Afghan Soil Must Not Be Used To Destabilise Region, Says Indian PM

Saleh’s call for Afghan politicians to armed resistance comes two weeks after Abdul Rashid Dostum, another former Afghan vice-president called for talks with the Taliban.

The former Afghan vice-president described the Doha agreement as a “conspiracy to hire the Taliban as a geopolitical tool”.

He called the Taliban a threat to every regional actor, except Pakistan.

US President Joe Biden's unexpected statement about the importance of the Taliban to prevent the threat of al-Qaeda in Afghanistan has been met with wide-ranging reactions from Afghan politicians. Among others, Rahmatullah Nabil, the former head of the Afghanistan intelligence agency, compared the Taliban to Russian mercenary fighters, the Wagner group, and called them "Islamic Wagner".

The Taliban has been against any power-sharing arrangements with other political groups since taking over Afghanistan in 2021 and has asked Afghan political leaders to return to Afghanistan and live as ordinary citizens.

In a press conference, Nazparvar criticised the ban and called it "surprising".

According to Iran’s Student News Agency (ISNA), Nazparvar emphasised on the need to strengthen trade relations with Afghanistan and said, "Afghan brothers use the water and flour of our province, but we cannot use Afghanistan's resources because currently the import of Afghan marble and travertine into Iran is prohibited. "

He did not explain the reason for banning the import of Afghan marble and said, "This is not a matter of law, but a ministry directive. We hope to be able to lift this ban."

A 2022 World Bank report indicated that after the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, Afghanistan's trade relations have been limited to Pakistan.

Highlighting how important the drug menace is, the report added that of the 354 executions, 206 had been for drug-related charges, which presents a 126% rise compared to the same period last year.

The report stressed that drug-related executions have continuously risen every year for the past three years. It stated that in the same period in 2022, 91 were executed for drug-related charges while 40 people were executed in the same period in 2021.

The organisation urged the international community to break their silence and make every effort to save the lives of death row prisoners in Iran by taking a stance on the state killings.

“The death penalty is used to create societal fear and prevent more protests. The majority of those killed are low-cost victims of the killing machine, drug defendants who are from the most marginalised communities,” said IHRNGO, Director, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam.

The report also stressed that this year, the number of executions has too gone up as 261 people were executed in the first six months of 2022 and 121 in 2021. This is a 36% rise compared to 2022.

Of the 354 recorded executions in 2023, only 43 (12%) were reported by official media, the report added.

It also emphasised on the mistreatment of the Baluch people and stated that the grossly disproportionate execution of Baluch minorities has continued as in the last two years even though they make up only 2-6% of Iran’s population.

The aid organisation added that 3.2 million people are acutely malnourished, including 3.2 million children younger than 5 years old in the country.

The report highlighted that this is because a 30-35 percent wheat deficit is expected for 2023 following the third consecutive drought year in Afghanistan, especially as the western provinces are likely to still experience below-average harvests.

It also added into account that the ongoing locust outbreak in northern Afghanistan has threatened to destroy a quarter of this year’s wheat harvest – up to 1.2 million mt, worth US$480 million.

It stated that it needs US$1.2 billion to sustain operations through the winter.

It also added that 28.8 million people – two-thirds of Afghanistan’s population – require multi-sectoral humanitarian assistance in 2023.

The report has been formed after the visit of WFP Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer Carl Skau between 11 and 15 June to witness operations, engage with key stakeholders, and advocate for urgent resources to meet critical funding gaps.

The organisation added that it had reached 15.4 million people since the beginning of 2023; however, since April it has had to cut eight million people from its emergency response caseload due to critical funding shortfalls.

Afghanistan is among the countries with the highest prevalence of insufficient food consumption globally.

The report in summary added that hunger in Afghanistan is primarily driven by the economic crisis which has gripped the country since August 2021 after Taliban’s takeover, compounded by decades of conflict, climate shocks, and severe restrictions on the rights of women and girls to work and pursue higher education.

According to a UNAMA statement, the document outlines the priorities of the UN in support of the Afghan people.

The UN agency stressed that the strategic framework articulates the organisation’s approach to addressing basic human needs in Afghanistan, prioritising the needs and rights of those most vulnerable, including women and girls, internally displaced persons, refugees, and ethnic and religious minorities.

UNAMA added that the strategic framework was developed in close consultation with UN member states, partners, and stakeholders.

Based on the UN Strategic Framework, UN agencies will focus on economic opportunities and resilient livelihoods, sustained essential services, social cohesion, inclusion, gender equality, human rights, and the rule of law.

According to the 74-page document, there will be a special focus on the delivery of principled assistance in response to the increasingly restrictive environment facing all Afghans, in particular women and girls.

According to the organisation, whether the UN can fully implement this framework will depend on actions by the Taliban and the support of donors.