said using such claims to justify military action was an attempt to distort facts, mislead public opinion and conceal Pakistan’s internal failures.

The Islamic Emirate further accused Pakistan’s military leadership of avoiding commitments made to regional countries and warned that such actions could further escalate tensions in the region.

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Museum dedicated to preserving ‘Jihadi’ artefacts opens in Kandahar

The museum’s collection includes more than 100 items gathered from different locations.

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A museum dedicated to preserving what Afghan authorities describe as “Jihadi artefacts” has officially opened in Kandahar, with officials saying more than 100 items have so far been collected for display.

Mufti Mohammad Tahir Ahmad, Director General for the Preservation of Jihadi Artefacts at the Ministry of Information and Culture, attended the inauguration ceremony alongside Qari Ahmadullah Saeed Khosti, Director of Registration for Jihadi Artefacts and Documents.

Mufti Inamullah Samangani, head of the Kandahar Information and Culture Department, and officials from several government departments also attended the ceremony.

According to the official responsible for preserving the artefacts in Kandahar, the museum’s collection includes more than 100 items gathered from different locations.

The collection includes weapons that officials say were captured from British, Soviet and US forces, as well as personal belongings and other items associated with people killed during Afghanistan’s conflicts over the past two decades.

Officials said efforts to collect additional artefacts would continue in order to expand the museum’s collection.

The museum is now open to visitors, according to the officials.

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