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UN agency urges Pakistan to halt expelling Afghans during winter

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The U.N. refugee agency on Wednesday urged Pakistan to halt deportation of undocumented Afghan refugees during the harsh winter season, as police continued to search homes and expel Afghanis who had not already left, Reuters reported.

Islamabad last month announced it would expel over a million undocumented refugees, mostly Afghans, amid a row with Kabul over charges that it harbours anti-Pakistan militants.

According to Reuters over 370,000 Afghans have fled Pakistan since Oct. 1.

"UNHCR is calling upon the government of Pakistan to halt these mass numbers of returns during this harsh season of winter because the cold in Afghanistan is really deadly and it can take lives," the agency's regional spokesman, Babar Baloch, told Reuters TV in an interview.

"We're talking about desperate women, children and men being on the move, leaving Pakistan in droves," he said.

The agency has said the Afghans' return should be voluntary and that Pakistan should identify vulnerable individuals who need international protection.

Pakistan is home to over 4 million Afghan migrants and refugees, about 1.7 million of whom are undocumented. Many came after the Islamic Emirate retook Afghanistan in 2021, and a large number have been present since the 1979 Soviet invasion, read the report.

Pakistani police have been searching door to door in refugees settlements for those who have not left voluntarily, beginning with the port city of Karachi, where hundreds of thousands of Afghans live. Anyone remaining may be forcefully expelled.

Thousands of Afghans have gone underground in Pakistan to avoid deportation, fearing for their lives if they return to IEA-ruled Afghanistan following the hasty and chaotic withdrawal of U.S.-led western forces in 2021, Reuters reported.

Islamabad has thus far not entertained calls by international organizations and refugee agencies to reconsider its deportation plans.

Pakistan's Supreme Court has admitted a petition filed by rights activists seeking to halt the deportation, which is yet to be taken up for a hearing, a court order issued on Wednesday said.

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Afghanistan reaches self-sufficiency in producing diesel fuel by 80%

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Officials from the Union of Crude Oil Refining Factories say Afghanistan has reached self-sufficiency in producing diesel fuel by 80 percent.

The union officials stated that the private sector has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in the country's crude oil refining field, and this complex is developing day by day.

They added that the crude oil currently being refined in domestic factories is equal to international standards.

“We have 80% of the market. At the moment, 80% of diesel is produced in our country and 20% comes from foreign countries,” said Zabihullah Nazari, deputy of the Union of Crude Oil Refining Factories.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum officials said they are trying to increase the production capacity of Amu Darya oil basin so that all the country's oil needs are met from domestic production.

The ministry officials stated along with the Amu Darya oil basin, they are also trying to attract investment in the Herat oil field to start its extraction.

Economic experts, however, said that if there is an increase in investment in the country's oil sector, along with reducing unemployment, the government's income will also increase significantly.

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Tajikistan calls for dialogue among Afghans to form an inclusive government

Imami recalled that the negotiation process on the development of the CSTO Targeted Interstate Program on strengthening sections of the Tajik-Afghan border will be completed in 2024.

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Tajikistan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sadiq Imami has called for dialogue between the representatives of all political and ethnic forces in Afghanistan to form an inclusive government.

Speaking at the Tajikistan-Russia interparliamentary forum, Imami expressed concern that the activities of terrorist groups and drug trafficking have increased, TASS news agency reported.

"That is why our countries agree that peaceful dialogue aimed at forming an inclusive government with the participation of representatives of all political and ethnic forces of Afghanistan is an important guarantee for this country's transition to peaceful development," he emphasized.

The diplomat also stressed that this country provides food and electricity to its neighbor and has restored the activity of border markets with Afghanistan.

Imami recalled that the negotiation process on the development of the CSTO Targeted Interstate Program on strengthening sections of the Tajik-Afghan border will be completed in 2024.

 "We expect that the implementation of this program, taking into account the technical means and control of equipment and weapons supplied within its framework, will allow to form a new model of border protection management," he concluded.

This comes as the Islamic Emirate claims that the current government in Afghanistan is inclusive.

The Islamic Emirate has also said that there is no terrorist group in Afghanistan and that it is seriously fighting against drugs.

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Afghan women and girls face devastating mental health crisis: US envoy

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U.S. Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls, and Human Rights, Rina Amiri, said on Friday that Afghans, especially women and girls, are facing a devastating mental health crisis due to the policies of the Islamic Emirate.

“As we commemorate World Mental Health Day, I want to draw attention to the devastating mental health crisis faced by Afghans, especially women & girls, due to the Taliban’s (IEA) alarming & extreme policies.” Amiri said.

“We must all be resolute in supporting them in the struggle for their rights,” she added.

The Islamic Emirate has always emphasized that it is committed to ensuring the rights of women and girls in accordance with Sharia and has called on countries not to interfere in Afghanistan's internal affairs.

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