Daily Evacuation Brief | July 31, 2023
LAST 24 HOURS
BOMBING IN PAKISTAN KILLS AT LEAST 40, 150 WOUNDED – The bomb was detonated at a rally for a hard-line cleric and political leaders in the Bajur District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Sunday. The convention was organized for Maulana Fazlur Rehman and his party, Jamiat Ulema Islam (JUI). Rehman is thought to be allied with the TTP and the Taliban in Afghanistan. Police say that a suicide bomber likely infiltrated the gathering and successfully bypassed the JUI party’s security personnel. JUI party officials were quick to point the finger at other political groups and said the bombing was an attempt to keep JUI candidates out of the November elections. No group has yet claimed credit for the attack but a source in Islamabad said it was almost certainly an ISIS operation and authorities believed the bomber had slipped across the border from Afghanistan. Based on preliminary reports from medical personnel, the death toll is expected to rise in the coming hours and days.
US SPECIAL INSPECTOR GENERAL FOR AFGHANISTAN RECONSTRUCTION ISSUES WARNING TO TALIBAN – In a recent report from the US SIGAR, the funds on reserve in Switzerland could be withheld should the Taliban continue to interfere in the central bank’s operations. As the Taliban have rejected the former constitution, there are currently no laws that govern the banking infrastructure in the country. The current governor and deputy governor of the central bank are Taliban leaders, possess no banking experience, and are reputedly not the smartest people in any room. The US’s position is firm, there can be no political interference in the banking system but there are rumors the Taliban intend to vacate the banking laws and will try to replace them with a hybridized Sharia-based system that some other countries claim to have adopted. Most observers believe the loss of these funds would cause a collapse of the Afghan economy.
MINISTRY OF MARTYRS AND DISABLED SAYS IT IS FINALLY READY TO PROVIDE COMPENSATION FOR THE DISABLED, ORPHANS, AND WIDOWS – After delaying the support payments for nearly two years, the Ministry says it will provide a back pay allowance of six months to those who have been verified on the lists in the Ministry. There are concerns that employees of the former government have had their names struck off the list and there are also rumors that many Taliban officials have created some ‘Ghost Disabled’. The term refers to people who do not actually exist but whose benefits are sent to accounts owned by corrupt officials. A few select NGOs are waiting to see how the disbursements are paid and are concerned that minorities and women may be left out.
NEXT 24 HOURS
PAKISTAN EXPECTING HIGH-LEVEL VISITS, INCREASED THREAT OF TERROR ACTS – With the arrival of China’s Vice Premier, He Lifeng, for a ceremony to mark the 10-year anniversary of the CEPAK program, there are concerns that anti-Chinese sentiment that has been building in the country could invite terrorist actions. The suspected suicide bombing in Bajaur that caused so much destruction and death likely have the security forces at their highest levels of readiness. At-risk Afghans in Pakistan are likely to encounter significantly more police and military personnel on the streets during the visit of the Vice Premier and, owing to increased tensions, these forces may deal with any potential threat with extreme violence.
REGIONAL ROUNDUP
IRAN
Iran threatened Saudi Arabia and Kuwait with unspecified consequences should negotiations over who has control of the disputed off-shore oil fields known as Arash/Dorra.
Details about a newly proposed Hijab law have been released and it appears that violators can lose jobs, pay increased fines, and be banned from the internet for 2 years.
Israel announced it had busted an Iranian-sponsored ‘phishing’ campaign on LinkedIn that was targeting Israeli civil servants and researchers.
PAKISTAN
The current Prime Minister accused his predecessor of being the mastermind of the 9 May riots in an interview with GEO News.
The current official count of casualties from the severe flooding in the country stands at 173 deaths and 260 injured over the past two weeks.
Two roof collapse incidents occurred at two separate factories in Karachi on Sunday that have left 14 workers injured. Officials said the casualties could have been worse had the roof collapses take place on Monday.
SPOTLIGHT ANALYSIS
The Endless Wait Of Afghan Refugees
By Ankita Mukhopadhyay - Outlook India
Fariba Hakimi, 42, escaped from Afghanistan in 2018 with two of her daughters. Her other two daughters were sold to the Taliban by her husband. Hakimi, who now lives in the Bhogal market area of Delhi, is scared for her life after the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban in 2021—the Taliban has issued a lifelong death warrant in her name. She used to work as a gym instructor in Delhi but it shut down during the pandemic. It has been a constant struggle since then.
AFGHAN NEWS
Taleban Perceptions of Aid: Conspiracy, corruption and miscommunication
By Sabawoon Samim & Ashley Jackson - AAN
Despite publicly claiming to welcome international aid, the Taleban government has exercised a growing influence over…
Kabul businesswoman opens female-only restaurant
By AMU TV
The “Afghan Women’s Restaurant” has emerged as a beacon of hope for women facing hardships and limitations under Taliban rule and the owner of the…
Drivers Face Punishment For Transporting Women Without Full Hijab In Taliban-Controlled Afghanistan
By Outlook India
In the wake of the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan nearly two years ago, women in the country continue to resist stringent orders aimed at…
REGIONAL NEWS
A bomb at a political rally in northwest Pakistan kills at least 40 people and wounds more than 150
By The Toronto Star
A powerful bomb ripped through a rally by supporters of a hard-line cleric and political leader in the country’s northwestern Bajur district that borders Afghanistan on Sunday…
UAE's support for Afghanistan across many sectors stronger
By Gulf Today
Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs, recently met with Ambassador Feridun Hadi Sinirlioğlu, UN-appointed Special Coordinator for the Independent Assessment…
INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN
US, Taliban representatives begin talks in Doha
By AMU TV
Suhail Shaheen, the head of the Taliban’s political office in Doha, announced on Sunday that talks have commenced between a Taliban delegation and US…
Afghan refugees should be treated according to international laws, Stanikzai tells Turkish envoy
By Ariana News
Sher Mohammad Abbas Stankzai, political deputy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a meeting with Cihad Erginay, the Turkish ambassador in Kabul, said on…
From the World Cup sidelines, Afghanistan’s women’s team is fighting for the right to play
By Hilary Whiteman - CNN
Half-time and thousands of tiny cellphone lights are swaying in time to Coldplay’s “A Sky Full of Stars” on a mild winter night at Brisbane Stadium for Australia’s…
THE DAILY WTF
Taliban create bonfire of 'immoral' music equipment
By France 24
"Promoting music causes moral corruption and playing it will cause the youth to go astray," said Aziz al-Rahman al-Muhajir, head of the Herat department of…
“Consider the ignorance of such a man.” TAD Staff
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 85.49 AFN (as of 31 JUL 2023)