Most Foreign Investors In Iran Are Afghans, Says Iranian Official
Hossein Salimi, Iran’s head of the Foreign Investment Association, stated that most of the foreign investment in the country has been made by Afghans.
Hossein Salimi, Iran’s head of the Foreign Investment Association, stated that most of the foreign investment in the country has been made by Afghans.
Salimi said that Afghans have invested from 300,000 dollars up to 10 million dollars in Iran.
On Friday, Iranian media outlets citing Hossein Salimi, reported that among foreign investors in Iran, Afghans occupy the first position, followed by Chinese in the second place, and Iraqis in the third place.
Salimi mentioned that while the number of permits granted to foreign investors in Iran has risen, the country is still lagging behind Turkey and the nations in the Persian Gulf.
After the Taliban’s takeover of power in Afghanistan, many Afghan citizens from different social classes have entered Iran.
However, the Iranian government has deported thousands of Afghans to Afghanistan in the past few months, and recently the deportation process has intensified.
Pictures received by Afghanistan International over the past few days indicate that Afghan immigrants are being attacked in some Iranian cities.
According to Iranian officials, nearly five million Afghans live in Iran.
Kremlin in a statement said that Russian and Uzbek presidents have emphasised on their commitment towards efforts aimed at promoting peace and stability in Afghanistan.
The statement was issued after a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Moscow.
Mirziyoyev arrived in Moscow on October 5. He met Vladimir Putin on Friday.
The joint statement read, "Priority will be given to achieving peace and stability in Afghanistan, which fully supports the security and development interests of Central Asia and its neighbours."
Russia and Uzbekistan, like other countries, do not recognise the Taliban.
Moscow and Tashkent have repeatedly asked the Taliban to fight against terrorists, form an inclusive government, and respect the rights of minorities, and international laws.
In the last two years, ISIS-K launched several rocket attacks on Uzbekistan from Afghanistan soil. Also, in a suicide attack conducted by ISIS, two Russian diplomats were killed on September 5, 2022.
Putin and Mirziyoyev have emphasised that the United Nations should play the main coordinating role in improving the situation in Afghanistan.
The statement also said that Russia and Uzbekistan condemn any discrimination based on race, ethnicity, or religion in any form.
Putin and Mirziyoyev have said that in accordance with international laws and obligations, they will take effective measures to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms and combat racism and racial discrimination.
Respecting ethnic groups and religions as well as preventing the proliferation of extremist ideologies are among the key priorities emphasised by the leaders of Russia and Uzbekistan.
Association for Coordination of Diplomats of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan asked the Netherlands to take necessary measures to suspend the activities of the "Taliban representative" at the Afghan embassy in The Hague.
The association said that the representative of the Taliban can spread extremism using diplomatic immunity.
On Friday, October 6, the members of the Association of Diplomats in a letter to the Foreign Ministry of the Netherlands wrote that Mohammad Asif Rahimi, the ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in The Hague, declared his allegiance to the Taliban regime in Kabul through a public statement.
In this letter, it has been mentioned that while the Taliban regime is not recognised by the Netherlands or any other country in the world, Rahimi's actions contradict international laws and norms.
On October 3, the Afghan embassy in the Netherlands announced that they are "engaging" with the Taliban's foreign ministry in Kabul. The statement had been confirmed by Zia Ahmad Takal, the spokesperson of the Taliban's foreign ministry.
Following the publication of the statement, sources told Afghanistan International that Asif Rahimi, the former ambassador of the Afghan government in the Netherlands, had been in contact with the Taliban for a long time in order to keep his position at the Afghan embassy.
Rahimi also told Afghanistan International in an exclusive interview that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Taliban is responsible for covering the embassy's expenses, but they are yet to fulfil this obligation.
He further added that over the last two years, he has not received any directives, funds, or salary from Kabul.
The Dutch government has not yet reacted to the statement published by the Afghan embassy in The Hague.
Now, the members of the Association of Diplomats in a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands said that the representative of the Taliban in the Netherlands can scrutinise Afghan diaspora living in the country, under the pretext of consular services.
Dozens of Iranian citizens protested against the presence of Afghan immigrants on the streets of Eqbaliyeh City in Qazvin province. They chanted that Afghans must leave Iran.
In a neighbourhood of this city, protesters attacked the house of Afghan immigrants with stones and sticks.
Video clips have been posted on social media showing the presence of Iranian riot police to prevent further violence.
Protesters gathered in front of Eqbaliyeh City Council and chanted slogans against Afghan immigrants.
In another video clip from one of the neighbourhoods of Eghbaliyeh city, local youths attack the doors and windows of immigrants' houses with stones and sticks.
Afghan immigrants in this city advised each other not to leave the house, to have enough food, and to lock the doors and windows, in the messages that they send to each other on Telegram and WhatsApp group messages.
Another video clip, whose exact location and time cannot be determined, but has not been seen before, shows an elderly immigrant man sitting on the ground with a piece of bread in his hand, surrounded by several Iranian men. One of them hits this man on the head with his hand and insults him and other Afghans.
Following the rise of the Taliban group in Afghanistan, which was supported by Pakistan and Iran, millions of Afghan citizens were displaced and many of them sought refuge in neighbouring countries, including Pakistan and Iran.
Recently, following the reports of the increase in the presence of Afghans in Iran, the opposition to the presence of immigrants has intensified in the Iranian press and has led to violent reactions against Afghan refugees.
Some Iranian newspapers have repeatedly written articles against the increase in the presence of Afghan immigrants in Iran.
The United Nations and human rights organisations have so far been silent about the situation of Afghan immigrants in Iran.
Jalil Abbas Jilani, the foreign minister of the interim government of Pakistan, defended his country’s decision to deport all illegal immigrants, including 1.73 million Afghans, from the country.
Jilani said that no other country allows illegal immigrants to enter its territory and this decision is in accordance with international practices.
According to a new decision of the interim government of Pakistan, Afghans without legal residence documents in Pakistan have been ordered to leave this country by the end of this month, otherwise, they will be forcibly returned to Afghanistan.
The decision has increased the tension between the Taliban in Afghanistan and Islamabad. The spokesman of the Taliban called the deportation of Afghan immigrants "unacceptable”, and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the group called it the beginning of a conflict with the Taliban.
However, on the sidelines of a meeting in Tibet, Jilani said, "No country allows illegal people to live in their country, whether it's Europe, Asian or our neighbours."
Pakistan has hosted Afghan immigrants since the 1970s.
Earlier, the Minister of Interior of Pakistan said that about 1.73 million Afghans in Pakistan are without legal documents and the total number of Afghan immigrants in this country reaches 4.4 million people.
Defending the decision to deport Afghan migrants, Pakistani officials said that 14 of the 24 suicide attacks in Pakistan this year were carried out by Afghan citizens.
Referring to the new situation in Afghanistan, Pakistan's foreign minister said that after 40 years of hosting, the country's government has now decided that Afghans should return to their homes.
Ahmad Massoud, leader of the National Resistance Front (NRF), called for the recognition of the "gender apartheid and the genocide of the Hazaras" in Afghanistan.
Massoud at the Sciences Po University in Paris said that these two issues were among his official demands during his meetings with French officials.
On Thursday, Massoud stressed, "You must recognise two important issues in Afghanistan: firstly, the gender apartheid against women and secondly, the genocide of the Hazaras."
"We need to stand together," said the leader of the National Resistance Front. “It doesn't matter what our race, religion, or belief is. We must be united, work together, learn from the past, and fight against evil."
Ali Maisam Nazary, head of the foreign relations of the National Resistance Front, also wrote on social media platform X that Massoud emphasised on the "significant progress of the resistance" over the past two years of the Taliban's rule in Afghanistan.
Ahmad Massoud has been in France for several days and has participated in various meetings, including addressing the European Parliament.
After the extensive restrictions that the Taliban imposed on Afghan women, several women and human rights activists have widely demanded the recognition of the "gender apartheid" in Afghanistan. According to these human rights defenders, the Taliban has deprived women of basic and basic rights in Afghanistan.
Also, a significant number of human rights activists and experts believe that the persecution and "targeted killing" that has been carried out against the Hazaras in Afghanistan for years is a part of "genocidal” killings of this ethnic group.
These activists also demand the recognition of the "genocide of the Hazaras" in Afghanistan.