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US appeals court temporarily upholds protected status for Afghans
The TPS program provides protection against deportation and provides work permits for periods of six to 18 months to those from countries stricken by natural disaster, armed conflict or other extraordinary event,
A U.S. appeals court has blocked for now a bid by President Donald Trump’s administration to strip temporary protected status from thousands of Afghans in the United States, court documents showed, allowing them more time to argue the case, Reuters reported.
Monday’s order by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit granted an administrative stay on the termination until July 21, following a request from immigration advocacy organization CASA.
The group’s lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security challenged the termination of temporary protected status for Afghans and Cameroonians unveiled by the administration in April.
The DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment. At the time of the April announcement, it had said conditions in Afghanistan and Cameroon no longer merited the protected status.
The TPS program provides protection against deportation and provides work permits for periods of six to 18 months to those from countries stricken by natural disaster, armed conflict or other extraordinary event, read the report.
The status can be renewed by the homeland security secretary. Trump’s effort to end most TPS enrollment during his first term from 2017 to 2021 was thwarted by federal courts.
CASA sought an emergency stay on Monday, when the protection of Afghans was set to be terminated, while that of Cameroonians was set to end on August 4, the court document showed.
The group said the step was arbitrary and discriminatory and would cause “irreparable harm” to those affected, as it sought a stay while the appeals proceed.
The administration has time until 11:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday (0359 GMT on Thursday) to respond, Reuters reported.
The stay was not a final decision, but gave time for the legal challenge, said Shawn VanDiver, founder of AfghanEvac, the main coalition of veterans and advocacy groups that coordinates resettlements with the government.
“AfghanEvac stands firmly behind the legal challenge and calls on DHS and the Trump administration to immediately reverse course and extend TPS protections,” VanDiver said in an email.
The United States evacuated more than 82,000 Afghans from Afghanistan after the Islamic Emirate takeover in 2021, of whom more than 70,000 entered the U.S. on temporary “parole,” or legal entry for two years.
Rights advocates have said many Afghans who helped the United States during its war in Afghanistan would be targets if they returned home.
Particularly at risk would be women, whose rights the Islamic Emirate have curbed since their return to power after the U.S. withdrawal, rights groups say.
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India sends over 63,000 vaccine doses to boost Afghanistan’s public health system
New Delhi has reiterated that it remains committed to supporting the Afghan people through sustained humanitarian and medical assistance.
India has reinforced its support for Afghanistan’s public health sector with the delivery of a new batch of essential vaccines to Kabul.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi has supplied 63,734 doses of influenza and meningitis vaccines to Afghan health authorities as part of its ongoing humanitarian assistance program.
Afghan health officials noted that the vaccines will be integrated into national preventive healthcare efforts and will help curb seasonal illnesses while reducing the risk of meningitis outbreaks, especially during periods of heightened vulnerability.
They said the shipment arrives at a time when Afghanistan’s medical resources remain under significant strain.
India has served as a key health partner to Afghanistan in recent years, providing medical supplies, essential medicines, and several rounds of vaccines to help strengthen the country’s healthcare infrastructure.
New Delhi has reiterated that it remains committed to supporting the Afghan people through sustained humanitarian and medical assistance.
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Deputy interior minister for counter-narcotics travels to Uzbekistan
Abdul Rahman Munir, the Deputy Minister for Counter-Narcotics at the Ministry of Interior, traveled to Uzbekistan this afternoon along with his accompanying delegation.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Interior, the purpose of the trip is to participate in a meeting of member countries of the Central Asian Regional Information and Coordination Centre for Combating Drugs (CARICC).
The statement added that the meeting will be held on December 5 of this year in the city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
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Imran Khan accuses Army Chief of ‘igniting’ Pakistan–Afghanistan tensions
In his post, written in Urdu, Khan said: “Asim Munir’s policies are disastrous for Pakistan. Because of his policies, terrorism has spiralled out of control, which grieves me deeply.”
Former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan has accused Army Chief Asim Munir of deliberately “igniting tensions” with Afghanistan, calling his policies “disastrous” for Pakistan.
The 73-year-old former cricketer, who has been imprisoned since 2023, issued the remarks through his official account on the social media platform X. His statement was shared a day after his sister, Uzma Khan, met him at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail following “special permission” granted by the government led by Shehbaz Sharif.
In his post, written in Urdu, Khan said: “Asim Munir’s policies are disastrous for Pakistan. Because of his policies, terrorism has spiralled out of control, which grieves me deeply.”
He further alleged that the army chief’s actions were motivated by a desire to please Western governments, saying Munir had “deliberately ignited tensions with Afghanistan so he could be seen internationally as a so-called ‘mujahid’.”
The founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf added that he had long opposed “drone attacks and military operations against our own people,” arguing such tactics would only worsen militancy. Khan claimed Munir first “threatened Afghans,” then oversaw the expulsion of refugees and the launching of drone strikes, the consequences of which he said were now visible in rising violence.
Khan also launched a personal attack on the army chief, calling him “mentally unstable” and accusing him of presiding over the “collapse of the Constitution and rule of law in Pakistan.”
He alleged that, on Munir’s orders, he and his wife had been imprisoned on fabricated charges and subjected to “the worst form of psychological torture.”
Khan said he had been held in solitary confinement for four weeks, with no human contact and without basic entitlements provided under the jail manual. He added that despite court directions, access to political colleagues, lawyers and family members had been blocked.
Referring to an incident involving another sister, Noreen Niazi, he said she was “dragged on the road” while trying to meet him.
Khan praised Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi for choosing “resistance over compromise” and urged him to “continue to play on the front foot.” He added that those threatening to impose governor’s rule in the province should “do it today rather than tomorrow and then watch what happens.”
An undeclared ban on meetings with Khan had fuelled speculation about his health. After visiting him, Uzma Khan said he was “perfectly fine” physically but was being subjected to “mental torture” in solitary confinement.
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