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US restricts visas for IEA members over ‘repression of Afghan women, girls’
The Biden administration has imposed new visa restrictions on current and former members of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) over its “repression of women and girls”.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday that the visa restriction policy will apply to current and former IEA members, members of non-state security groups and others believed to be responsible or complicit in the government's repressive policies.
"We continue to press the Taliban (IEA) and others to respect the human rights and fundamental freedoms -- including the right to education -- of all Afghans, including women and girls," Blinken tweeted.
In a statement issued by the State Department, Blinken said restrictive policies includes “discontinuing and/or restricting access to secondary or higher education for girls and women; preventing women’s full participation in the workforce and their ability to choose their careers; restricting women’s movement, expression, or privacy; as well as engaging in violence and harassment including unjust arrest and detention of women, girls, or their family members for noncompliance with discriminatory policies.
“Immediate family members of such persons may also be subject to these restrictions,” he said.
Blinken said “for more than a year, Afghanistan remains the only country in the world where girls are systemically barred from attending school beyond the sixth grade, with no return date in sight.”
Others added their voice to calls for the IEA to reopen girls’ schools.
Tomas Niklasson, the EU’s special envoy for Afghanistan tweeted Tuesday night that “schools need to re-open, or open, across Afghanistan, offering girls of all ages access to quality education. The teachers, engineers, doctors, architects, civil servants and business leaders of tomorrow, building a more prosperous Afghanistan, together with their brothers.”
UN Chief António Guterres also spoke out and said: “I am extremely concerned by the continued exclusion of girls from school in Afghanistan.
“This is deeply damaging to girls themselves & to a country that desperately needs their energy & contributions.”
Marking Day Of The Girl, he said: “I once again urge the Taliban to let girls learn.”
The Islamic Emirate Afghanistan (IEA), however, rejects the claims of suppressing women and says that the world should engage with the Islamic Emirate instead of putting pressure on them.
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Pakistan bans stay of Afghans without NOC in Islamabad from 2025
Pakistani authorities arrested nearly 1,000 supporters of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan who stormed the capital this week to demand his release, the city’s police chief said on Wednesday. Those arrested reportedly include Afghans.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has announced that from December 31, no Afghan nationals will be allowed to stay in Islamabad without a No Objection Certificate (NOC).
Speaking to the media, Naqvi reaffirmed the government’s stance on regulating foreign nationals in the capital, the Express Tribune reported.
"After December 31, anyone from Afghanistan without an NOC will be required to leave Islamabad," Naqvi said, highlighting the government's increased vigilance over foreign residents in the city.
Pakistani authorities arrested nearly 1,000 supporters of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan who stormed the capital this week to demand his release, the city's police chief said on Wednesday. Those arrested reportedly include Afghans.
Addressing the aftermath of the recent protests, Naqvi dismissed claims about numerous fatalities circulating on social media.
“There is a lot of noise about bodies in hospitals, but no one is giving specifics. I asked the protesters to provide the name of even one person who died. Their embarrassment is evident as they struggle to name anyone," he said.
The Interior Minister emphasized that a comprehensive report on the protests would soon be submitted to the High Court.
On 3 October 2023, Pakistan endorsed a plan to repatriate over a million foreigners without valid documents, largely Afghans, requiring them to leave the country by 1 November.
Since 15 September, over 722,000 Afghans have returned to Afghanistan.
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Moscow says it can’t develop ties with Kabul until IEA taken off terrorist list
Moscow views developing ties with the Afghan authorities as crucial, but it cannot do that until the Islamic Emirate is removed from the list of terrorist organizations, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.
"We have repeatedly stated on previous occasions that Russia, like other world powers, intends to develop practical cooperation with Kabul on issues of mutual interest, including with the aim of fighting terrorist threats and drug trafficking that stem from the territory of Afghanistan," Zakharova stated, TASS news agency reported.
"However, it is obviously impossible to reach this aim without removing the terrorist tag from the Taliban movement (IEA)," she noted.
Zakharova also mentioned a draft law that was submitted to the Russian Parliament’s lower house, the State Duma on November 25 that cancels previous bans on terrorist organizations, provided they ceased their illegal activities.
Russian daily Vedomosti reported earlier in the day that the initiative might mark a step toward removing the IEA from the list of banned organizations and recognizing its power in Afghanistan.
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G7 commits to providing humanitarian aid and support to Afghanistan
G7 Foreign Ministers said in a joint statement issued at the end of the annual summit in Italy that their countries are committed to continue providing humanitarian aid and support to Afghanistan.
The statement noted that the integration of Afghanistan into the international community and establishing peaceful relations with neighboring countries is only possible when an inclusive political process is established.
Afghan women should participate fully, equally and safely in political processes based on the independent assessment of the United Nations, the statement read.
The G7 members added that violations of human rights, restrictions on women and violations of international laws in Afghanistan have raised concern among the group.
Meanwhile, the Islamic Emirate has repeatedly said that the rights of the people of Afghanistan are secured according to Islamic Sharia and has emphasized that countries should not interfere in Afghanistan's internal affairs under the pretext of human rights issues.
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