Retired Government Employees Protest In Kabul, Demand Unpaid Pensions

The aid cuts have also halted access for 700,000 Afghans to healthcare, vaccinations, malnutrition treatment, clean water, and protection services.

In a report published on Saturday, the IRC stated that the decrease in US assistance has severely impacted the organisation’s critical programmes for Afghan citizens. Among the disruptions, the treatment of 15,000 children suffering from malnutrition has been interrupted.

Thousands of vulnerable Afghans have been cut off from essential services following the suspension of IRC programmes due to funding reductions.

The decline in US aid has led to the shutdown of numerous humanitarian initiatives across Afghanistan, significantly worsening the country’s humanitarian crisis.

The IRC emphasised that Afghanistan is facing a severe humanitarian emergency, with more than 22.9 million people urgently needing assistance. It warned that the prolonged economic collapse and ongoing environmental challenges have plunged millions into poverty and hardship.

The aid agency further warned that US funding cuts have had devastating effects on vulnerable groups, particularly the three million children and 1.2 million pregnant or breastfeeding women suffering from acute malnutrition.

The Taliban’s restrictions on women and girls have eliminated the income of many female-headed households, greatly increasing the risk of hunger and malnutrition.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), nearly 23 million Afghans are currently in need of humanitarian aid. Meanwhile, the World Food Programme (WFP) reports that around 15 million Afghans are unsure where their next meal will come from.

Speaking at a military graduation ceremony in Islamabad on Saturday, Sharif stated that peaceful coexistence would not be possible as long as insurgents and extremists use Afghanistan as a base to operate against Pakistan.

Sharif emphasised that Pakistan had taken serious measures on several occasions and had attempted to engage with the Taliban leadership regarding the issue.

He added that Pakistan had conveyed a clear and firm message to the Taliban authorities in Kabul, stressing that while Pakistan desired peaceful relations and good neighbourliness with Afghanistan, achieving this objective would not be possible while militants continued to launch attacks from Afghan territory.

The Prime Minister reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to countering security threats and safeguarding its territorial integrity. He stressed that Islamabad has consistently sought peace and stability in the region but would not allow threats to persist from the territory of neighbouring countries.

Tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban have escalated sharply in recent months amid a surge in security incidents within Pakistan.

Islamabad accuses the Taliban of providing shelter to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants inside Afghanistan, from where they allegedly launch attacks into Pakistani territory.

The Taliban have strongly rejected these accusations, calling them “baseless.” Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid has insisted that Afghanistan does not allow its soil to be used against other countries, and asserted that Pakistan’s internal security is its own responsibility.

Mawlawi Hezbullah Afghan, the former governor of Zabul, has now replaced Sharif as the General Director of Border Police within the Ministry of Interior.

These are not the only changes within the Ministry of Interior, which operates under the leadership of Sirajuddin Haqqani.

Mullah Jan Mohammad Hamza, the former police chief of Takhar province, has been dismissed from his post and appointed as the Director of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock in Kabul. Mawlawi Obaidullah, who previously held that position, has now been assigned as the head of the Directorate of Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Balkh province.

Additionally, Mawlawi Saifullah, formerly the head of intelligence in Sar-e-Pul province, has been appointed as the commissioner of Hairatan Port in Balkh. Mawlawi Hussainullah Zahid, who previously served as the commissioner of Hairatan Port, has been appointed as the district governor of Aqcha in Jowzjan province.

Hamdullah Fitrat, the Taliban’s deputy spokesperson, announced these latest structural changes within the group’s administration on Saturday, 26 April.

The decrees issued by Hibatullah Akhundzada demonstrate that key appointments within Taliban ministries including the Ministry of Interior are made directly by the Taliban leader, significantly limiting the influence of ministers based in Kabul.

Haqqani Pushes for Greater Role in Appointments

In March, sources from Kandahar told Afghanistan International that Sirajuddin Haqqani, during a meeting with Akhundzada, requested the formation of a commission to oversee appointments within the security sector.

Prior to attending this meeting, Haqqani had reportedly been absent from leadership gatherings for at least two months.

Sources indicate that Akhundzada rejected Haqqani’s proposal to establish a commission led by Haqqani himself, alongside Yaqub Mujahid, Minister of Defence, and Abdul Haq Wasiq, Chief of Intelligence.

According to these sources, during the meeting, Akhundzada emphasised: “I will not compromise on anything. I am the Emir, and my decision must be accepted.”

Experts from both countries will work together to plan the shortest new transit corridors linking Southeast Asia with the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), China, and Europe.

TASS, Russia’s state news agency, reported on Friday, that Uzbekistan and Russia intend to jointly design the railway, which will traverse Afghan territory as part of the Termez–Mazar-i-Sharif–Kabul–Peshawar route. The project is expected to create new transit corridors that will connect Southeast Asia to CIS countries, China, and Europe.

The railway is anticipated to reduce cargo transportation time and costs by 30 to 40 per cent.

This development follows agreements previously signed by the transport ministers of Uzbekistan and Russia, initiating the design phase of the Trans-Afghan railway project towards Pakistan.

The Russian Ministry of Transport stated that the two countries would conduct a joint feasibility study in 2025, focusing on assessing freight traffic and evaluating the project’s economic viability.

In February 2021, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and Pakistan signed an agreement to construct a 573-kilometre railway through Afghanistan, aimed at connecting landlocked Central Asia to Pakistani ports. The estimated cost of the project is $4.8 billion, with the objective of enhancing regional economic connectivity.

They argue that the plan sidelines the Afghan people from the decision-making process and paves the way for the normalisation of the Taliban.

In a joint statement signed by 54 social organisations, associations, and protest groups, the activists denounced the inclusion of the Taliban as a “primary stakeholder” in the initiative, asserting that it contravenes the principles of neutrality, democracy, and human rights.

The statement further characterises the structure of the plan as a “mosaic approach” and warns that treating fundamental human rights as subjects of negotiation undermines their universality and inviolability.

The activists expressed grave concerns over the exclusion of women, civil society actors, and victims of human rights violations from the process. “The instrumental use of humanitarian aid to advance political objectives undermines the principle of neutrality,” the statement reads.

According to the signatories, the initiative grants the Taliban tangible concessions while demanding little more than vague and unenforceable promises in return, thereby serving the Taliban’s interests rather than those of the Afghan people.

The group has called for the immediate suspension of the “Comprehensive Approach,” a thorough review of its framework, and the meaningful inclusion of representatives of the Afghan people.

The statement also reiterates the need for the Taliban to remain unrecognised as a legitimate political entity, demands equal participation for women and independent organisations, and urges UNAMA to realign with its original humanitarian mandate.