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Three senior US officials to visit Islamabad, talks on Afghanistan expected
A senior US official dealing with refugee issues will begin a four-day trip to Islamabad from Monday in the first of a series of visits by American officials amid deteriorating ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan, Pakistani media reported.
Julieta Valls Noyes, the US assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, arrives in Islamabad Monday and will leave on Thursday, Express Tribune reported.
On December 7, US Special Envoy for Afghanistan Thomas West will arrive in Islamabad. After his visit, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Elizabeth Horst, who is responsible for Pakistan, will arrive on December 9, according to the newspaper.
The flurry of visits by American officials come against the backdrop of Pakistan’s move to expel all illegal Afghans, which has created tension with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA). Tensions were already high over what Islamabad claims is the IEA providing havens for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
“Pakistan and the United States continue to hold consultations on a range of issues. To advance these consultations, exchange of visits also takes place,” Pakistan’s foreign ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in a statement while giving context of the visits.
“These visits are part of ongoing dialogue with the US on a range of issues, including, but not limited to, the situation in Afghanistan,” she added.
A statement issued by the US State Department said that Assistant Secretary of State Noyes will travel to Islamabad for a December 4-7 visit during which he would meet “senior government officials, as well as non-governmental and international organization partners”.
“In Islamabad, Assistant Secretary Noyes will meet with senior government officials, as well as non-governmental and international organization partners, to discuss shared efforts to protect vulnerable individuals and accelerate safe, efficient relocation and resettlement of Afghan refugees in the U.S. immigration pipeline,” the statement said.
More than 400,000 Afghans have returned home since Pakistan announced plans to deport illegal refugees.
Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), has said that the issue of refugees should not be used as a tool of pressure and their rights should not be violated.
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Continued aid to Afghanistan vital for regional security: Kazakh president
Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has emphasized the continuation of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, stating that the ongoing provision of such aid plays an important role in ensuring regional security.
Speaking at the international conference “Peace and Trust” in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, Tokayev described addressing complex humanitarian challenges and the reconstruction of Afghanistan as a necessity.
“To ensure regional security, we consider it essential to continue providing assistance to Afghanistan, including by strengthening international efforts to address complex humanitarian issues and the reconstruction of this country. Kazakhstan remains committed to supporting the people of Afghanistan through humanitarian aid, educational projects, trade development, and food security initiatives,” he said.
Meanwhile, experts believe that sustainable improvement of the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan requires broad cooperation from the international community and support for the country’s economic development.
“Investment can be defined as one of the fundamental drivers of the economic cycle, and whenever Afghan traders do not take their money out of the country and instead invest domestically, it naturally leads to greater growth and dynamism in Afghanistan’s economy,” said Abdul Zahoor Modabber, an economic analyst.
As the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan continues, reports by international relief organizations indicate that millions of citizens of the country are in urgent need of food, health, and livelihood assistance.
The reduction in funding for aid organizations, the impacts of climate change, and the return of migrants have increased concerns about a further deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the country.
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Islamic Emirate declines to attend Tehran meeting on Afghanistan
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Sirajuddin Haqqani: A government that intimidates its people is not a true government
Khalifa Sirajuddin Haqqani, Minister of Interior of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, said during a visit to Khost province on Friday that any government which rules through fear cannot be considered a true government.
“A government is one that is loved by its people, one that serves them with respect and compassion, and from whose behavior people learn ethics and sincerity,” he said.
Haqqani also stressed that Afghans who opposed the Islamic Emirate in the past should be tolerated and treated in a way that helps eliminate hostility and animosity, paving the way for national cohesion.
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