Daily Evacuation Brief | November 12, 2023
Discover more from The Afghan Digest
LAST 24 HOURS
PAKISTAN ORDERS POLICE TO EXEMPT AFGHAN REFUGEES OF THE ISMAELI SECT FROM DEPORTATION – Sources say the measure was being taken after Canada stated it would consider resettling the sub-sect of the Shia faith. This information has not been verified by official Canadian sources but is running rampant on social media and has left many Afghan refugees questioning why the obscure sect is receiving special consideration. Again, this may simply be a rumor.
‘BEARDGATE’ – Photos of Taliban officials measuring the length of government employee’s beards are making the rounds on the internet as a new policy appears to be taking hold that would mandate long beards for all state employees. Those who fail to maintain their facial hair in accordance with this policy risk being fired.
FORMER TTP SPOKESMAN ALLEGES ISIS-K AND PAKISTAN INTELLIGENCE OFFICIALS HAVE CONCLUDED A DEAL TO TARGET THE TALIBAN – A publication that surfaced this past week that was reputedly authored by Ehsanullah Ehsan, the former official spokesman for the TTP, alludes to a secret deal between Pakistan and the terror outfit that has convinced Pakistani militants to shift their campaign against Islamabad to Kabul. The document has not been verified but many have speculated that Ehsan had escaped imprisonment in Pakistan in 2020 and has been operating covertly since that time.
PROTESTS IN TORKHAM, DEMANDING THE TALIBAN RELEASE SEVERAL PAKISTANI NATIONALS CURRENTLY HELD IN PRISONS – A small group of protestors took part in a demonstration on the Pakistan side of the demarcation line to urge Taliban officials to release an undisclosed number of Pakistani nationals who, they said, were unfairly imprisoned. The protests were directed at officials on both sides of the border and many of the demonstrators appeared to be related to those who were allegedly detained.
NEXT 24 HOURS
NO THREATS REPORTED
REGIONAL ROUNDUP
IRAN
President Raisi has called for the establishment of an international court to prosecute war crimes in Palestine while attending the Saudi Arabian Summit.
Additional attacks against US military emplacements in Syria and Iraq by Iranian-backed militias continue.
The petroleum sector in Iran faces serious challenges over a lack of natural gas. The gas is needed to ‘inject’ into older wells in order to continue producing oil and the country has only 11% of the gas needed to continue meeting production targets.
PAKISTAN
More senior PTI party officials have quit the party recently with Asad Umar being the most recent high-profile officer to call it quits. He said he based his decision on a disagreement with the party over strategies that directly confront national institutions.
The acting PM, Anwarul Haq Kakar, has joined others and called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza as well as a 2-State solution to the problem.
Pakistani citizens are concerned about whether petrol prices will fluctuate after 15 November. Most economists believe the government will drop prices but citizens are worried that the opposite could happen.
SPOTLIGHT OPINION
In defence of international law
By Nanjala Nyabola - Al Jazeera
October 2023 has been a month of many victims. Bombs are raining on civilians in Sudan and Gaza while much less reported-on crises in Syria and Afghanistan continue to simmer with periods of uneasy silence punctuated by sharp bursts of violence. Armed conflict has led to record levels of death and displacement, and a reckoning of sorts is now facing the so-called international order. Each of these crises has an individual context and narrative that deserves to be understood on its own terms, but together they have raised overarching questions about the present and the future of international relations broadly, and international human rights (IHRL), humanitarian (IHL) and criminal law (ICL) more specifically. For possibly the first time since the Rwandan genocide and the break up of Yugoslavia, everyday people across the globe are trying to understand what international law is, why it matters, and why it feels as if it is doing nothing at this moment when we need it the most.
AFGHAN NEWS
Afghan Women’s Satisfaction Level Lowest in World: Gallup
By TOLO News
Gallup Institute in a recent survey said that the satisfaction level of the Afghan women for their freedom and social life in Afghanistan is at the…
Deputy of MoRR: Pakistan Made Overhasty Decision to Expel Afghans
By Fatema Adeeb - TOLO News
Following the Islamic Emirate officials' reactions to the expulsion of the immigrants from Pakistan, Mohammad Arsalah Kharoti, deputy of the Ministry of Refugees and…
Some Kabul residents cannot afford to buy wood, coal
By Pajhwok Afghan News
Some residents in capital Kabul have complained that due to financial constraints they were unable to purchase firewood and coal as the temperature has…
REGIONAL NEWS
Former Pakistani FM calls for distinction between Afghan immigrants and terrorists
By Fidel Rahmati - Khaama Press
Former Pakistan’s foreign minister, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, questions the use of strong-arm tactics in deporting illegal Afghan immigrants and emphasizes the…
Pakistan's special envoy to Afghanistan claims presence of TTP in country
By ANI
Pakistan’s special envoy to Afghanistan, Asif Ali Durrani, has claimed the presence of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in…
INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN
Marathon Man: Empowering Women and Girls in Afghanistan through sport
By Martin Parnell - Cochrane Eagle
The students were Afghan women and girls aged 17 to 30 who are living in Kabul and other parts of…
U.S. and India push for human rights, security commitments from Taliban in key talks
By Siyar Sirat - AMU TV
The United States and India, in their 2+2 ministerial dialogue on Friday, pressed the Taliban to honor its pledge to prevent Afghanistan from serving as a launchpad for…
THE DAILY WTF
Pakistan’s new hotline targets undocumented migrants amid human rights concerns
By Tahir Sadid - AMU TV
Pakistan’s interim government has set up a hotline for citizens to report undocumented migrants, a measure aimed at aiding law enforcement in their detection and…
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 73.50 AFN (as of 12 NOV 2023)