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US diplomat: Decision to ban medical education for women in Afghanistan is ‘indefensible’

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US charge d’affaires for Afghanistan, Karen Decker, on Saturday criticized reports of a decision to close medical educational institutions to women, saying the decision was “indefensible in any language, culture, or religion.”

Decker said on X that the leadership of the Islamic Emirate in Kandahar has already risked the future of Afghanistan by preventing girls from becoming teachers or engineers.

“They would now destroy it completely by preventing girls from becoming doctors or midwives. Babies will not be born. Mothers will die. All the Afghan people will suffer. This decision must be reversed to prevent unnecessary misery,” she said.

Decker added that it is difficult to see the value of the IEA diplomacy abroad “if this is what they are selling.”

Recently, there have been reports that the supreme leader of the Islamic Emirate ordered the closure of medical institutes for women. The Islamic Emirate has not yet officially commented on the matter.

 

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Gandapur says no Afghan refugee will be ‘forcefully’ expelled from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

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Amid rising tensions over Pakistan’s repatriation plans for illegal Afghan nationals, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapour said on Friday that no refugees will be forcibly deported from the province.

“We will not allow any Afghan refugee to be expelled by force from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. We stand firmly against such inhumane deportations,” Gandapur said at a press conference.

The remarks came as the Pakistani government ramps up efforts to repatriate undocumented Afghan refugees and Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders, following the expiration of the voluntary return deadline on March 31, 2025.

“The past situation, where Afghan refugees, including women and children, were stranded at the border, tarnished Pakistan’s image,” Gandapur said, reaffirming the provincial government’s commitment to a dignified repatriation process.

“We are setting up camps for voluntary repatriation, and anyone wishing to return will be helped. However, we will not forcibly expel any Afghan refugee,” he stated.

Afghans holding Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC) — issued by Pakistan authorities and held by 800,000 people, according to the United Nations — face deportation to Afghanistan after the deadline.

More than 1.3 million Afghans who hold Proof of Registration (PoR) cards from the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, are also to be moved outside the capital Islamabad and neighbouring city Rawalpindi.

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IEA has 46 township plans for returnees, minister tells visiting Iranian official

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The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has 46 township plans for returning refugees, Acting Minister of Refugees and Repatriation Mawlawi Abdul Kabir told a visiting Iranian diplomat in Kabul, calling on Tehran to give refugees time to return.

According to a statement issued by the ministry on Saturday, Abdul Kabir said during the meeting that Afghanistan and Iran are friendly neighbors that have many commonalities.

He stressed the need to further develop and strengthen relations between the two countries and said that the frequent visits of high-ranking Iranian officials show that Tehran wants positive and friendly relations with Afghanistan.

Abdul Kabir thanked Iran for its assistance and hosting of Afghan refugees, saying that Iran and Pakistan have been hosting Afghan refugees for the past few decades. He called for more leniency in the treatment of migrants.

He said that the Islamic Emirate is preparing a mechanism to provide legal documents for those migrants whose legal residence in Iran has expired.

In the meeting, Mohammad Reza Bahrami, Iran’s new Assistant Minister and Director General for South Asian Affairs at the Foreign Ministry, invited Abdul Kabir to visit Tehran, and called for repatriation plan to be shared before the trip.

He stressed on the humane treatment of Afghan refugees and appreciated the Islamic Emirate’s initiative to build 46 townships, calling it an important step forward for the return of refugees.

Bahrami noted that there are currently eight million Afghan reguees living in Iran, of whom four million are undocumented or have their residence expired.

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US has no plans for reopening of its embassy in Kabul

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The United States has no plans to allow for the reopening of its embassy in Kabul, American officials have said as reported by Washington Examiner on Friday.

“The United States does not recognize any entity as the government of Afghanistan and therefore has no plans to allow for the reopening of its embassy,” a State Department spokesperson said.

US National Security Council spokesman James Hewitt also said that the United States has “made no commitments regarding the Afghan Embassy in Washington, and there are no discussions underway” concerning the status of the US embassy in Kabul.

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) called for the handover of Afghanistan’s embassy in Washington during US officials’ visit to Kabul recently for the release of an American prisoner.

The IEA also asked the United States to reopen its embassy in Kabul. 

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