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‘Afghans Have The Right to Live in Peace’ – U.S. Envoy
The U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad who is on a multi-nation trip for his efforts of facilitating intra-Afghan peace talks, says Afghans have the right to leave in peace after decades of war in their country.
Last week, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan reportedly proposed an interim setup for Afghanistan as part of the Afghan peace process. His remarks sparked a strong reaction of the Afghan government and the international community including the United States.
Later, the Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, Imran Khan’s remarks were “misinterpreted” and that the comments should not be misinterpreted to imply interference in internal affairs of Afghanistan.
Khalilzad in a tweet on Friday said that he noted the government of Pakistan statement “clarifying Pakistan government’s views on avoiding interference in Afghanistan’s internal affairs”.
“Appreciate Pakistan’s and other regional support for Afghan Peace Process and agree that Afghans have the right to live in peace after a long period of war,” Khalilzad said.
According to the U.S. State Department, in his latest round of trip, Khalilzad will visit the United Kingdom, Belgium, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Jordan and Qatar from March 25 to April 10, as part of the efforts to facilitate a peace process to facilitate “inclusive” intra-Afghan negotiations.
Khalilzad on Friday met with his counterparts at the European Union (EU), where he talked about the last 18 years in achievements in Afghanistan which according to him should be prioritized in the ongoing peace talks.
“Excellent meetings today with my counterparts at the EU. We talked about our countries’ shared values, and about the meaningful political & social gains in Afghanistan over the last 18 years, especially for women & children, which must be prioritized in the peace process,” Khalilzad tweeted.
Recently, Federica Maria Mogherini, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, visited Kabul where he met the Afghan government leaders and vowed the European Union’s continued support to the peace process and the upcoming elections.
“I particularly appreciated Federica Mogherini thoughts for Afghans concerned about potential overlap in timing of elections and the Afghan Peace Process: “Enter negotiations as if there were no elections, united as a country, and do elections as if there were no negotiations.” Khalilzad tweeted.
In his meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday, Khalilzad also brief NATO allies on Afghan peace efforts.
“NATO & US forces serve shoulder-to-shoulder in Afghanistan. Our shared goal is to reach a peace agreement worthy of the sacrifices made over decades of war. Together we’re committed to achieving genuine intra-Afghan dialogue on a political settlement that ends the conflict,” Khalilzad tweeted.
In Kabul, Khalilzad will consult with the Afghan government and politicians regarding the status of the U.S. talks with the Taliban and encourage efforts to form an “inclusive” negotiating team, as well as discuss next steps in intra-Afghan dialogue, according to the U.S. State Department.
The Embassy of Japan in Afghanistan announced on Friday that the country has allocated $19.5 million in humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan.
In a statement, the Japanese Embassy said it hopes the aid will help bring positive change to the lives of vulnerable Afghans.
According to the statement, the assistance will cover the basic humanitarian needs of vulnerable communities in Afghanistan.
The embassy added that the aid will be delivered through United Nations agencies, international organizations, and Japanese non-governmental organizations operating in Afghanistan.
Japan’s total assistance to Afghanistan since August 2021 has reached more than $549 million.
Security forces at the Islam Qala border in Herat province prevented hundreds of young Afghans from illegally entering Iran.
Officials from the 207 Al-Farooq Army Corps said that around 530 people attempted over the past two days to illegally enter Iranian territory through areas of Kohsan district in Herat, but border forces detained them and transferred them back to their original areas.
Meanwhile, some sources said that a group of 70 people who were heading to Iran on Wednesday through areas of Kohsan district became stranded amid cold weather and snowfall, resulting in the deaths of two of them.
Sources at the Islam Qala border in Herat also confirmed that in recent days hundreds of people have illegally entered Iranian territory through areas of Kohsan district, and that due to severe cold and heavy snowfall, five of them have lost their lives.
President Donald Trump suspended the green card lottery program on Thursday that allowed the suspect in the Brown University and MIT shootings to come to the United States.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a post on the social platform X that, at Trump’s direction, she is ordering the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to pause the program, the Associated Press reported.
“This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country,” she said of the suspect, Portuguese national Claudio Neves Valente.
Neves Valente, 48, is suspected in the shootings at Brown University that killed two students and wounded nine others, and the killing of an MIT professor. He was found dead Thursday evening from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, officials said.
Neves Valente had studied at Brown on a student visa beginning in 2000, according to an affidavit from a Providence police detective. In 2017, he was issued a diversity immigrant visa and months later obtained legal permanent residence status, according to the affidavit. It was not immediately clear where he was between taking a leave of absence from the school in 2001 and getting the visa in 2017.
The diversity visa program makes up to 50,000 green cards available each year by lottery to people from countries that are little represented in the U.S., many of them in Africa. The lottery was created by Congress, and the move is almost certain to invite legal challenges.
Nearly 20 million people applied for the 2025 visa lottery, with more than 131,000 selected when including spouses with the winners. After winning, they must undergo vetting to win admission to the United States. Portuguese citizens won only 38 slots.
Lottery winners are invited to apply for a green card. They are interviewed at consulates and subject to the same requirements and vetting as other green-card applicants.
Trump has long opposed the diversity visa lottery. Noem’s announcement is the latest example of using tragedy to advance immigration policy goals. After an Afghan man was identified as the gunman in a fatal attack on National Guard members in November, Trump’s administration imposed sweeping rules against immigration from Afghanistan and other counties.
While pursuing mass deportation, Trump has sought to limit or eliminate avenues to legal immigration. He has not been deterred if they are enshrined in law, like the diversity visa lottery, or the Constitution, as with a right to citizenship for anyone born on U.S. soil. The Supreme Court recently agreed to hear his challenge to birthright citizenship.
Japan allocates nearly $20 million in humanitarian aid for Afghanistan
Afghan border forces prevent illegal entry of hundreds into Iran
US pauses green card lottery program after Brown University shooting
India issues over 200 medical visas to Afghans in last four months
Dozens of U.S. lawmakers oppose Afghan immigration freeze after Washington shooting
Afghanistan U19 cricket team defeats India A U19
Afghanistan economy under pressure as Pakistan shocks reshape trade flows
Gaza death toll tops 70,000, health ministry says
India set to establish pharmaceutical factories in Afghanistan: MoIC
Afghanistan offers tax breaks, free land to attract Indian investors
Tahawol: Global concerns over migration escalation discussed
Saar: Calls for Afghanistan’s balanced, economy-oriented foreign policy discussed
Tahawol: Discussion on regional countries’ meetings on Afghanistan
Saar: Regional efforts to address Afghanistan-Pakistan issues discussed
Tahawol: Officials say interactions must be based on realities
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