Ariana: Pakistan has informed the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) that all Afghan nationals—except those holding valid visas—must leave the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi by February 28. For Afghans holding resettlement or relocation documents for third countries, the government has extended the deadline to March 31, Business Recorder reported. Click here to read more (external link).
Taliban withdraw Afghanistan from International Criminal Court
Ayaz Gul
VOA News
February 20, 2025
Islamabad — Afghanistan’s radical Taliban leaders on Thursday rejected the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) over their country, declaring as ‘unlawful’ the decision in 2003 by their predecessors to join the Hague-based court’s founding treaty.
The decision follows the ICC chief prosecutor’s announcement last month, seeking arrest warrants for the reclusive Taliban supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, and a close associate, accusing them both of being “criminally responsible for persecuting Afghan girls and women.”
The Taliban militarily regained power in August 2021, succeeding the internationally recognized government in Kabul, which collapsed alongside the withdrawal of U.S.-led NATO troops after nearly two decades in Afghanistan.
The Taliban, now governing as the Islamic Emirate, have imposed their strict interpretation of Islamic law, known as Sharia, placing sweeping restrictions on freedom of speech and women’s access to education and public roles in society.
No country has recognized the Taliban as a legitimate government primarily over their harsh treatment of Afghan women and girls.
“As an entity that upholds the religious and national values of the Afghan people within the framework of Islamic Sharia, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan does not recognize any obligation to the Rome Statute or the institution referred to as the ‘International Criminal Court,’” the Taliban stated in an English-language declaration.
It accused the ICC of political bias and failing to take any “substantive measures against the war crimes perpetrated in Afghanistan by occupying forces and their allies.”
“Given that many of the world’s major powers are not signatories to this ‘court,’ it is unwarranted for a nation such as Afghanistan, which has historically endured foreign occupation and colonial subjugation, to be bound by its jurisdiction,” the Taliban asserted.
In October 2001, Western forces led by the U.S. invaded Afghanistan, overthrowing the then-Taliban government for sheltering al-Qaida leaders held responsible for the terrorist attacks in the United States that occurred in September of that year.
In February 2003, the Washington-backed successive government in Kabul formally deposited its instrument of accession to the Rome Statute, which founded the ICC, thereby granting the court jurisdiction over crimes committed within its territory or by Afghan nationals.
“In light of the aforementioned considerations, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan formally asserts that it does not recognize any legal obligation under the Rome Statute and deems the previous administration’s accession to this statute to be devoid of legal validity,” said Thursday’s Taliban statement.
Karim Khan, the ICC prosecutor, stated in his January 23 announcement that his decision to seek arrest warrants for Akhundzada and Taliban chief justice, Abdul Hakim Haqqani, was based on a thorough investigation and evidence collected into their alleged crimes against humanity.
The ICC is mandated to rule on the world’s worst offenses, such as war crimes and crimes against humanity. The court has no police force and relies on 125 member states to execute its arrest warrants.
Akhundzada seldom leaves his office in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar and rules the country through religious decrees. He has banned girls’ education beyond the sixth grade and prohibited women from most public as well as private sector employment, among other restrictions on their rights.
In a speech he delivered in Kandahar last week, the Taliban chief again dismissed criticism of his governance, asserting that it was rooted in divine commands. A government spokesperson quoted Akhundzada as stating that “every decree he issues is based on consultation with scholars and derived from the Quran and Hadith [sayings of Islam’s prophet] and represents commands of Allah.”
Afghanistan ignoring debate caused by boycott calls
BBC: Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi says his players will ignore any potential distraction caused by the debate around their place at the Champions Trophy when they enter the tournament on Friday. Afghanistan play South Africa in Karachi – the first match in a group that also includes Australia and England. There have been calls for the other three teams to boycott their matches against Afghanistan because of the Taliban’s assault on women’s rights in the country. Click here to read more (external link).
Kunduz sees six attacks in nine days
Amu: The northeastern province of Kunduz has witnessed five attacks by anti-Taliban groups and a suicide bombing claimed by ISIS-K, marking a surge in security incidents over the past nine days, an Amu TV review has found. The attacks, attributed to the National Resistance Front (NRF) and the Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF), have primarily targeted Taliban security posts and checkpoints. Meanwhile, the suicide bombing at Kabul Bank in Kunduz on February 12 was among the deadliest incidents, with ISIS-Khorasan claiming responsibility. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News in Dari – February 20, 2025
Study Reveals ISIS-K’s Global Financial Network Operates From Afghanistan
ISIS Militants
Afghanistan International: A research institute investigating ISIS’s financial operations has reported that the group, particularly its Khorasan branch (ISIS-K), receives funding from across the globe. The study highlights that ISIS-K’s primary financial network is directed from an undisclosed location in Afghanistan. Click here to read more (external link).
Afghanistan is the most landmine and explosive affected country: ICRC
Khaama: The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has announced that Afghanistan is one of the countries with the highest levels of contamination from landmines and unexploded ordnance. On Wednesday, February 19, the ICRC wrote on its X page that it has launched various support programs to raise public awareness about the dangers of mines and unexploded munitions. The Red Cross Committee added that in 2024, it has informed 243,000 people in five regions of Afghanistan about the dangers of mines and explosive materials. Click here to read more (external link).
Taliban confirm Pakistan’s new plan for swift mass eviction of Afghan refugees
Ayaz Gul
VOA News
February 19, 2025
Islamabad — Diplomats from Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban reported Wednesday that neighboring Pakistan is implementing a plan for the “imminent” and swift mass deportation of nearly three million Afghan refugees from its territory.
The Taliban-operated embassy in Islamabad issued the statement, ending days of uncertainty about an ongoing police crackdown to arrest and remove Afghan citizens, including legal refugees, from the Pakistani capital and the adjoining city of Rawalpindi.
The Afghan diplomatic mission stated that Pakistan did not formally notify Kabul about its latest refugee deportation plans. It added that several attempts were made through diplomatic channels to seek clarification from the host government regarding the reasons behind the detentions and removals of Afghan nationals from the two cities.
“Ultimately, officials from Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that there is a definitive and final plan to deport/remove all Afghan refugees not only from Islamabad and Rawalpindi but also from the entire country in the near future,” the Wednesday statement noted.
The Taliban reaction comes nearly three weeks after Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved a multistage plan targeting the Afghan refugee population in the country. They include more than 1.4 million legally declared refugees with UNHCR-granted proof of registration cards, or PoRs, who have been granted permission by Pakistan to remain in the country until June 30, 2025.
The rest of the population in question comprises nearly 900,000 documented economic migrants holding the Afghan Citizenship Card (ACC), an estimated 40,000 awaiting promised relocation to the United States or other Western countries, and individuals living in Pakistan without legal status or having exceeded their visa duration.
The Taliban embassy stated Wednesday that Pakistani officials informed it that only Afghan nationals with valid legal visas would be permitted to reside in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
“They further stated that the government has decided to immediately remove all Afghan refugees, including those holding ACC and PoR cards, from Islamabad and Rawalpindi and that their expulsion from the entire country is imminent,” the statement added.
The UNHCR has meanwhile also confirmed that the Pakistani government plans to relocate all Afghan refugees out of Islamabad and Rawalpindi by February 28, except for holders of valid visas.
The Afghan embassy noted that it expressed “serious concerns” to Islamabad and international organizations regarding “the mass expulsion of Afghan refugees within such a short timeframe and the unilateral nature of Pakistan’s decision.”
The spokesperson for the Pakistani Foreign Ministry rejected the Taliban embassy’s claims of mistreatment of Afghan nationals during the repatriation process as misplaced. “In this connection, we also extensively engaged the Afghan side to ensure smooth repatriation of Afghan nationals,” Shafqat Ali Khan stated in a brief statement.
The deportation plan, seen by VOA, requires authorities to relocate around 40,000 Afghans out of Islamabad and Rawalpindi by March 31 and subsequently arrange for their repatriation to Afghanistan if their relocation and resettlement cases to third countries are not processed expeditiously. These individuals fled their country after the Taliban militarily recaptured its control in 2021, primarily seeking shelter from potential retribution due to their affiliations with the U.S. and NATO forces.
Last month, President Donald Trump halted the U.S. Refugee Admission Program to assess whether reinstating it serves the interests of Washington, stranding thousands of Afghan allies in Pakistan approved for, or being evaluated for, relocation to the U.S.
The UNHCR says that more than 825,000 undocumented Afghans have already been forcibly repatriated from Pakistan since 2023, resulting from a government crackdown on foreigners living in the country without legal permission or whose visas had expired.
Islamabad has defended the crackdown, attributing a recent rise in crime in Pakistan and increased militancy to Afghan nationals.
More Pakistan-Afghanistan Relations
Tolo News in Dari – February 19, 2025
Taliban Interior Minister Could Join Vienna Process, Says Hazara Leader
Mohammad Mohaqiq
Afghanistan International: Mohammad Mohaqiq, leader of the People’s Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan, has stated that internal divisions within the Taliban could lead figures such as Sirajuddin Haqqani and Mullah Baradar to join the Vienna Process. Speaking in an interview with Afghanistan International on Tuesday, Mohaqiq, a participant in the Vienna Process, stressed that if opposition figures within the Taliban are willing to engage in peace talks, their participation would be welcomed. Click here to read more (external link).
Related