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OIC to send team of scholars to Afghanistan
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) said on Thursday it will send a team of scholars to Afghanistan for dialogue on aspects related to Islam’s position on women’s education and work.
“The OIC will continue its efforts and dialogue with the concerned authorities in Afghanistan and, in coordination with the International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA), will send an expanded team of scholars to Afghanistan for dialogue on aspects related to Islam's position on women's education and work,” OIC Secretary General Hussain Ibrahim Taha said while speaking at a meeting of the council of foreign ministers of OIC in Mauritania.
He said that his special envoy during his visit to Afghanistan conveyed the message of the OIC and its Member States regarding their commitment to support Afghanistan on the humanitarian level and the importance of reviewing the recent decisions taken by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) regarding girls' education, women's work, and the need to make more efforts to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.
“The de facto authorities still demand that they be given some time to review the academic curricula and the safe environment for girls' education. In this regard, we affirm the total commitment of the OIC to support the right of women in Afghanistan to education and work in line with the principles of Islam,” Taha said.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s foreign minister, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, said the OIC should contribute to drawing up a clear pathway for peace in Afghanistan to encourage the IEA to fulfill the earlier promises; to fully respect human rights, particularly women rights; promote political inclusivity; and eliminate the terrorist threat.
This comes as IEA’s Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, in a recent meeting with a visiting delegation of scholars from the UAE, has emphasized that the ban on education for girls above sixth grade is not permanent.
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Suhail Shaheen meets with Chinese ambassador to Qatar
The head of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s (IEA) political office in Doha, Suhail Shaheen, met with China’s ambassador to Qatar late Monday for talks on bilateral relations, good neighborliness, and trade and investment opportunities between the two countries.
“About the Wakhan road, the export of Afghanistan's fresh fruit to China, the reconstruction of cold stores, China's assistance in the field of medical equipment to the Ministry of Health and good neighborliness between the two countries were discussed,” Shaheen said in a voice message.
China and the Islamic Emirate have been rapidly expanding relations in recent months.
Experts, meanwhile, have said that other countries need to engage with the IEA, as China is doing, in order for Afghanistan to come out of isolation.
Shaheen also met with Katharina Ritz, the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) delegation to Afghanistan.
He discussed numerous issues including humanitarian assistance, health sector challenges and climate change.
Both sides emphasized that ICRC activities need to be expanded, considering the needs of the people.
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IFRC reports over half of Afghanistan’s population needs urgent humanitarian aid
Afghanistan ranks among the most vulnerable countries globally to climate change and disaster risks
The International Federation of Red Crescent (IFRC) has reported that Afghanistan continues to face prolonged and complex humanitarian crises.
IFRC said in a report published on Tuesday, that about 23.7 million people, more than half of Afghanistan’s population, are in urgent need of humanitarian aid.
According to the IFRC, natural disasters, the growing impact of climate change, population displacement, economic challenges, and food insecurity are the main factors contributing to Afghanistan’s ongoing humanitarian crisis.
Afghanistan ranks among the most vulnerable countries globally to climate change and disaster risks.
The country is also prone to earthquakes, with nearly 400 tremors recorded in the last three years, including significant quakes, such as the 6.3 magnitude in Herat Province in October last year.
The compounding effects of disasters in the country have exacerbated the already fragile situation in Afghanistan, the IFRC’s report read.
These successive disasters have pushed more Afghans into poverty and heightened their vulnerability.
In addition, Afghanistan’s economic crisis is widespread, with more than half of households experiencing an economic shock.
The country’s economy is heavily dependent on foreign aid and remittances, which have declined significantly since the political change in 2021.
This has resulted in high levels of unemployment, challenging people’s coping mechanisms and thwarting the already fragile economy’s ability to adapt to shocks, the report read.
The IFRC said more than 85 percent of the country’s population is now living below the poverty line.
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Maldives recalls envoy to Pakistan over meeting with Afghanistan envoy
The island nation’s foreign ministry said the much publicized meeting had not been sanctioned by the government
The Maldives government has recalled its top diplomat in Pakistan after he had an unauthorized meeting with an Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan envoy in Islamabad.
The island nation’s foreign ministry said the much publicized meeting between the Maldives High Commissioner Mohamed Thoha and IEA envoy Sardar Ahmad Shakeeb on Friday had not been sanctioned by the government.
Maldives media reported that the foreign ministry stated: “Consequently, appropriate action has been taken by the government of Maldives.”
Thoha’s name has also been removed from the website of the Maldives mission in Islamabad, and an official source told AFP that he had been recalled.
Since regained control of Afghanistan in August 2021, no country has yet officially recognized the government.
However, the IEA has been making inroads into the diplomatic arena and has official missions now stationed in a number of regional countries.
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