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Two-day US-IEA talks in Doha focus on economy, human rights, anti-drug trafficking
Following the two days of talks in Qatar, U.S. officials told Afghanistan’s Islamic Emirate that Washington was open to technical talks on economic stability and discussions on combating narcotics trafficking, the U.S. State Department said in a statement on Monday.
Islamic Emirate officials raised the lifting of travel and other restrictions on IEA leaders and the return of Afghan central bank assets held abroad, the Kabul administration said.
No country has formally recognized the IEA since their returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021 when U.S.-led foreign forces withdrew in chaos after a 20-year conflict.
The U.S. side repeated concerns about “deteriorating” human rights and called anew on the IEA to reverse bans on girls’ secondary education and womens’ employment and for the release of detained Americans, the State Department said in a statement.
It also sounded positive notes about improved financial data, including lower inflation, and reduced opium poppy cultivation under a 2022 ban. The U.S. side “voiced openness to continue dialogue on counternarcotics,” said the statement. The U.S. side also was ready “for a technical dialogue regarding economic stabilization issues soon.”
Most IEA leaders require U.N. permission to travel abroad, and Afghanistan’s banking sector has been crippled by sanctions since the takeover by the IEA, which calls itself the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), Reuters reported.
“IEA reiterated that it was crucial for confidence-building” that travel bans on IEA leaders be lifted and central bank reserves unfrozen “so that Afghans can establish an economy unreliant on foreign aid,” foreign ministry spokesman Qahar Balkhi said in an English-language statement.
About $7 billion in Afghan central bank funds were frozen in the Federal Reserve Bank of New York after the IEA took power. Half of the funds now are in a Swiss-based Afghan Fund, read the report.
According to Reuters a U.S.-funded audit of the Afghan central bank failed to win Washington’s backing for a return of assets from the trust fund.
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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).
Tahawol: Pakistan’s Foreign Policy Failure of Towards Afghanistan discussed
Saar: Regional Problems, Opportunities, and Challenges discussed
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
Pakistan army orders evacuation of Tirah Valley, fears of mass displacement grow
Afghan traders sign deal to import pharmaceuticals from Bangladesh
Tahawol: Pakistan’s Foreign Policy Failure of Towards Afghanistan discussed
Saar: Regional Problems, Opportunities, and Challenges discussed
Saar: Afghanistan’s relations and opportunities with regional countries
Tahawol: Kabul’s response to Pakistan’s new accusation discussed
Saar: Discussion on Iran-US talks in Oman
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