Khaama: During the winter season, the lack of sufficient electricity and heating facilities forces citizens to rely on gas heaters, leading to an increase in gas poisoning cases. This alarming trend highlights the need for better infrastructure and access to safe heating options to protect public health during harsh winters. Click here to read more (external link).
Pakistan court temporarily blocks deportation of Afghan musicians, singers
Ayaz Gul
VOA News
January 10, 2025
ISLAMABAD — A high court in Pakistan prohibited authorities Friday from forcibly deporting Afghan musicians and singers until their asylum cases are resolved within the next two months.
The ruling comes amid a crackdown on hundreds of thousands of refugees from neighboring Afghanistan who either lack legal permits to reside in the country or have overstayed their visas.
They sought refuge in Pakistan after Taliban insurgents swept back to power in Kabul in 2021, placing sweeping curbs on civil liberties and banning music in line with their strict interpretation of Islamic law, known as Sharia.
However, a group of 150 Afghan performers initiated a legal challenge against their deportation in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, arguing they are at risk of persecution if they return home.
“The federal government … shall decide cases of all these petitioners for grant or refusal of asylum within a period of two months,” the Pakistan court stated Friday.
“Until the final decision, these petitioners shall not be ousted from [the] territory of Pakistan nor otherwise compelled to leave Pakistan and return to their native country Afghanistan,” the ruling read.
The court mandated that the Pakistan Interior Ministry permit petitioners to remain in the country if the government cannot resolve their cases within 60 days and requires additional time for a definitive decision.
Attorney Mumtaz Ahmed told The Associated Press that Friday’s ruling was the first of its kind and a significant relief for his clients, who have lived in fear and uncertainty for months.
Pakistan unleashed a nationwide crackdown on foreign migrants living in the country illegally in 2023. The move primarily affected Afghan refugees, forcing more than 800,000 of them to return to their impoverished country, which is struggling to recover from years of devastating war and natural disasters since the Taliban takeover.
Refugee families have been reluctant to leave Pakistan, citing the Taliban’s ban on Afghan girls’ education beyond the sixth grade and restrictions on women’s access to workplaces except for a few departments, including health, immigration and police.
People at risk of deportation include Afghan nationals who are awaiting responses from the United States and European nations regarding their asylum applications. Many refugees served as translators and guides for U.S.-led international forces during their two-decade presence in Afghanistan, which ended in August 2021.
The United Nations and aid organizations have criticized Pakistan’s crackdown on Afghan nationals from the outset, citing dire economic conditions and a prolonged humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
Pakistan hosts over 1 million legal Afghan refugees who fled their country due to the Soviet occupation in the 1980s, the subsequent civil war and the rule of the Islamist Taliban from 1996 to 2001. The Pakistani government has permitted those refugees to remain until June 2025.
Taliban’s Deputy Foreign Minister Accuses Pakistani Army Of Training ISIS
Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai
Afghanistan International: Abbas Stanekzai, the Taliban’s deputy foreign minister, said that the group has evidence that ISIS has training centres in Pakistan. He has claimed that the Pakistani army is training ISIS fighters at these shelters. Abbas Stanekzai wrote on the social media platform X on Friday, January 10, that the Pakistani army is supplying weapons to ISIS and then sending them to Afghanistan to carry out attacks. He added that the Taliban had warned Pakistan several times in this regard. The Taliban official stated that ISIS members who are present in Taliban prisons have confessed that they were trained in Pakistan, and this claim has been proven by the obtained videos. Click here to read more (external link).
Other Pakistan-Afghanistan News
Afghanistan’s passport ranks least powerful globally
Ariana: Afghanistan’s passport has been ranked the least powerful in the world, securing the 106th spot on the latest Henley Passport Index. This ranking highlights the severe travel restrictions faced by Afghan citizens, who can only access 26 countries without a visa. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Singapore boasts the world’s most powerful passport, offering its citizens access to 194 countries and territories without a visa. Japan and Finland follow closely in second and third place, respectively, with similarly high levels of travel freedom. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News in Dari – January 10, 2025
US Congress Introduces Bill to Block Aid to Islamic Emirate
Burchett
Tolo News: Tim Burchett, Vice Chair of US Congress’ Foreign Affairs Committee, has introduced a bill to ensure that US taxpayers’ money does not fall into the hands of the Islamic Emirate. The Vice Chair of US Congress’ Foreign Affairs Committee, announced that the bill would require the US State Department to formulate a policy opposing any foreign aid to the Islamic Emirate. After former US President Donald Trump criticized Joe Biden’s administration for sending billions in aid to Afghanistan, the White House responded, emphasizing that Washington’s humanitarian aid is sent not to the “Taliban” but to the Afghan people. Click here to read more (external link).
Lost Hearing In One Ear Due To Torture In Taliban’s Prison, Claims Women’s Rights Activist
Afghanistan International: Julia Parsi, a women’s rights activist, has claimed that she lost hearing in one of her ears as a result of the Taliban’s torture in the group’s prison. Julia Parsi, who had been in Taliban custody for more than three months, said that she underwent surgery for a deep wound in her right ear. On Friday, January 10, Julia Parsi posted a picture which showed her in the hospital, and wrote, “The torture in prison has turned into incurable pain.” She said that her ears were deeply scarred by the Taliban officials’ slaps in prison. Click here to read more (external link).
ICC resists calls to ban Afghanistan from Champions Trophy: Report
Amu: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has no plans to ban Afghanistan’s men’s team from participating in the Champions Trophy, nor to demand that the Taliban reinstate a women’s cricket program, despite calls for action from politicians and activists, Sky News reported. The ICC, which mandates Test-playing nations to support women’s cricket, faces criticism for allowing Afghanistan to compete even though the Taliban has banned women and girls from sports since retaking power in 2021. The global cricket body has argued that punishing Afghanistan’s male players for government policies would be unjust. Click here to read more (external link).
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Alleged War Crimes by British Special Forces Spark Calls for Justice
Tolo News: An unnamed whistleblower has given evidence to a public inquiry into suspected war crimes in Afghanistan. The soldier said an allegedly rogue special forces unit had targeted all males of fighting age, including under 16, even if they posed no threat to troops. The whistleblower also stated that British special forces had carried out an “illegal” policy of targeting “everybody” on operations. The Telegraph reported: “The whistleblower – known only by the cipher N1799 – told the inquiry that he believed unit UKSF1 had carried out an ‘illegal’ policy of targeting ‘everybody’ on operations.” Click here to read more (external link).
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South Africa’s sports minister joins calls for Afghanistan cricket boycott
Al Jazeera: South Africa’s Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie has given his support to calls for a boycott of Afghanistan at the ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan, adding his voice to those of British politicians who have called on England not to play the South Asian nation at the tournament next month. “Cricket South Africa, the federations of other countries and the ICC (International Cricket Council) will have to think carefully about the message the sport of cricket wishes to send the world, and especially the women in sports,” he said in a statement on Thursday. Click here to read more (external link).
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