Connect with us

Latest News

Sarwar Danish says enemy playing a psychological war game

Published

on

(Last Updated On: December 24, 2020)
Second Vice President Sarwar Danesh said on Thursday Afghanistan’s enemy was playing a psychological war game by trying to create fear, panic, despair and division as it stepped up high-profile targeted assassinations around the country. 
 
Speaking at the First Human Rights Defenders National Conference in Kabul he also said Afghanistan’s political system and Constitution were not in contradication of the principles, values, beliefs and rules of Islam.
 
Referring to recent assassinations and attempted assassinations, Danesh said under the current circumstances “we need to tighten our ranks in every way and not give in to the enemy’s psychological warfare.”
 
Danish said the aim of recent attacks was to destabilize the entire system, the values of the past 20 years, to create fear, panic, despair, division, distance between government and the people, to gain points at the negotiating table or to stop the peace process.
 
Speaking at the same conference, Aziz Rafiee, head of Afghan Civil Society Forum and chairman of the Human Rights Defenders Committee, said that human rights defenders face many threats and that the committee has so far this year registered 54 cases in this regard. 
 
He said the Joint Commission for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, chaired by Professor Sarwar Danesh, is expected to improve the working and living conditions of human rights defenders, adding that the committee reaffirms its commitment and co-operation to the commission. 
 
Shahzad Akbar, head of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) also addressed the conference and raised the issue of threats made against human rights defenders.
 
Akbar said that a mechanism should be set up to protect and secure human rights defenders, and that the role of government and international institutions was crucial in this regard.
 
Sima Samar, former minister of the State Ministry for Human Rights Affairs, told the conference that ensuring the security and safety of human rights defenders is the responsibility of  government, but that in this instance everyone’s cooperation is necessary.
 
A UNAMA Representative also addressed the conference and stated that recent insurgent attacks show how much human rights defenders in the country have to deal with and how much they are threatened. 
He said the United Nations supports human rights defenders in Afghanistan and welcomes the establishment of a Joint Commission for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, chaired by the Second Vice President, and will work closely with the Commission.
 
The EU representative also said that the European Union is committed to supporting human rights defenders and to the establishment of the joint commission on human rights defenders
 
He called for a thorough investigation into the recent security incidents, and said that the investigations are expected to identify the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
 
Deputy Minister of Justice Zakia Adeli also addressed conference delegates and said the ministry is working on regulations to protect human rights defenders and that once this has been finalized it is hoped this will pave the way for better protection of human rights defenders.
 
The first National Conference of Human Rights Defenders was organized by the Human Rights Defenders Committee in cooperation with human rights defenders from across the country as well as with the help of national and international human rights organizations.

Latest News

Kabul police summons Afghan YouTuber Hamayon

Published

on

(Last Updated On: March 29, 2024)

Afghanistan’s YouTuber Hamayon Afghan was summoned to the police station for publishing a woman’s interview without her permission, Kabul police said.

The spokesman of Kabul Police Khalid Zadran said Friday on X that Hamayon interviewed an old woman and published the report without her permission.

“After the interview, the interviewee’s family complained to the police and the police summoned Hamayon Afghan to the police station,” said Zadran.

Zadran stated that police are working to solve the problem with the two sides’ agreement as soon as possible.

He urges people to avoid posting rumors on the issue.

Continue Reading

Latest News

Contract worth $53 million signed for construction of last section of Khaf–Herat railway

Published

on

(Last Updated On: March 29, 2024)

A contract worth $53 million was signed Thursday for the construction of the last section of Khaf-Herat railway that connects Afghanistan with Iran.

The contract was signed between Afghanistan Railway Authority and Gamma Group in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, his office said in a statement.

The segment is 47-kilometer long, stretching from Rabat Parian to Herat International Airport and the Industrial Town, according to the statement.

It added that completion and standard operational readiness are expected within approximately two years.

“Upon its completion, this segment will integrate the Khaf-Herat regional connectivity project with Iran’s significant seaports and facilitate access to Europe via the Turkish railway network,” the statement said.

“Furthermore, traversing Afghan territory, it will bolster commercial exchanges between Central and South Asia. Notably, this project’s realization will enable the expansion of railway networks into Farah, Nimruz, Helmand, and Kandahar provinces,” it added.

Gamma operates across Europe and Asia in multiple sectors including construction, renewable energy, power transmission, mining, railways among others.

Continue Reading

Latest News

US urges IEA to fulfill counter-terrorism commitments

Published

on

(Last Updated On: March 29, 2024)

The US State Department said on Thursday that Washington is committed to ensuring that Afghanistan can never again be a launching pad for terrorism.

“We remain committed to ensuring that Afghanistan can never again be a launching pad for terrorism, and we continue to push the Taliban (Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan) to fulfill all of their counterterrorism commitments to the international community,” the department’s spokesperson Matthew Miller said at a news briefing in Washington.

He reiterated that the United States had clearly communicated to the IEA that it’s their responsibility to ensure that “they give no safe haven to terrorists, whether it be Al Qaeda or ISIS-K or any other terrorist organization”.

Miller also reassured US allies that Washington was closely watching the developments in Afghanistan and was ready to deal with any threat emerging from the region.

“We remain vigilant against the evolving threat of these terrorist groups, and our global coalition to defeat ISIS and the C5+1 help intensify our efforts to monitor terrorist threats from the region and prevent their ability to raise funds, travel, and spread propaganda,” he said.

C5+1 refers to a diplomatic platform involving the five Central Asian states (Kazakhstan, Kyrgy­zstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) and the United States. It serves as a forum for discussing and addressing regional issues such as security, economic development, and cooperation.

“The United States remains vigilant against the evolving threat posed by terrorist groups, including ISIS-K, and has maintained an unwavering focus on terrorism since President Joe Biden took office three years ago,” Miller said.

The US, he said, was “working both unilaterally and with its partners to successfully disrupt threats across the globe and degrade ISIS”.

“We will continue to work to hold ISIS accountable for its actions and to prevent terrorist attacks against the United States and other Western countries,” Miller said.

This comes as IEA has repeatedly said that it is committed to not allowing anyone to use Afghanistan soil against any other country.

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2022 Ariana News. All rights reserved!