Taliban Defend Record on Afghan Women, Reject External Interference

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Ayaz Gul
VOA News
November 22, 2023

ISLAMABAD — Afghanistan’s Taliban government has told the United Nations that it will consider religious values and refuse outside interference in the country’s internal affairs when dealing with the world.

The statement was submitted to the U.N. this week in response to a Security Council-commissioned assessment that included recommendations for an international approach to dealing with crisis-hit Afghanistan under de facto Taliban rule.

The independent assessment, written by Turkish diplomat Feridun Sinirlioglu in his role as a special U.N. coordinator, mainly stemmed from the Taliban’s demand for the world to recognize them as Afghanistan’s legitimate governing authority.

The report linked the issue of granting legitimacy to the Taliban – and giving them Afghanistan’s seat at the U.N. — to their compliance with the country’s international treaty obligations that would require them to remove restrictions on women’s rights to education and employment opportunities.

In its response, the Taliban-led Afghan foreign ministry rejected any such link. “This government is obligated to take into consideration the religious values and national interests of the country during all engagements and will not allow anyone to interfere in our internal affairs,” it said.

Since reclaiming power two years ago, the Taliban have barred girls from attending schools beyond the sixth grade across Afghanistan. They have stopped most Afghan female staff from working at government offices and aid agencies, including the United Nations.

Authorities have also closed beauty salons, and women are not allowed to visit parks and undertake road trips unless accompanied by a male guardian.

The Taliban refuse to ease curbs on women and insist their governance is aligned with local culture and Islamic law – assertions that many Afghan critics and the rest of the Muslim-majority countries dispute.

The U.N.-mandated assessment repeatedly underscored the importance of giving Afghan women the freedom to play a role in the conflict-torn country’s development.

“Any formal re-integration of Afghanistan into global institutions and systems will require the participation and leadership of Afghan women,” read the assessment, submitted to the Security Council this month.

It also recommended that a national dialogue among all Afghan stakeholders, including those outside the country, be initiated to establish inclusive governance and ensure sustainable peace and economic development in the country after 45 years of armed conflict.

The report argued that the dialogue would permit movement toward the full normalization and integration of Afghanistan within the international system.

The Taliban welcomed some U.N. recommendations, such as helping the country strengthen its economy and encouraging regional connectivity via Afghanistan. However, they dismissed the idea of an intra-Afghan dialogue and skepticism about the ability of the current government to tackle the country’s security, economic, and humanitarian challenges.

“Afghanistan currently possesses a strong central government that represents the unique diversity of Afghans; therefore, it should not be viewed as a conflict zone where foreign-imposed political solutions like intra-Afghan dialogue are deemed necessary, and neither should the time of the international community be wasted with such endeavors,” the Taliban asserted in their response.

It also rejected as “unacceptable” a recommendation for a U.N. special envoy on Afghanistan.

The Taliban said Afghan women have secured some of their most basic rights, noting that 23.4% of all civil servants are female and unprecedented numbers of women participate as leaders and job creators in the business, commerce, and manufacturing sectors.

“The Islamic Emirate has collected thousands of street beggars – a legacy of the previous regime – a majority of whom were women, and allocated them regular stipends,” the Taliban statement said, using the official title for its administration.

It took credit for improving security across Afghanistan and eliminating opium cultivation. “Despite unilateral, malicious, and illegal sanctions, not only has the Islamic Emirate rescued the national economy from a total collapse but it has also launched large infrastructure projects,” read the Taliban response.

The U.N. says a dire humanitarian crisis, stemming from years of war and natural disasters has worsened since the Taliban takeover in August 2021, noting that two-thirds of the country’s estimated 43 million people need aid.

Some information in this report came from Reuters.

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WarontheRocks: Contradicting Biden’s assessment, the Taliban’s 2021 ascension reinvigorated al-Qaeda’s Afghan operations. Al-Qaeda commanders are back in Afghanistan, swiftly reactivating the group’s presence. Training camps are now operational in five provinces, including Zabul and Nuristan, areas that Osama bin Laden once earmarked as crucial for al-Qaeda. In Nuristan, these camps are actively training suicide bombers, signaling a revival of al-Qaeda’s past strategies, evocative of their roles in the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings, the 2000 USS Cole bombing, and the 9/11 attacks — all executed under the Taliban’s shield. Click here to read more (external link).

Afghanistan tops global list for highest landmine-affected areas

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Deminer (file photo)

Khaama: In its latest report, the Danish Refugee Council has highlighted that the lands in Afghanistan, where 70% of the population currently resides in rural areas, are heavily contaminated with landmines. This is particularly concerning given that 80% of the Afghan population is directly or indirectly dependent on agriculture for their livelihoods. The prevalence of landmines not only poses a direct threat to the safety of the people but also significantly hinders the agricultural activities that form the backbone of the country’s economy. Click here to read more (external link).

Another Retrograde Step: Taliban “Purge” University Libraries

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Female Afghan Students Decry US Visa Denial

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Akmal Dawi
VOA News
November 21, 2023

Nineteen-year-old Dewa — not her real name — had an admission letter to an undergraduate college program in the United States and a scholarship covering all her expenses. But the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan, rejected her student visa application, saying they believed she was intending to immigrate.

Following the initial refusal in August, Dewa made a second attempt in October, bolstering her application with a support letter from a U.S. congressman urging the embassy to give “full and fair consideration” to her case.

That didn’t work either.

In recounting her experience with VOA over the phone, Dewa said, “The visa officer only said that I did not prove that I will return to my home country.”

The U.S. Embassy in Pakistan did not respond to emailed inquiries and phone calls.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State confirmed to VOA that all visa applications, including student visas, are adjudicated in accordance with the Immigration and Nationality Act. That includes the requirement to overcome the presumption of immigration intent.

“Consular officers assess the circumstances of each student visa applicant and our guidance instructs consular officers to adjudicate student visa applications based on the applicant’s present intent rather than to speculate about what might happen in the future,” the spokesperson wrote.

Now facing the prospect of deportation from Pakistan as her short-term visa expires in two weeks, Dewa is confronted with the grim reality of her future in Afghanistan, where the Taliban have imposed restrictions on education for girls, closure of secondary schools and universities, and serious limitations on women’s work.

In support of Dewa’s dream of an education in the United States, her father borrowed $4,000 from relatives to pay for their trip to Pakistan, accommodation, and visa application fees.

“I feel terrified every time I remember that my family has wasted everything we had in my journey for education,” Dewa says.

Dewa’s plight is further compounded by the trauma of a deadly earthquake in October that destroyed her family’s home in Herat province.

‘Condemned in Afghanistan’

Three other female students, who did not want their real names to be used in this article, shared similar accounts, revealing that their visa applications to the U.S. and Canadian embassies in Islamabad were denied, despite each presenting fully funded scholarship awards.

“My visa application was rejected summarily on the ground that I did not prove strong ties to my country,” said Fahima Amini, who has been admitted to a postgraduate program at Niagara University in the United States.

Shukria Ahmadzai, another student, faced delays and an eventual rejection by the Canadian Embassy without an explanation.

Describing the decisions as “callous” and “illogical,” these Afghan female students voiced how their dreams for education and a better future have been shattered.

“We are condemned in Afghanistan just because of our gender, and we are rejected by the rest of the world,” said Amini, whose visa applications to both the U.S. and Canada were denied last year.

Human rights groups are urging the United Nations to officially recognize what they term “gender apartheid” in Afghanistan and hold Taliban officials accountable for misogynistic policies.

Some also point to stringent visa requirements as a hurdle for Afghan women seeking education abroad.

“If the Taliban’s policy is monstrous, inhumane, and illegal, so too is the U.S. government’s apparent policy of excluding women from Afghanistan from entering the United States,” said Kevin Hinkley, a professor of political science and co-director of the Justice House Program at Niagara University.

Hinkley highlighted the challenges faced by two of the four Afghan women admitted for the 2024 cohort at Niagara University, who have been attempting to obtain U.S. visas since 2021.

Despite repeated declarations of support for Afghan women by U.S. officials, Hinkley criticized the lack of tangible action.

“The Biden administration’s policy — as enforced by the U.S. State Department’s Consular Affairs Bureau at the embassy in Islamabad — appears to be one of systematic discrimination and exclusion, denying Afghan women and girls access to educational opportunities in the U.S. on the same terms as international students from any other country in the world.”

Hundreds granted visas

In the wake of the Taliban’s takeover in 2021, the closure of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul has left Afghan citizens seeking U.S. consular services with limited options, often requiring them to travel to a third country, predominantly neighboring Pakistan.

However, for many, especially women without a male chaperone, the journey from Afghanistan to Pakistan is fraught with difficulties and steep costs.

In contrast to the stringent no-immigration intent requirement for U.S. student visas, several European countries have stepped up to offer refugee status to Afghan women due to the Taliban’s pervasive gender discrimination and persecution within Afghanistan.

“Being a woman from Afghanistan is in itself considered to be a sufficient basis for obtaining protection in Sweden,” Carl Bexelius, an official at the Swedish Migration Agency, said last year.

“From now on, women and girls from Afghanistan will be covered by section 7, subsection 1 of the Aliens Act. 1, (asylum) solely because of their gender,” the Danish Refugee Board said in a statement in January.

The United States has admitted tens of thousands of Afghans over the past two years, mostly individuals who worked for the U.S. military in the war against the Taliban in Afghanistan since 2001.

The number of Afghans awarded student visa has also gone up significantly. From September 2021 to September 2023, at least 700 student visas were issued to Afghan applicants compared to about 180 student visas awarded in the two preceding years, according to the Department of State.

However, the Department of State refrained from disclosing the number of rejected student visa applications, stating that publicly available data does not include a breakdown of student visa refusals or total applications by applicant country.

Those denied a visa, like Dewa, question the apparent disparity between the U.S.’s official policy of supporting Afghan women and the hurdles faced by individuals seeking education in America.

“How can the U.S. embrace Afghan men through a special immigration program, individuals with a history of violence, corruption, and failure, while rejecting girls who come to America for education?” she asked.

Pakistan, Iran Jointly Deport Over 500,000 Afghan Nationals

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Ayaz Gul
VOA News
November 21, 2023

ISLAMABAD — The United Nations and partner agencies renewed a call Tuesday for countries to immediately suspend mass deportations of Afghan nationals, citing the onset of a harsh winter and the “worsening” humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

The call comes amid reports that Iran and Pakistan have collectively forced out more than 500,000 Afghans over the past two months, with the number of deportees growing by the day.

The International Organization for Migration, or IOM, said Tuesday that nearly 375,000 Afghans returned home from Pakistan through the Torkham and Spin Boldak border crossings between the two countries. De facto Afghan Taliban authorities have reported more than 400,000 returnees from the neighboring country.

The IOM statement noted that the number of border crossings dramatically increased from 200 daily to 17,000 after the Pakistani government ordered all undocumented foreigners, including an estimated 1.7 million Afghans, to leave the country by November 1 or face forcible expulsions.

“Their situation is desperate; most people told us they were forced to leave the country and leave belongings and savings behind,” said Maria Moita, chief of the IOM Afghanistan mission.

“People arriving in Afghanistan are extremely vulnerable and need immediate support at the border as well as for the long term in the areas of return,” Moita stated. “This is a significant humanitarian crisis, and funds are urgently needed to continue providing immediate assistance after arrival to ensure a safe and dignified return.”

Official Pakistani data shows that Afghans who have returned or are in the process of returning are doing so “voluntarily,” and only 16% of them were deported.

The Taliban government in Afghanistan has decried the evictions and sought their reversal. Islamabad has rejected the criticism, saying the crackdown is targeting foreigners who are residing illegally or overstaying their visas.

Afghan media quoted de facto Taliban authorities as reporting that more than 120,000 refugees left Iran within the last two months, saying 90% of them were forcibly expelled. Tehran has not officially announced its crackdown, but Iranian authorities have in recent weeks repeatedly vowed to deport all illegally residing Afghans.

The Taliban have established large camps on the Afghan side of the border with Pakistan where returning families await immediate critical aid, such as shelter, essential household items, and healthcare, before proceeding to intended areas of return.

Philippa Candler, representative of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Pakistan, said Tuesday that “mass arrivals are adding to the ongoing humanitarian crisis” in Afghanistan, where winter temperatures are already dipping to -4°C in some locations.

“Many Afghan returnees are vulnerable, including women and children, who could lose their lives in a harsh winter if left without adequate shelter,” she told a news conference in Geneva.

Candler said the UNHCR staff and humanitarian partners are scrambling to monitor and assist the influx of returning Afghans.

“Those arriving now at border points inside Afghanistan are exhausted and in need of emergency assistance. Many have complained of harassment, extortion, and mistreatment. Desperate women and children are among those who were not given a choice but to pack and leave,” she added.

The IOM urged the international community to increase support at a time when funding for the people in Afghanistan is rapidly declining.

“After decades of conflict, instability, and economic crisis, Afghanistan will struggle to absorb the high number of returning families, many of whom have not lived in the country for decades, if ever,” the organization said, adding that returnees face a “precarious, uncertain future” because some six million people are already internally displaced in the conflict-torn country.

Pakistan defends the deportations, blaming illegally residing Afghans for playing a role in a recent surge in deadly militant attacks in the country, charges Taliban authorities reject.

Authorities, however, say 1.4 million legal Afghan refugees carrying “proof of registration” cards are not subject of the ongoing crackdown. Earlier this month, the government extended the legal residence status of these individuals until December 31. Additionally, more than 800,000 Afghan migrants registered by the Pakistani government in collaboration with the former Afghan government, and carrying the IOM-approved Afghan citizenship cards, are also not the target of the deportation plan.

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