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U.S. advice to banks: OK to transfer aid money to Afghanistan

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International banks can transfer money to Afghanistan for humanitarian purposes, and aid groups are allowed to pay teachers and healthcare workers at state-run institutions without fear of breaching sanctions on the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), the United States said on Wednesday.

The U.S. Treasury Department offered guidance on sanctions exemptions issued in September and December for humanitarian work in Afghanistan, where the United Nations says more than half the country's 39 million people suffer extreme hunger and the economy, education and social services are facing collapse.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres last week warned Afghanistan was "hanging by a thread."

The IEA, seized power from Afghanistan's internationally backed government in August. Billions of dollars in Afghan central bank reserves and international development aid were frozen to prevent it from falling into IEA hands.

International banks have been wary of Afghanistan and the United Nations and aid groups are struggling to get enough money into the country to fund operations.

The U.S. Treasury said banks can process transactions related to humanitarian operations "including clearing, settlement, and transfers through, to, or otherwise involving privately owned and state-owned Afghan depository institutions."

It also outlined permitted transactions involving the IEA, which includes Haqqani Network. These include signing agreements to provide aid directly to the Afghan people, general aid coordination, including import administration, and sharing of office space.

"Payments of taxes, fees, or import duties to, or the purchase or receipt of permits, licenses, or public utility services from" the IEA, Haqqani Network or any entity in which they own more than 50% is authorized for humanitarian operations, the Treasury said.

It also said aid groups are allowed to ship cash to Afghanistan for humanitarian operations and can make direct payments to healthcare workers and teachers in public hospitals and schools.

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Hanafi calls for China’s cooperation in generating electricity, equipping hospitals in Afghanistan

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Deputy Prime Minister for Administrative Affairs Abdul Salam Hanafi in a meeting with the Chinese ambassador in Kabul on Sunday called for China’s cooperation in generating electricity and equipping hospitals in Afghanistan.

According to a statement released by Arg, Hanafi said that China, as a good neighbor, has had trade, economic and political relations with Afghanistan for a long time, and during this time, not even a small problem has arisen between the two countries, rather efforts have been made to expand relations.

He added that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) wants good relations with all countries, especially its neighbors, and expects them to have good relations with Afghanistan.

In the meeting, the Chinese Ambassador to Kabul, Zhao Xing, said that China and Afghanistan have had relations for 70 years, which shows the depth of relations between the two countries.

He also pointed to the expansion of trade and investment between the two countries and added that the Chinese Embassy in Kabul has issued a large number of visas to Afghan businessmen and citizens in the past year, which indicates the expansion and strengthening of bilateral relations.

The diplomat said that China was ready to build houses for refugees returning from neighboring countries, build cold storages in some provinces for agricultural products, provide health services, survey and extract minerals in Afghanistan.

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Iranian MP says dam construction in Afghanistan is ‘questionable’

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Fida Hossein Maliki, a member of Iran’s parliament, has expressed concern about the construction of water dams in Afghanistan, saying that the issue is “questionable.”

“If we look at the events currently taking place under the so-called Taliban (Islamic Emirate) rule from a regional perspective, it does not have a good outcome for neighboring countries,” Maliki said in an interview with ILNA news agency.

He said that the current rulers of Afghanistan are behaving with neighboring countries, including Iran, in a way that is unprecedented.

“In the previous governments of Afghanistan, there was interaction on every issue, and this behavior effected the relations of the countries considering the position that Afghanistan itself had, but we have observed something different during this period that the Taliban (Islamic Emirate) rules the country,” Maliki said.

He claimed that Iran’s water rights have not been respected by the Islamic Emirate and that the construction of water dams in Afghanistan is questionable.

“I believe that every action should be taken in an atmosphere of cooperation between the two countries, which is not the case today. Of course, it is natural that the Taliban (Islamic Emirate) has neither a parliament nor a government. Nothing is in its place in this sovereignty."

This comes as the Islamic Emirate has repeatedly emphasized that it is committed to ensuring Iran's rights in accordance with the 1973 treaty, but Iran must also consider the drought situation.

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Pakistan has right to attack TTP in Afghanistan: PM’s adviser

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Pakistani Prime Minister's Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah has claimed that his country has the right to conduct operations against the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on Afghan soil.

In an interview with Samaa TV, he said that the Pakistani government is at war against the TTP and will target members of this group wherever they are.

“According to the international law, if there is a threat of attack on your country from outside or there is preparation for it, you have the right to conduction operation against your enemy to protect yourself. If such thing happens, our forces will take right action at the right time,” he said.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal has said that the government of Pakistan had always conveyed it to the government of Afghanistan through dialogue that it should stop Afghan land to be used for terrorism in Pakistan.

He said that the Pakistani people had made numerous sacrifices for the people of Afghanistan and were facing consequences till today. He hoped that Afghanistan would take notice and not allow any group to use Afghan land for carrying out terrorism in Pakistan.

Iqbal said that the government was making sincere efforts, adding that reasonable dialogue from both sides always yields positive results.

Pakistani military carried out airstrikes in Barmal district of Paktika province in Afghanistan last month, killing dozens of people, including women and children. The Islamic Emirate retaliated with attacks across the Durand Line.

Yesterday, Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai warned Pakistan to refrain from violating the territorial integrity of Afghanistan, otherwise it will receive a strong response from Afghanistan.

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