US, Uzbek Envoys Discuss About National Reconciliation in Afghanistan

Ismatullah Irgashev, Uzbekistan’s special representative for Afghanistan, and Jonathan Henick, the American ambassador in Tashkent, discussed the situation in Afghanistan.

Ismatullah Irgashev, Uzbekistan’s special representative for Afghanistan, and Jonathan Henick, the American ambassador in Tashkent, discussed the situation in Afghanistan.
Both the officials emphasised on national reconciliation in Afghanistan and stressed that the Taliban must fulfil their commitments to the international community.
Henick convoyed to the Uzbek envoy that the United States wants to work closely with Uzbekistan on a peace resolution for Afghanistan’s issues.
A statement by Uzbekistan’s foreign ministry added that the US has also appreciated Tashkent for providing humanitarian aid to the people of Afghanistan.
Earlier, Uzbekistan’s foreign minister, Vladimir Norov, and US Special envoy Tom West discussed national reconciliation in Afghanistan.


The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) announced that there are about 20,000 community-based classes in Afghanistan that educate more than 600,000 children. UNICEF added that it will expand educational opportunities across Afghanistan in 2023.
The organisation has not spoken about the age of the group of the enrolled children at the community-based classes.
Currently, female students in secondary and high schools have been deprived of the right to formal education in Afghanistan.
For more than 445 days, the Taliban has prevented the reopening of girls' secondary schools in Afghanistan.
UNICEF announced on the organisation’s Twitter account on Friday that it will never stop advocating for every child's right to an education.

Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, Pakistan's foreign ministry spokesperson, said in a press conference on Thursday that Afghanistan is "unstable". Baloch added that due to instability in Afghanistan and the region, many people and Pakistan security forces’ members have lost their lives.
According to Pakistan State Radio station, Baloch said that Pakistan is a victim of terrorism.
Pakistan foreign ministry’s criticism of the situation in Afghanistan comes days after the attack on the charge d'Affaires of the Pakistani embassy in Kabul in which one of his bodyguards was seriously injured.
On the other hand, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), whose leader is said to be in Afghanistan, has ordered its forces to attack targets across Pakistan.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan has also pointed to India and said that New Delhi is one of the factors of instability in Pakistan.
Baloch stressed that there is undeniable evidence of India's direct involvement in terrorism inside Pakistan.

US will act in a way that protects their interests if they see terrorists regrouping in Afghanistan, said Ned Price, US State Department spokesperson. Price said that the Taliban are either unable or unwilling to live up to the counterterrorism commitments that they’ve made.
“We also have capabilities when it comes to counterterrorism in the region that does not leave us entirely beholden to the Taliban and make sure that Afghanistan does not again become a haven for international terrorists,” he said.
He reiterated that they will make good on the pledge that US President Biden made since the withdrawal of military forces from Afghanistan last year, which is that they will take action to stop the country from becoming a launchpad.
“Our broader goal to see to it that terrorists and others aren’t able to use Afghanistan as a launch pad for attacks on Pakistan. TTP, among others groups are active in Afghanistan. We are determined to work with our partners in the region, including Pakistan, to do what we can to take on the threat of terrorism in the region, and certainly the threat of terrorism that extends well beyond the region,” he added.
The statement came on Wednesday in response to a question asked during a press briefing about the rise of violence in Afghanistan and the Taliban’s failure to not provide “safe havens” to terrorist groups — including the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), al-Qaeda, the Islamic State and others.
The spokesperson also spoke about the recent public floggings and said that the Taliban seek to return to their regressive and abusive practices of the 1990s. “It was an affront to the dignity and the human rights of all Afghans then; it would be an affront to the dignity and the human rights of all Afghans now. It is a clear failure by the Taliban to uphold their promises,” he added.
Price said that US’ engagements with the Taliban and their relationship with the country depends largely on the group’s actions when it comes to human rights, to the rights of all Afghans, and to the rights of women, girls, minorities, and other marginalized communities in Afghanistan. “Safe passage, counterterrorism, the Taliban’s ability or willingness to form of government that is representative of their people – we are looking to all of these things and will continue to do that as we chart our own potential engagement,” he said.
However, Price stated that the Taliban have demonstrated that they are unwilling or unable to live up to the commitments they have made – not only to us, not only to the international community, but most importantly, to the people of Afghanistan.

The Taliban’s Supreme Court announced that on Thursday, 18 men and nine women have been flogged on various charges in Charikar city of northern Parwan province. The Taliban court also announced that three other people have been flogged in eastern Paktika Province.
As flogging of men and women continues across the country, the Taliban executed a man in the center of Farah province on Wednesday.
Most members of the Taliban leadership travelled to Farah province to watch the execution, which is the first of its kind after the Taliban seized power in August 2021.
The Taliban’s supreme court in a statement said that 27 people who have been flogged in Parwan were accused of homosexuality, theft, sexual relations, and possessing fake documents.

Thomas West, the US Special Envoy for Afghanistan, met officials of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and discussed issues regarding Afghanistan. West spoke about the rights of Afghans, economic stability, and terrorist threats emerging from Afghanistan with the UAE officials.
According to the US Special Representative, UAE is playing an important role and has been a long-time hub for Afghan businesses.
West added that the plan of encouraging policies to attract investment in Afghanistan was one of the other aspects of his talks with the UAE authorities.
In addition, West added that during his visits to the United Arab Emirates, the reopening of girls' schools in Afghanistan was also emphasised.
During his UAE visit, Thomas West met several Afghan politicians, and Taliban officials including Mullah Yaqoob Mujahid, the Taliban's defense minister.