Half A Million Children In Afghanistan At Risk Of Malnutrition This Year, Says UN

The Taliban's embassy in Islamabad announced on Wednesday, January 15, that the chargé d'affaires of the embassy, Sardar Ahmad Shakib, in a meeting with Philippa Candler, the head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Pakistan, expressed "serious" concern over the arrest and harassment of Afghan refugees in the cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad by the Pakistani police.

Shakib said that police were searching the homes of migrants and even arresting Afghan nationals with visas and legal documents, including women and children, and in some cases demanding "bribes and large sums of money".

The statement from the Taliban embassy also said that Pakistani police are telling Afghan refugees that after January 15, all Afghans with or without legal documents should be evacuated from the cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

"The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) should defend the rights of the holders of Sharp Office tokens (a UN partner agency in Islamabad and Sindh), POR Card and other cards and take the necessary measures to facilitate them," the Taliban diplomat said.

According to a statement from the Taliban embassy, Philippa Candler, the head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Pakistan, said that she has held several meetings with the Pakistani government to end this practice with Afghan refugees.

"She will discuss this issue with Pakistani officials again in the coming days," the statement said.

For the past two weeks, Pakistani police in the cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad have started arresting, harassing and deporting Afghan refugees. Police have also arrested migrants who have fled to Pakistan for fear of Taliban reprisals over the past three years.

OCHA added that 10 people died during this period due to extreme cold weather or traffic accidents caused by snowfall.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Afghanistan has released its weekly report on the humanitarian situation in the countries of the region.

According to OCHA, heavy snowfall and rain have caused casualties and damage to people's homes in the northern and eastern regions of Afghanistan in the past two weeks.

According to the report, cold weather has killed two people in the mountainous district of Faryab, while snowfall and extreme cold have claimed the lives of three people in Andarab district of Baghlan province.

OCHA also announced that snowfall and rain caused traffic accidents on various highways, and five people died following a traffic accident on the Kabul-Jalalabad highway.

Heavy rainfall and flooding in recent months have caused extensive financial and human losses to the people.

He stressed that for Moscow, Beijing, Islamabad and Tehran, interacting with India on Afghanistan is the "right thing to do".

On Tuesday, January 14, the Russian Foreign Ministry posted a video of Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's meeting with reporters on social media.

At the meeting, Sergey Lavrov stressed on the importance of India's participation in the talks on Afghanistan through the quadrilateral meetings of Moscow, Beijing, Islamabad and Tehran.

Russia, China, Pakistan and Iran held their third meeting on Afghanistan on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York in October last year.

The foreign ministers of these countries compared their approaches to resolving Afghanistan's issues. India has also previously participated in processes related to Afghanistan within the framework of the "Moscow Format".

The Russian foreign minister's remarks come a week after Indian Deputy Foreign Minister Vikram Misri met with Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban's foreign minister, in Dubai. During the meeting, India expressed its readiness to respond to Afghanistan's immediate needs.

Sergey Lavrov also called on India and Pakistan to hold talks to resolve their concerns.

Regarding the relations between the two countries, he said, "They can ask each other uncomfortable questions and seek answers. We will also help and try to strengthen cooperation, as this is beneficial for the region."

The Chinese Ambassador to Kabul made the remarks on Sunday, January 12, during a meeting with the Taliban's Minister of Urban Development and Housing, Hamdullah Nomani.

According to a statement from the Taliban's Ministry of Urban Development and Housing, the Chinese ambassador said, "Some parties do not want political and diplomatic relations between China and Afghanistan to develop and continue, and are trying to create obstacles. China has paid attention to this issue and expects the Afghan side to pay attention to it as well."

The Chinese ambassador did not name a specific country, but this expression of concern is unprecedented given the Taliban's interest in relations with China. The Taliban, which has strained relations with the West, especially the United States, has tried to expand its relations with Russia and China, two important members of the Security Council.

Meanwhile, India, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates have also taken initial steps in improving relations with the Taliban.

Hamdullah Nomani, the Taliban's Minister of Urban Development and Housing, said that Afghanistan and China have long-standing political and economic relations, and both sides are committed to expanding and strengthening these relations.

He suggested that Chinese investors be encouraged to participate in construction projects, especially the Kabul New City project.

Regarding investment in the new city of Kabul, the Chinese ambassador in Kabul said that it is necessary to specify the conditions, facilities and details related to the investment in order to provide complete and transparent information to Chinese investors and encourage them to participate in this project.

After three years of the Taliban's rise to power, China has provided political support to the Taliban in the United Nations Security Council, but it has not taken serious steps to invest in Afghanistan and reduce the group's isolation.

The Taliban had hoped that China, the world's second-largest economy, would replace Western countries in Afghanistan, but Beijing has not met this demand.

Zabihullah Mujahid claimed that the Biden administration has not yet taken steps to exchange American prisoners.

"We hope that Afghan prisoners will be released from Guantanamo prison because it is a bilateral deal," he said.

George Glezmann, Ryan Corbett, and Mahmood Shah Habibi are three US citizens who have been held by the Taliban since 2022.

In exchange for the release of these American citizens, the Taliban has demanded the release of the last Afghan prisoner, Mohammad Rahim Afghan, from Guantanamo Bay. He is being held for alleged links to Osama bin Laden, the former leader of al-Qaeda.

Recently, an anonymous Taliban official told the Guardian that the group has postponed negotiations on a prisoner exchange until the beginning of the Trump administration.

The issue of the prisoner exchange between the United States and the Taliban has been complicated after the Taliban denied the arrest of Mahmood Shah Habibi, but US officials and Mahmood Shah's family believe that he is with the Taliban.

Ahmad Shah Habibi, the brother of Mahmood Habibi, said in an interview with Afghanistan International that in a phone conversation with US President Joe Biden, he was assured that his brother is one of the important issues in the negotiations with the Taliban.