Afghanistan’s passport has been ranked the least powerful in the world, securing the 106th spot on the latest Henley Passport Index.

This ranking highlights the severe travel restrictions faced by Afghan citizens, who can only access 26 countries without a visa.

The Henley Passport Index, a leading global ranking system for passports, evaluates countries based on the number of destinations their passport holders can visit visa-free. Afghanistan's position at the bottom underscores the challenges in global mobility for its citizens, who face significant barriers in travel compared to those from other nations.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Singapore boasts the world’s most powerful passport, offering its citizens access to 194 countries and territories without a visa. Japan and Finland follow closely in second and third place, respectively, with similarly high levels of travel freedom.

The Henley Passport Index is compiled using data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the world's largest travel information database, complemented by extensive research from Henley and Partners. The report offers an authoritative look into global passport rankings, providing insight into how nationalities can navigate the world without the added complication of visa requirements.

The White House has responded to US President-elect Donald Trump's claim that billions of dollars have been sent to the Islamic Emirate-controlled Afghanistan, saying that aid is being sent to the people of the country, not the Islamic Emirate.

“It’s not even believable. Billions of dollars, not millions—billions,” Trump said earlier this week, adding, “We pay billions of dollars to essentially the Taliban in Afghanistan. And that’s given by Biden.”

But White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told the Voice of America that the humanitarian aid sent to Afghanistan is going to the Afghan people, not the IEA.

Earlier, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) strongly rejected claims by Donald Trump that the ruling government is receiving “billions of dollars” from the United States.

Hamdullah Fitrat, the IEA’s deputy spokesman said: “The claims of billions and millions of dollars of aid to the Islamic Emirate from the US side are completely false and we strongly reject them.”

Pakistan's Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui on Thursday said a formal invitation had already been sent to Afghanistan to participate in a conference on girls' education.

The international conference on girls' education in Muslim countries would be held from January 11 to 12 in Islamabad with aims to address challenges and opportunities of women.

Siddiqui expressed the hope that representative from the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) would attend the conference.

Addressing a news conference, the minister said that the conference, jointly organised by the MoFEPT and the Muslim World League (MWL), will be presided over by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

He said the ministry had already sent invitations to 57 counties which was confirmed by 48 countries and added the conference would be attended by leaders, policy makers, diplomats, religious scholars, educationists, and experts from Muslim countries.

The conference's keynote address would be delivered by Nobel Laureate and globally-acclaimed advocate for girls' education Malala Yousafzai, he added.