LAST 24 HOURS
POSSIBLE ARRESTS OF 2 AID WORKERS IN GHOR PROVINCE – Several rumors have been circulating that Taliban security personnel may have arrested 2 aid workers from the International Assistance Mission in Ghor yesterday. 1 of the workers was said to be an Afghan and the other was thought to be a foreign national. This information has yet to be confirmed.
FRANCE SPIRITS 5 AFGHAN WOMEN OUT OF THE COUNTRY – The 5 Afghan women arrived in France on Monday and were evacuated as part of a new program that was established by a presidential order that mandates special consideration be given to women who held important positions and/or who may have had close contact with Westerners. Women in these categories are considered to be especially at risk, not from arrest at the hands of the Taliban, but for having no future in the tyrannical system due to past work/associations. At least one of the women arrived with accompanying children. Organizers of the program say that France will likely evacuate more women in similar circumstances. The program was said to have been developed after an Afghan refugee NGO in France, Accueillir les Afghanes, called on the government to establish a protocol for women in dire straits.
SEVERAL ACTIVISTS IN THE UK CALL ON THE GOVERNMENT TO INVESTIGATE UK-BASED ISLAMIC SCHOLARS WHO RECENTLY VISITED AFGHANISTAN – About 50 activists representing academia, journalism, human rights, and civil society penned a letter to the British government decrying the visit as a Taliban-backed propaganda stunt that was intended to soften criticism of the regime. The signatories went on to call for an investigation into future trips made by such groups. It is not clear if there is a means of preventing such trips under current British law.
MORE JOURNALISTS SET FREE – After a widespread crackdown on the media in August 2023, the Taliban have slowly begun releasing those who found themselves under arrest. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) announced yesterday that 3 of the journalists had been released over the weekend and that 9 had been released since the August roundup began. The IFJ welcomed the news and called on the Taliban to release all others still in custody.
NEXT 24 HOURS
NO THREATS REPORTED
REGIONAL ROUNDUP
IRAN
Iran’s newly appointed Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia arrived in Riyadh to assume his duties yesterday. Likewise, the new Ambassador from Saudi Arabia arrived in Tehran.
The uncle of Mahsa Amini, the young woman who died while in police custody last year and who sparked a series of nationwide protests, was arrested by Iranian security forces on Tuesday. Eyewitnesses say that security personnel raided his home in Saqez.
Further information on the Swedish national being held in Iran was released yesterday. The man in custody is a Diplomat who has been working for the European Union and has been in custody since April 2022.
PAKISTAN
4 youths have been sentenced to death for reportedly making blasphemous comments online in Lahore. The four men were charged with making online comments that ridiculed the Quran and all are in their twenties.
The International Monetary Fund has rejected a proposal from the Pakistani caretaker government that was aimed at authorizing subsidies to provide relief for citizens from high electricity costs.
Counter-Terrorism Department personnel rearrested the leader of the PTI party on Tuesday and are currently holding him on charges related to the attack on the Judicial Complex that took place on 18 March.
SPOTLIGHT OPINION
By Imtiaz Gul - The Express Tribune
At the risk of annoying many in both countries, herewith I am venturing to put down in black and white as to what bedevils Pak-Afghan relations and why most Afghans dislike, if not hate, Pakistan. Continued state of conflict has given birth to a sense of deprivation as well as an inferiority complex which often manifests itself on occasions such as recent cricket encounters in Sri Lanka , where most Afghan players displayed immaturity and hyped-up emotions that bordered hostility and abuse. I will try to explain the reasons below with the hope that top leadership is aware of this context while attempting to mend, improve and develop relations in a difficult geopolitical environment.
AFGHAN NEWS
World Food Program ends aid to 2 million Afghans over lack of funding
By Clyde Hughes - UPI
A global funding shortfall is forcing the United Nations' World Food Program to drop 2 million people from assistance in Afghanistan on top of the 8 million the…
Complaints Persist About Slow Passport Distribution
By TOLO News
Mohammad Azim, a passport applicant who came to Kabul from Balkh to get a passport, said that after registering more than a year ago, he has yet to…
Taliban officials adamant their administration is ‘inclusive’
By AMU TV
A senior Taliban official on Monday responded to calls for the formation of an inclusive government by asserting that their administration is not “all-inclusive” but “Afghan-inclusive” and…
REGIONAL NEWS
Iranian Media Warn About Rapid Growth Of Afghan Immigration
By Maryam Sinaee - Iran International
Media in Tehran are increasingly sounding alarms about the rapid growth of the Afghan population in Iran, which is estimated to be between five to…
Afghan Exports to Pakistan Have Decreased
By Bibi Amina Hakimi - TOLO News
Officials of the Ministry of Industry and Trade said that exports to Pakistan have decreased by $66 million compared to…
INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN
UN urged to establish independent investigation for Afghanistan
By Fidel Rahmati - Khaama Press
The recent letter highlights a disturbing trend over the past two years, characterized by a surge in reprisal killings, torture, arbitrary detentions, and…
Activists’ hunger strike in Germany against Taliban restrictions enters fourth day
By Siyar Sirat - AMU TV
Tamna Zaryab Paryani, the organizer of the protest, took to social media to assert that the United Nations should shed its “conservatism” and acknowledge the…
THE DAILY WTF
Afghan refugee awarded thousands in damages after wrongful imprisonment in Greece
By Al Arabiya
An Afghan refugee who spent nearly three years in prison after being wrongfully accused of trafficking migrants was awarded thousands of euros in…
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 73.41 AFN (as of 6 SEP 2023)