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NDTV
3 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
Taliban Government Denies Monitoring Citizens After UK Data Leak
The Taliban government said Thursday it had not arrested or monitored Afghans involved in a secret British resettlement plan after a data breach was revealed this week. Thousands of Afghans who worked with the United Kingdom were brought to Britain with their families in a secret programme after a 2022 data breach put their lives at risk, the UK government revealed on Tuesday. The scheme was only revealed after the UK High Court lifted a super-gag order banning any reports of the events. UK Defence Minister John Healey said the leak was not revealed because of the risk that the Taliban authorities would obtain the data set and the lives of Afghans would be put at risk. "Nobody has been arrested for their past actions, nobody has been killed and nobody is being monitored for that," the Afghan government's deputy spokesman, Hamdullah Fitrat, told reporters Thursday. "Reports of investigation and monitoring of a few people whose data has been leaked are false." After the Taliban swept back to power in 2021, their Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada announced an amnesty for Afghans who worked for NATO forces or the ousted foreign-backed government during the two-decade conflict. "All their information and documents are present here in the Defence ministry, Interior ministry and Intelligence," Fitrat added. "We don't need to use the leaked documents from Britain." He said "rumours" were being spread to create fear among Afghans and their families. Around 900 Afghans and 3,600 family members have now been brought to Britain or are in transit under the programme known as the Afghan Response Route, at a cost of around $535 million, Healey said. They are among some 36,000 Afghans who have been accepted by Britain under different schemes since the August 2021 fall of Kabul. Tens of thousands of Afghans fled Afghanistan in a chaotic weeks-long evacuation when the Taliban won their insurgency, after the mass withdrawal of international troops and air support to the country. Tens of thousands more have been resettled under European and US asylum schemes, which after four years have now slowed to almost a halt. The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in 2023 that there were credible reports of serious human rights violations by the Taliban authorities against hundreds of former government officials and former armed forces members. From the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan on 15 August 2021 to 30 June 2023, UNAMA documented at least 800 instances of extrajudicial killing, arbitrary arrest and detention, torture and ill-treatment and enforced disappearance, it said in a report. The Taliban's Foreign Affairs Ministry denied the allegations and said all former employees had been pardoned. The Taliban government has imposed a severe interpretation of Islamic law, which has seen women and girls banned from most education and jobs.
Scoop
4 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Unprecedented Afghan Returns Are ‘A Test Of Our Collective Humanity'
16 July 2025 Roza Otunbayeva, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Afghanistan, made the appeal during a visit to the Islam Qala border crossing with Iran on Tuesday where she witnessed the daily influx of tens of thousands of returnees. She also met returnee families, aid partners and regional de facto officials. Alarm bells should be ringing ' What should be a positive homecoming moment for families who fled conflict decades ago is instead marked by exhaustion, trauma, and profound uncertainty,' said Ms. Otunbayeva, who also heads the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). 'The sheer volume of returns – many abrupt, many involuntary – should be setting off alarm bells across the global community,' she added. ' It is a test of our collective humanity. Afghanistan, already grappling with drought, and a chronic humanitarian crisis, cannot absorb this shock alone.' Local communities overstretched Since January, more than 1.3 million have been largely compelled to head back to Afghanistan - a country where 70 per cent of the population lives in poverty. Women and children face the gravest risks, UNAMA said, as they are returning not only to dire economic hardships but to a context where their access to basic services and social protections remains severely constrained. The UN has repeatedly highlighted the assault on women's rights under Taliban rule, including bans affecting higher education, employment and freedom of movement. Reintegration support critical The returns are happening at a time when humanitarian operations remain woefully underfunded, forcing agonising choices between food, shelter, and safe passage. Ms. Otunbayeva also underscored the critical need for immediate reintegration assistance as initial evidence shows that stabilising return communities requires urgent livelihood programmes and community infrastructure investments. She warned that without swift interventions, remittance losses, labour market pressures, and cyclical migration will lead to devastating consequences. These could include the further destabilization of both returnee and host populations, renewed displacement, mass onward movement, and risks to regional stability. 'We cannot afford indifference' She urged donors, development partners, and regional governments not to turn away and abandon Afghan returnees. 'What we are witnessing are the direct consequences of unmet global responsibilities,' she said. 'We must act now – with resources, with coordination, and with resolve.' Meanwhile, the UN in Afghanistan is calling for an integrated approach that resources humanitarian needs while scaling up assistance in areas of return. At the same time, regional dialogue – including with Iran, Pakistan, and Central Asian states – must be prioritized to halt disorderly returns and uphold the principle of voluntary, dignified and safe repatriation. 'Afghanistan's stability hinges on shared responsibility: We cannot afford indifference,' said Ms. Otunbayeva. 'The cost of inaction will be measured in lives lost and conflicts reignited.'
The Diplomat
30-06-2025
- Politics
- The Diplomat
No Safe Return: The Case Against Deporting Afghan Refugees
As deportation campaigns intensify across countries like Pakistan, Iran, Turkiye, and parts of Europe, the reality facing Afghan refugees is growing more perilous by the day. Millions who have been forced to flee persecution, war, and systemic injustice face rejection in the places they hoped could be safe havens. Beneath the official narratives of 'stability' and 'return' lies a brutal truth: Afghanistan remains a deeply unsafe country, especially under Taliban rule, and any forced return of refugees constitutes a clear violation of international law and basic human rights. Following the Taliban's return to power in August 2021, Afghanistan has experienced a precipitous collapse on nearly every front: economic, political, and humanitarian. While some officials in host countries attempt to justify deportations by referencing 'improved security' or 'de facto governance,' the facts on the ground paint a starkly different picture. The Taliban have instituted a regime marked by gender apartheid, the systematic persecution of minorities, widespread economic devastation, and the brutal targeting of anyone affiliated with the former government, Western institutions, or civil society. Economically, the country is on the brink of disaster. The withdrawal of foreign aid, which previously constituted over 70 percent of the national budget, has led to an implosion of essential services. The World Bank reported that Afghanistan's GDP contracted by over 26 percent in the months following the Taliban takeover. Inflation has surged, unemployment is rampant, and nearly 15 million Afghans face acute food insecurity, according to the World Food Program. Public services such as education and healthcare, particularly for women and children, have all but disappeared. Women health workers have been pushed out of hospitals; female educators removed from schools; and countless NGOs banned or shuttered for employing women. The humanitarian collapse alone should be enough to halt deportations. Yet it is the deliberate and systemic repression under Taliban rule that makes return not just impractical but life-threatening. The Taliban's policies toward women constitute one of the most extreme forms of gender discrimination seen in modern times. Girls are banned from attending secondary school and university. Women are prohibited from working in most sectors, from traveling without a male guardian, and from accessing public spaces such as parks, gyms, and even beauty salons. Women's visibility in society is not only discouraged; it is criminalized. Numerous cases have been reported by UNAMA and Human Rights Watch where women who dared to protest or speak publicly were arrested, beaten, or disappeared. These policies are not isolated or culturally relative. They represent gender apartheid, a term rooted in international human rights law, which refers to the segregation and exclusion of people based on gender in both public and private spheres. The Taliban's rules are codified and enforced through coercion, and they target not only women in public roles but also their families, colleagues, and communities. Deporting Afghan women or families with young daughters back to this environment is not only morally indefensible – it is a violation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and the Refugee Convention itself. Beyond women, Afghan minorities face equally harrowing threats. Ethnic and religious communities such as the Hazaras, Sikhs, Hindus, and Shia Muslims have long been subjected to violence, but the Taliban's return has intensified their marginalization. Hazaras, in particular, have faced targeted killings, forced displacement, and denial of access to education and employment. The Taliban have consistently failed to protect these groups from attacks by the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) and, in some cases, have actively participated in abuses. For many of these communities, returning to Afghanistan is equivalent to returning to persecution or even death. The most underreported victims of deportation are those who previously worked with NATO forces, U.S. missions, international NGOs, or Afghan government institutions. Despite promises of relocation and protection, many of these individuals remain stranded in legal limbo across host countries. Those who have been deported often face immediate reprisal. Reports from Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and the BBC document instances in which returnees have been detained at the airport, interrogated, and in some cases never seen again. The Taliban's intelligence networks have compiled extensive databases, often with the help of documents and data left behind after the U.S. withdrawal, making it easier to identify and punish those once associated with the former state. Even beyond physical security, the psychological toll of forced return is immense. Afghan refugees — many of whom have spent years in exile — have built fragile yet meaningful lives in host countries. For children born abroad, Afghanistan is an unfamiliar and frightening land. Deportation tears families apart, pushes individuals into poverty, and inflicts trauma that lasts for generations. There have even been cases of suicide and self-immolation among Afghan refugees facing imminent deportation, especially in Iran and Pakistan. These are not isolated incidents; they are the consequence of policies that strip individuals of dignity and hope. From a legal standpoint, such deportations contravene the principle of non-refoulement, enshrined in the 1951 Refugee Convention and reaffirmed by the UNHCR (the United Nations' refugee agency) and numerous international courts. Non-refoulement prohibits the return of individuals to countries where they face threats to life or freedom. Afghanistan, under Taliban rule, clearly meets this threshold. UNHCR has consistently advised against any forced return to Afghanistan, emphasizing that conditions remain unsafe, and that all states have a responsibility to ensure individual risk assessments before repatriation. Despite this, many host governments continue to push for mass deportations. Pakistan has announced the forced removal of over a million undocumented Afghans, many of whom fled Taliban violence and lack any formal protection status. In Turkiye, Afghan refugees are frequently detained and deported without legal representation. In the United States, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Afghans, which protected them from deportation, is set to end in mid-July following a decision by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) based on the bizarre conclusion that 'Afghanistan has had an improved security situation, and its stabilizing economy no longer prevent [Afghan TPS recipients] from returning to their home country.' Even in Europe, where international law is robust, some states are tightening asylum procedures or quietly supporting 'voluntary' returns under duress. The international community must reject the false narrative that Afghanistan is safe for return. It must resist the political temptation to wash its hands of Afghan refugees by labeling them as economic migrants or 'security concerns.' Instead, it must reaffirm its legal and moral obligations to those who have fled genuine, documentable persecution. What is needed is a comprehensive and coordinated response: immediate suspension of all deportations to Afghanistan; restoration and expansion of temporary protection programs; humanitarian visas for women, minorities, and former civil servants at risk; and increased funding for refugee integration and mental health services in host countries. Host nations must also engage in diplomatic pressure on the Taliban not just to open schools or employ women but to end systemic repression and uphold basic human rights. Refugees are not a burden. They are survivors, educators, artists, professionals, and future leaders. Afghan refugees in particular have demonstrated extraordinary resilience and a commitment to rebuilding their lives in exile. To deport them now is to reward authoritarianism, punish resistance, and betray the very principles that World Refugee Day was created to defend. The world must choose: Will it uphold the dignity of the displaced or participate in their erasure?
Malay Mail
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Malaysia, Kyrgyz Republic call for Afghanistan's reintegration into international community
PUTRAJAYA, June 25 — Malaysia and the Kyrgyz Republic today called for greater efforts to acknowledge Afghanistan into the international community. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, in a joint press conference with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov here, said the two countries shared the view that Afghanistan should be embraced in the international community, albeit with certain observations. 'I share your views on that, because as a country closer to Afghanistan, you (Kyrgyz Republic) have a better understanding, and we will certainly benefit from your advice and views on this,' said Anwar. The Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in August 2021 following the swift collapse of the United States-backed government, after the withdrawal of American and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato) forces. Despite their history of harsh rule, the international community did not impose full sanctions on the Taliban. This was mainly due to fears of worsening the humanitarian crisis, as millions of Afghans faced hunger and economic collapse. Aid organisations and some governments chose to maintain limited engagement to allow humanitarian assistance. In March, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) head Roza Otunbayeva told the UN Security Council the Taliban must show they are serious about reintegration, with clear respect for international obligations like women's rights and counter-terrorism, if Afghanistan is to resume its place in the global system. Besides Afghanistan, Anwar and Zhaparov also expressed concern over the ongoing conflict in Gaza and reaffirmed their strong condemnation of Israel's aggression. 'We want Israel to stop this aggression, colonisation, and genocide and to provide security and justice to the people of Gaza who have suffered so long. — Bernama
LBCI
05-06-2025
- LBCI
Afghan women UN staff forced to work from home after threats
Afghan women working for the United Nations in Kabul have been threatened by unidentified men because of their jobs, the organization and several women told AFP on Thursday. Multiple women working for various UN agencies told AFP on condition of anonymity they had been threatened on the street and over the phone by men warning them to "stay home". UN staffer Huda -- not her real name -- said that for weeks she has been bombarded with messages abusing her for "working with foreigners". "The messages keep coming and they are always harassing us... saying, 'Don't let me see you again, or else'," the young woman told AFP. She said her office had advised her to work from home until further notice. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) confirmed that UN staff had been threatened. "Several United Nations female national staff members in the Afghan capital Kabul have been subjected to threats by unidentified individuals related to their work with the UN," it said in a statement. AFP
