German, Pakistani Envoys Discuss Regional Security & Economic Cooperation

Posting on X, Khurram likened the country’s current impasse to a “time bomb” ready to explode.

“The 21st century is the century of US-China rivalry, just as the 20th century saw US-Soviet competition, and the 19th century witnessed British-Russian contest,” he wrote on 25 May. He argued that China now stands as America’s principal challenger and that successive US administrations from Obama through Trump to Biden have pursued a consistent strategic stance towards Beijing, differing only in tone.

Khurram recalled President Obama’s observation that the US-China relationship would define the century. He said that Afghanistan, buffeted by great-power conflicts in previous centuries, again faces a similar fate owing to its strategic location and that Afghans have historically been pawns, not players, in those rivalries.

He contended that if Afghanistan had maintained active international engagement and preserved its legitimacy, it might have leveraged today’s global competition to its advantage. Instead, suspension from global institutions and severe domestic disunity have left the country vulnerable.

Khurram cautioned that growing isolation among citizens threatens to detonate the “time bomb” he described. He identified the nation’s lack of scientific capacity, economic weakness and absence of a credible defence as critical barriers preventing Afghanistan from asserting itself in 21st-century geopolitics.

In its April report, released on Sunday, 25 May, OCHA recorded 60 access-related incidents across central, southern and western regions, an 11 percent increase over March. Eighteen percent of these incidents involved gender-based restrictions.

The obstacles documented included direct meddling in operational planning, diversion of aid, delays in document approval, interference in logistics and recruitment, and explicit curbs on women’s participation. As a result, 35 humanitarian activities were temporarily suspended during the month.

OCHA noted that 73 percent of all the 44 cases of access incidents were attributable to Taliban authorities. Violence against aid personnel also rose, with seven arrests, 29 threats or verbal assaults, and four outright movement bans. Restrictions on women’s roles in aid delivery jumped by 38 percent compared to March.

The Taliban have further demanded sensitive data, including beneficiary lists, undermining humanitarian neutrality. OCHA continues to publish monthly updates detailing these challenges, underscoring the urgent need for unfettered access to protect vulnerable populations.

The UN agency warned that nearly four years after the Taliban’s return to power the country’s economy is collapsing and hunger now threatens one-third of the population.

In a statement issued on Sunday, 25 May, the WFP said it faces a funding shortfall that limits its ability to reach only six million people, leaving more than eight million Afghans without life-saving assistance.

The agency highlighted that two thirds of female-headed households struggle to meet basic nutritional needs, a situation exacerbated by Taliban-imposed restrictions on women’s education and public participation.

“The climate crisis has further damaged farmland and homes across many regions,” the WFP noted, stressing that sudden floods and severe droughts now put millions more livelihoods at risk.

Without the requested funds, the WFP warned, millions of Afghans will go without adequate food, deepening the humanitarian emergency in a nation already beset by conflict and economic hardship.

Spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said on Saturday that “the wishes and suggestions of our people will be taken into consideration,” but insisted that Afghans alone must resolve domestic issues.

In their 21 May statement, the OTS leaders representing Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye and Uzbekistan had urged Kabul to form a government reflecting Afghanistan’s ethnic diversity and to strengthen coordination against terrorism. They described the country’s Turkic communities as a “unique bridge” to the wider Turkic world.

Mujahid did not address inclusivity directly, instead calling on other nations to fulfil their responsibilities through economic support. He reaffirmed the Taliban’s desire for strong diplomatic and trade ties with Turkic-speaking states and stated that Afghan territory would not be used to threaten any country.

Despite repeated international appeals from the UN, regional powers and Western governments, the Taliban have so far appointed an all-male administration drawn exclusively from their own ranks, ignoring demands for broader representation.

A new online visa portal, launched in late April 2025, allows Afghans including investors, artists, athletes, students and medical patients to apply for student, business, medical, medical-attendant, entry and UN diplomat visas.

Visa categories also cover cultural figures participating in unpaid events, property owners in India and those with family members studying in the country. Applicants must upload a front-facing photograph, valid passport and national ID showing personal details, date of birth and passport expiry.

India halted visa services for Afghans following the August 2021 fall of the former government and the Taliban’s takeover. It closed its embassy and consulates in Kabul and revoked thousands of existing visas, leaving hundreds of students unable to complete their courses.

While New Delhi has yet to issue an official statement, a senior government official confirmed that the “New Afghan Visa” section is now live on the Ministry of Home Affairs immigration website.

The move follows growing diplomatic engagement between India and the Taliban regime. Last month, External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar spoke by phone with Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, thanking him for condemning a “terrorist attack” in Kashmir. In November 2024, Muttaqi met with senior Indian diplomat JP Singh in Kabul and urged New Delhi to facilitate visas, especially for businessmen.