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IMF warns of ‘looming humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan

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The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Thursday said it was deeply concerned with the economic situation facing Afghanistan and warned of a looming humanitarian crisis facing the country after last month’s takeover by the Islamic Emirate.

Addressing a press conference in Washington DC on Thursday, IMF spokesman Gerry Rice stated that the global lender’s engagement with Afghanistan remains suspended, which means IMF funding is on hold.

He said the immediate focus should be on helping the Afghan people by allowing the flow of remittances and small-scale transfers and providing aid to countries hosting Afghan refugees.

“Our engagement with Afghanistan has been suspended until there is clarity within the international community on the recognition of the government. We’re guided by the international community in terms of the recognition of the government in Afghanistan, and we don’t have that. So, the IMF program there, which you asked about, has been put on hold,” Rice said.

He noted “as we said last month, the country cannot access IMF resources, SDRs (Special Drawing Rights) and so on at this point. But again, I want to say that we stand ready to work with the international community to advocate for urgent actions to stall a looming humanitarian crisis.”

This comes as the United States has frozen some 9.5 billion U.S. dollars in assets of the country’s central bank since August 15.

Although the Afghan central bank has resumed operation, many banks have still remained closed, with worried residents seen lining up outside the bank outlets for cash withdrawal.

The ongoing cash shortage has not only made it difficult for the Afghan people to survive but has also limited the country’s business activities of all time.

Although an aid package of over one billion U.S. dollars has been pledged by the international community, one in every three Afghan people are suffering major food shortages as a result of soaring prices, the severe humanitarian crisis in the country, and the possibility of economic collapse across the country.

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Bayat Foundation delivers Ramadan aid to needy families in Bamyan

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Bayat Foundation has announced it has distributed Ramadan aid packages to dozens of needy families in Bamyan province.

These aid packages include flour, oil, and rice, intending to assist those in need during the holy month of Ramadan.

Officials from the foundation stated that these donations will be extended to needy families in other provinces of the country by the end of Ramadan.

“As part of the Bayat Foundation’s ongoing assistance, today we are distributing Ramadan aid packages in Bamyan province. These packages contain flour, rice, and oil,” said Sayed Hakim, a representative of the Bayat Foundation in Bamyan.

Meanwhile, recipients of the aid have called on other charitable organizations to also rush to assist those in need during this month.
One recipient expressed gratitude: “Thanks to the Bayat Foundation for considering help for people like us.”
Another recipient added: “Thank you to the Bayat Foundation for helping us, and we hope that in the future, more aid will be provided to the poor people of Bamyan.”

In addition to supporting public welfare projects, healthcare, and those affected by natural disasters, the Bayat Foundation has been providing food and non-food aid to thousands of needy families in the center and provinces of Afghanistan during each Ramadan for nearly two decades.

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Pakistan once again urges IEA to act against militants

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Pakistan’s foreign ministry on Thursday called on the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) to take visible and verifiable action against militants who, it said, enjoy sanctuaries inside Afghanistan.

“Terrorist threat against Pakistan from terrorist entities including TTP, BLA and ISKP is our foremost concern,” Shafqat Ali Khan, Pakistan’s foreign ministry spokesperson, said. “We continue to impress upon interim authorities to take visible and verifiable action against them, keeping in view their commitments given to the international community to dismantle terrorist infrastructure and groups from the Afghan soil.”

Regarding Afghan refugees, he confirmed that the deadline for their deportation remains unchanged. Pakistan had set March 31 as the deadline for Afghan Citizenship Card holders and illegal foreigners to leave Pakistan voluntarily. 

On border issues, Shafaqat Ali Khan informed that the Torkham border was reopened on Wednesday, with pedestrian travel allowed from Friday. The border will remain open until April 15, and a permanent solution is being sought. There won’t be any construction by Afghan side inside the Pakistani territory, he said.

On militancy, he said that Pakistan is taking robust actions, but it is impossible to completely seal off the border with Afghanistan.

IEA has previously rejected Pakistan’s claims that terrorists have sanctuaries in Afghanistan.

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We need contemporary sciences more than ever nowadays: Education Minister

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Acting Minister of Education Habibullah Agha says content contradicting religion and Afghan traditions will be removed from the curriculum, and that in addition to religious studies, the ministry is also focusing on modern sciences.

Marking the beginning of the 1404 academic year in Kabul, Habibullah Agha stressed that both religious and modern sciences are essential nowadays in Afghanistan.

He emphasized that the Islamic Emirate is committed to both fields of knowledge and urged people not to be deceived by negative propaganda.

“In this era, we have a great need to learn modern sciences. We must progress with these sciences and prepare ourselves to compete with the world,” said Agha.

He clarified that only through mastering modern sciences can the nation safeguard its people, government, health, and geography.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister for Administrative Affairs Abdul Salam Hanafi, who was also present at the event, reaffirmed the leadership’s commitment to fulfilling the Ministry of Education’s needs to establish a high-quality education system in Afghanistan.

Salam Hanafi stressed that the ministry must work to meet the country’s current educational demands.

He stated: “Enhancing teachers’ capabilities, addressing literacy issues, monitoring classroom activities, and improving the quality of both religious and public schools—these are the responsibilities of the Ministry of Education.”

Meanwhile, several government officials claimed that despite efforts by adversaries to tarnish the reputation of the IEA through a ‘cold war’, Afghanistan continues to make progress every day.

The 1404 academic year however began without reopening schools for girls above the sixth grade.

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