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Travel ban waiver necessary for engagement with IEA: China
Extending travel ban exemptions for leaders of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) is necessary for world’s engagement with the government, China’s ambassador to the United Nations has said.
A UN Security Council waiver allowing 13 IEA leaders, including Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, to travel abroad expired last Friday, after member states failed to agree on a possible extension in the exemptions.
Zhang Jun, the Permanent Representative of China to UN, said that engagement with IEA is “very much necessary since Afghanistan is at a critical stage.”
“We cannot say that we want the Afghanistan government to do something but meanwhile we do not give them any chance to have access to the international community and we cut off their linkage with other countries. That is not reasonable,” Zhang said.
He said that China wants IEA to make efforts on ensuring the rights of women and girls, but it is “not right” to isolate the Afghan government because of the concerns in this regard.
China and Russia have called for an extension, while the United States and Western nations have sought a reduced list of IEA officials allowed to travel, claiming IEA has failed to ensure women’s rights and form an inclusive government.
“Chinese seek their own economic interests in all countries and do not involve themselves in political and military affairs. They are not at a level to have presence in a country. They are only interested in taking Afghanistan’s resources,” said Sayed Ishaq Gelani, leader of National Solidarity Movement of Afghanistan.
Anas Haqqani, a senior member of IEA, said that pressuring IEA failed over the past 20 years, and instead the world should step up engagement with the new government.
“The world still intends to confront us, it creates conspiracies, it disrupts our security. This is very disappointing. But our door of engagement is still open to them,” Haqqani aid.
The United States and allied nations have proposed granting the travel waiver to a lower number of IEA officials and limiting their travel only to Qatar, where US officials have routinely held talks with IEA delegates in recent months.
China and Russia, however, advocated allowing all 13 officials of IEA, which seized power in Afghanistan a year ago, to continue to travel.
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Pakistan to repatriate nearly 20,000 Afghans awaiting US resettlement
Authorities will also share verified data of the affected individuals with relevant departments to support implementation.
Pakistan will repatriate nearly 20,000 Afghan nationals currently awaiting resettlement in the United States, The Nation reported, citing official sources.
The move affects 19,973 Afghans living across Pakistan.
A federal directive will instruct provincial chief secretaries and police chiefs in Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Azad Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, and the Islamabad Capital Territory to begin the repatriation process immediately.
Authorities will also share verified data of the affected individuals with relevant departments to support implementation.
Following the Islamic Emirate’s return to power in 2021, more than 100,000 Afghans fled to Pakistan, many of whom had worked with the US and UK governments, international organizations, or aid agencies.
Thousands have remained stranded in Pakistan for over four years while awaiting US resettlement clearance.
Prospects for relocation have dimmed amid a suspension of case processing by the US administration, according to The Nation.
Under Pakistan’s Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan (IFRP), all Afghan nationals still awaiting US relocation will now be returned to Afghanistan.
Terrorist activities continue to be observed along Afghanistan borders and along the India–Pakistan–Afghanistan corridor, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview published on Monday.
Speaking to Russia-based media outlet TV BRICS, Lavrov pointed to ongoing concerns in the Middle East, including its Asian regions.
He highlighted the importance of collaboration with India at the United Nations to advance a global counter-terrorism convention.
Lavrov stated that while the draft convention has already been prepared, consensus on its adoption has not yet been reached.
Russia has repeatedly expressed concern about militant threats from Afghanistan. The Islamic Emirate, however, has dismissed the concerns saying that it will not allow Afghanistan’s soil to be used against any country.
Noorullah Noori, Afghanistan’s Minister of Borders and Tribal Affairs, held a phone conversation with Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, to discuss bilateral border cooperation.
According to the Iranian news agency IRNA, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening border collaboration, with a particular focus on the ongoing renovation and updating of border markers. They also agreed to accelerate joint technical and legal meetings to enhance coordination.
As part of the agreement, the next meeting of senior border officials from Afghanistan and Iran is scheduled to take place in Iran in 1405 (2026–2027).
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Pakistan to repatriate nearly 20,000 Afghans awaiting US resettlement
Terrorist activities observed along Afghanistan borders, says Lavrov
Afghan border minister holds phone talks with Iran’s deputy foreign minister
Afghanistan–China joint market opens in Kabul
Pakistan approves re-export of stranded Afghan transit trade cargo
ATN secures broadcast rights to Carabao Cup semis across Afghanistan
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Afghan traders sign deal to import pharmaceuticals from Bangladesh
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Saar: Regional Problems, Opportunities, and Challenges discussed
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