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UN calls ‘gender apartheid’ in Afghanistan a key concern
Addressing a press conference, Haq said the UN does not see the Islamic Emirate as the legal and official government of Afghanistan.
UN Secretary-General’s Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq has called gender apartheid in Afghanistan a key concern and called for the rights of Afghan women to be respected.
Addressing a press conference, Haq said the UN does not see the Islamic Emirate as the legal and official government of Afghanistan.
Earlier, Richard Bennett, the special rapporteur for human rights of the United Nations, warned at the 56th meeting of the United Nations Security Council that violence against Afghan women has become strong and widespread under the control of the Islamic Emirate.
“We want to ensure that women’s rights in Afghan society are respected just as they are necessary everywhere in the world,” said Haq.
He called gender apartheid in Afghanistan a key concern.
In response to Bennett’s recommendation that the IEA should not be treated as the legal and official government, Haq said: “We treat them [IEA] as the de facto authorities, they are not treated as the recognised government of Afghanistan.”
Bennett warned at the 56th session of the UN Human Rights Council that violence against Afghan women under IEA control has become strong and widespread.
He described the exclusion of women from public life and the deprivation of Afghan women and girls from work and education as crimes against humanity and gender apartheid.
Bennett called on the international community to stop legitimizing and normalizing relations with the IEA and not to treat the IEA as a legitimate government.
This is while the Islamic Emirate has rejected any violation of women’s rights under its rule in Afghanistan and considers the concerns in this case to be groundless.
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Pakistan says communities living along the Afghanistan-Pakistan Durand Line want peace and stability, despite ongoing security concerns in the region.
Speaking during a weekly media briefing, Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said there are no major issues between the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan, adding that residents on both sides of the Durand Line want peaceful relations and greater regional stability.
However, Andrabi claimed that terrorism originating from Afghan territory continues to undermine peace efforts.
He said Islamabad believes militant activity crossing from Afghanistan remains a significant obstacle to improving regional security and bilateral ties.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has repeatedly rejected such allegations, maintaining that no militant group is allowed to use Afghan soil to threaten neighboring countries.
Andrabi also said Pakistan remains diplomatically engaged on regional matters involving Afghanistan, Iran, India, and Somalia, stressing that dialogue and diplomacy remain Islamabad’s preferred means of resolving disputes.
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Afghanistan-Gambia ties discussed during Doha meeting
Both sides also exchanged views on strengthening diplomatic engagement and exploring future economic cooperation.
Suhail Shaheen, head of the Islamic Emirate’s embassy in Doha, has met with Omar Jah, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of The Gambia to Qatar, to discuss bilateral relations and areas of mutual interest.
According to a statement from the Afghan embassy in Doha, Jah also oversees Gambian diplomatic affairs related to Afghanistan.
The meeting focused on Afghanistan-Gambia relations, the current security situation in Afghanistan, and potential investment opportunities in the country.
Both sides also exchanged views on strengthening diplomatic engagement and exploring future economic cooperation.
Mahmood Khan Achakzai, a member of Pakistan’s National Assembly and head of the Pakhtunkhwa Awami National Party, has said that if capable statesmen had been in power, people living on both sides of the Durand Line could have moved freely across the line.
Speaking during a podcast interview, Achakzai said that countries with histories of major conflict, including Russia, Germany and the United Kingdom, now maintain far more open borders despite past wars. He said that in many such regions, only a “paper line” remains, with limited border restrictions.
Drawing comparisons with the disputed Durand Line boundary between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Achakzai argued that a similar arrangement could have been possible in South Asia.
“What is the problem here? A Punjabi could dance in Kandahar and a Pashtun could come here. Even if we are not formally one country, we could have effectively functioned like one,” he said.
The Pakistani politician also referred to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the later U.S.-led intervention, saying Afghanistan has the right to seek war reparations from those countries to support reconstruction efforts.
Achakzai further criticised the treatment of Pashtuns in Pakistan, alleging that individuals in cities including Lahore and Karachi have faced detention and deportation.
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