Latest News
Secretary General of NRC calls on IEA to scrap female worker ban
The head of a major aid group that suspended work in Afghanistan after the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) banned female NGO workers said on Thursday he would write to the administration’s senior figures in Kandahar and ask them to change the policy, Reuters reported.
Jan Egeland, the Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, said it was crucial to engage with the leadership in the southern city, home to the IEA’s supreme leader, Hebatullah Akhundzada.
“The letter I’m drafting will say: We know you, we worked in … areas controlled by the Taliban (IEA) for many years. You know us,” said Egeland.
“You know that our female staff have always used the hijab. They’ve had … a male chaperone on longer travel. Your people are suffering because of your ban on female workers.”
The IEA last month ordered all local and foreign aid groups to stop letting female staff work until further notice.
It said the move, which was condemned globally, was justified because some women had not adhered to the IEA’s interpretation of the Islamic dress code.
Many NGOs suspended operations in response, saying they needed female workers to reach women in the conservative country.
Egeland, who visited the capital Kabul this week, said officials there had told him they were in favor of women working at NGOs, but that the order had come from Kandahar. Spokespeople for the IEA administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Egeland said he had arranged meetings in Kandahar with the Ulema Council, made up of religious scholars, and the provincial governor, as it was not possible for foreign humanitarian agencies to meet directly with Akhundzada, Reuters reported.
But after bad weather halted flights, he said he would write instead and try to arrange online meetings.
He said he welcomed some signs of flexibility in health and others areas, where some female and male workers worked alongside each other. But he called for a full reversal of the ban.
“Our male staff cannot go to widows, single mothers and their children, to all of the vulnerable female groups here and thereby were prevented from doing all work,” he said.
Latest News
IEA says US pressure preventing countries from recognizing Afghan government
He said some countries remain under the influence of major global powers, preventing them from making further progress in their relations with the Islamic Emirate.
The Islamic Emirate says pressure from the United States on the United Nations and some countries has hindered formal recognition of its government in Afghanistan.
Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Islamic Emirate, told Ariana News on Monday that Washington is pressuring the UN and several countries to refrain from formal engagement with Kabul.
“They may not say it openly or have announced it, but overall it appears that pressure is being put on the United Nations and some other countries, preventing them from engaging with us. Otherwise, engagement should have taken place by now,” Mujahid said.
He said some countries remain under the influence of major global powers, preventing them from making further progress in their relations with the Islamic Emirate.
“Countries that were at war or in conflict with us, or some countries that are still under the influence of those major powers, naturally have not been able to make progress in engagement. The blame does not lie with Afghanistan, and their policies have not changed since the war,” he said.
Meanwhile, analysts say the United States continues to have significant influence over the foreign policies of many countries. They argue that unless Washington changes its approach toward the Islamic Emirate, further progress toward formal recognition is likely to remain difficult.
The Islamic Emirate, however, says its foreign policy is focused on economic interests and that Kabul seeks to expand relations with all countries.
Mehmood Khan Achakzai, chairman of Pakistan’s Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) and opposition leader in the National Assembly, said Afghanistan continues to be viewed mainly through a security lens in regional forums.
Speaking at the opening session of a three-day public jirga in Southern Pakhtunkhwa on Sunday, Achakzai said Afghan people were not adequately represented in discussions about their country, including at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
He said blaming Afghanistan alone for regional security challenges ignored the country’s history of decades of conflict, foreign interventions and proxy rivalries involving major and regional powers.
Achakzai also said the powers and proxies involved during the Cold War bear historical responsibility for the destruction of Afghanistan.
Afghanistan’s Minister of Mines and Petroleum, Hedayatullah Badri, met with Qatar’s ambassador to Afghanistan, Mirdif bin Ali Al-Qashouti, in Kabul on Sunday.
According to the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, the two sides discussed political and economic relations between Afghanistan and Qatar, as well as investment opportunities in Afghanistan’s mineral resources.
Particular attention was given to investment opportunities in the oil and gas sectors and plans for establishing a standard refinery for crude oil.
Badri welcomed Qatar’s interest in investing in these sectors and assured the ambassador of the ministry’s full cooperation.
IEA says US pressure preventing countries from recognizing Afghan government
Rescuers search for missing after deadly North Cyprus ferry accident
Afghanistan should not be viewed solely through a security lens: Achakzai
Afghanistan drawn in Group A of AFC U17 Asian Cup qualifiers
Afghanistan, Qatar discuss investment opportunities in oil and gas
AFC confirms clubs for 2026/27 competitions; draw set for August 18
Four mediators struggle to secure lasting Pakistan-Afghanistan ceasefire
Only two days to go before Afghanistan and Ireland begin ODI series
Kabul opens cardiac hospital for children
Heavy monsoon rains claim lives across India as flooding and landslides continue
Tahawol: Latest on Stalled Kabul-Islamabad Talks
Saar: Afghanistan’s Relations with Regional Countries
Tahawol: Islamic Emirate seeks to normalize US ties
Saar: Discussion on ensuring Afghanistan’s border security
Tawsia: Afghanistan’s efforts to boost production and exports disucssed
-
Latest News4 days agoPakistan open to state-to-state dialogue with Afghanistan on terrorism
-
Sport4 days agoATN secures exclusive rights to broadcast T20I series in India across Afghanistan
-
Regional4 days agoQatar PM to visit Tehran to pursue mediation efforts
-
Latest News4 days agoStandardized orthography for Dari and Pashto languages is essential: official
-
Latest News4 days agoTrump says overnight US withdrawal from Bagram left Afghanistan vulnerable to collapse
-
World2 days agoUS hits Egyptian bank branches with Iran sanctions as war marks six months
-
Latest News3 days agoTajikistan to receive military equipment to strengthen Afghan border
-
Latest News4 days agoUS Department of War says newly found classified documents could shed light on Abbey gate bombing