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US restricts visas for IEA members over ‘repression of Afghan women, girls’

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The Biden administration has imposed new visa restrictions on current and former members of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) over its “repression of women and girls”.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday that the visa restriction policy will apply to current and former IEA members, members of non-state security groups and others believed to be responsible or complicit in the government's repressive policies.

"We continue to press the Taliban (IEA) and others to respect the human rights and fundamental freedoms -- including the right to education -- of all Afghans, including women and girls," Blinken tweeted.

In a statement issued by the State Department, Blinken said restrictive policies includes “discontinuing and/or restricting access to secondary or higher education for girls and women; preventing women’s full participation in the workforce and their ability to choose their careers; restricting women’s movement, expression, or privacy; as well as engaging in violence and harassment including unjust arrest and detention of women, girls, or their family members for noncompliance with discriminatory policies.

“Immediate family members of such persons may also be subject to these restrictions,” he said.

Blinken said “for more than a year, Afghanistan remains the only country in the world where girls are systemically barred from attending school beyond the sixth grade, with no return date in sight.”

Others added their voice to calls for the IEA to reopen girls’ schools.

Tomas Niklasson, the EU’s special envoy for Afghanistan tweeted Tuesday night that “schools need to re-open, or open, across Afghanistan, offering girls of all ages access to quality education. The teachers, engineers, doctors, architects, civil servants and business leaders of tomorrow, building a more prosperous Afghanistan, together with their brothers.”

UN Chief António Guterres also spoke out and said: “I am extremely concerned by the continued exclusion of girls from school in Afghanistan.

“This is deeply damaging to girls themselves & to a country that desperately needs their energy & contributions.”

Marking Day Of The Girl, he said: “I once again urge the Taliban to let girls learn.”

The Islamic Emirate Afghanistan (IEA), however, rejects the claims of suppressing women and says that the world should engage with the Islamic Emirate instead of putting pressure on them.

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G7 commits to providing humanitarian aid and support to Afghanistan

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G7 Foreign Ministers said in a joint statement issued at the end of the annual summit in Italy that their countries are committed to continue providing humanitarian aid and support to Afghanistan.

The statement noted that the integration of Afghanistan into the international community and establishing peaceful relations with neighboring countries is only possible when an inclusive political process is established.

Afghan women should participate fully, equally and safely in political processes based on the independent assessment of the United Nations, the statement read.

The G7 members added that violations of human rights, restrictions on women and violations of international laws in Afghanistan have raised concern among the group.

Meanwhile, the Islamic Emirate has repeatedly said that the rights of the people of Afghanistan are secured according to Islamic Sharia and has emphasized that countries should not interfere in Afghanistan's internal affairs under the pretext of human rights issues.

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IEA ready for comprehensive cooperation with Pakistan: Yaqoob Mujahid

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Acting Defense Minister Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid on Wednesday met with Ubaidur Rehman Nizamani, Pakistan's ambassador to Kabul, and said the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) is ready for comprehensive cooperation in various fields with Islamabad, the ministry said in a statement.

Mujahid called Afghanistan and Pakistan "two neighboring countries" and added: “These two countries have a lot in common and these commonalities and stable relations between the two countries have made the Islamic Emirate ready for all-round cooperation in economic, commercial, and other common issues with a sense of neighborliness and mutual respect.”

In this meeting, Nizamani also emphasized the need to expand joint cooperation and strengthen bilateral relations between Kabul and Islamabad.

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Blinken finally scheduled to testify in Congress on Afghanistan

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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has agreed to testify publicly at a House of Representatives committee hearing on the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan.

According to the committee, chair Michael McCaul, Blinken had committed to appear at a public hearing on December 11 to discuss the committee's investigation of the withdrawal three years ago.

The committee and the State Department have been wrangling over Blinken's appearance for months.

Panel Republicans voted in September to recommend Blinken be held in contempt of Congress for failing to comply with a subpoena.

The State Department contended that the panel was provided with large amounts of information, with Blinken testifying before Congress on Afghanistan more than 14 times and the department providing nearly 20,000 pages of records, multiple high-level briefings and transcribed interviews, Reuters reported.

McCaul released a report on September 8 on the committee Republicans' investigation of the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal, blasting Democratic President Joe Biden's administration for failures surrounding the evacuation.

The issue had become intensely politicized before the presidential election on November 5.

In his successful bid for a second term, Republican former President Donald Trump drew criticism for shooting a video for his campaign at Arlington National Cemetery where he appeared at a ceremony honoring troops killed in the evacuation, Reuters reported.

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