Latest news with #HassanAkhund
Shafaq News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Afghan PM urges exiles to return following Trump travel ban
Shafaq News/ Afghanistan's government called on nationals abroad to return home, promising safety even for those who worked with US forces, according to a speech aired Saturday. US President Donald Trump had signed an executive order earlier banning travel from 12 countries, including Afghanistan, citing the lack of competent authorities to process passports and conduct security vetting. In response, Prime Minister Hassan Akhund addressed the nation during Eid al-Adha celebrations, assuring returnees of protection under a general amnesty declared by Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada. 'Even if you served the Americans for decades… you will not face abuse or trouble,' Akhund said in a speech broadcast on state media. The call for return comes amid continued reports by the United Nations of extrajudicial killings and abuses, despite the Taliban's 2021 pledge of amnesty for former government and military personnel. The Taliban administration has imposed Islamic law since taking power in 2021, drawing condemnation for bans on women's education and employment that the UN has described as 'gender apartheid.' Afghan migration routes have also narrowed sharply under Trump's renewed presidency. The United States closed its embassy in Kabul in 2021, and Afghans must now seek visas in third countries—primarily Pakistan, which has stepped up expulsions of undocumented Afghans.
Arab News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
'Return to your country' Kabul tells Afghans rebuffed by Washington
Akhund urged Afghans to return to their country, saying they would be protected even if they worked with US-led forces'You will not face abuse or trouble,' KABUL: The Taliban government on Saturday urged Afghans hoping to emigrate to the United States to instead return to Afghanistan, after Washington tightened entry President Donald Trump this week announced a travel ban targeting 12 countries, including Afghanistan, which his proclamation said lacked 'competent' central authorities for processing passports and on the ban on Saturday, Prime Minister Hassan Akhund urged Afghans to return to their country, saying they would be protected even if they worked with US-led forces in the two-decade fight against the Taliban insurgency.'For those who are worried that America has closed its doors to Afghans... I want to tell them, 'Return to your country, even if you have served the Americans for 20 or 30 years for their ends, and ruined the Islamic system',' he said in a speech marking the Eid Al-Adha holiday, broadcast by state media.'You will not face abuse or trouble,' he said, making reassurances that the Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada had 'granted amnesty for all.'After surging to power in 2021, Taliban authorities announced a general amnesty for Afghans who worked with the Western-backed forces and government. However, the United Nations has recorded reports of extrajudicial killings, detentions and the past four years, the Taliban government has imposed a strict view of Islamic law and restrictions on women which the UN says amount to 'gender apartheid.'Afghans fled in droves to neighboring countries during decades of conflict, but the chaotic withdrawal of US-led troops saw a new wave clamouring to escape Taliban government curbs and fears of reprisal for working with United States has not had a working embassy in Afghanistan since 2021 and Afghans must apply for visas in third countries, principally Pakistan which has recently ramped up campaigns to expel Trump returned to the White House in January, Afghans have gradually seen their chances of migrating to the United States or staying there administration orders have disrupted refugee pathways and revoked legal protections temporarily shielding Afghans from deportation starting in July.
France 24
2 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
'Return to your country' Kabul tells Afghans rebuffed by Washington
US President Donald Trump this week announced a travel ban targeting 12 countries, including Afghanistan, which his proclamation said lacked "competent" central authorities for processing passports and vetting. Commenting on the ban on Saturday, Prime Minister Hassan Akhund urged Afghans to return to their country, saying they would be protected even if they worked with US-led forces in the two-decade fight against the Taliban insurgency. "For those who are worried that America has closed its doors to Afghans... I want to tell them, 'Return to your country, even if you have served the Americans for 20 or 30 years for their ends, and ruined the Islamic system'," he said in a speech marking the Eid al-Adha holiday, broadcast by state media. "You will not face abuse or trouble," he said, making reassurances that the Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada had "granted amnesty for all". After surging to power in 2021, Taliban authorities announced a general amnesty for Afghans who worked with the Western-backed forces and government. However, the United Nations has recorded reports of extrajudicial killings, detentions and abuses. In the past four years, the Taliban government has imposed a strict view of Islamic law and restrictions on women which the UN says amount to "gender apartheid". Afghans fled in droves to neighbouring countries during decades of conflict, but the chaotic withdrawal of US-led troops saw a new wave clamouring to escape Taliban government curbs and fears of reprisal for working with Washington. The United States has not had a working embassy in Afghanistan since 2021 and Afghans must apply for visas in third countries, principally Pakistan which has recently ramped up campaigns to expel Afghans. Since Trump returned to the White House in January, Afghans have gradually seen their chances of migrating to the United States or staying there shrink.
Khaleej Times
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
Pakistan extends deadline for expulsion of Afghan nationals
Pakistan has postponed a deadline for hundreds of thousands of Afghans to return to their country due to Eid Al Fitr holidays marking the end of the holy month Ramadan, a government official told AFP on Tuesday. In early March, Islamabad announced a deadline of the end of the month for Afghans holding certain documentation to leave the country, ramping up a campaign to send Afghans back to their homeland. "The deadline has been extended until the beginning of next week due to Eid holidays," the official said on the condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the media. Afghans holding Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC) — issued by Pakistan authorities and held by 800,000 people, according to the United Nations — face deportation to Afghanistan after the deadline. More than 1.3 million Afghans who hold Proof of Registration (PoR) cards from the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, are also to be moved outside the capital Islamabad and neighbouring city Rawalpindi. The UN says nearly three million Afghans live in Pakistan, many having fled there over decades of war in their country and after the return of the Taliban to power in Afghanistan. "Many have been living in the country for years and going back means going back to nothing," Pakistani human rights lawyer Moniza Kakar told AFP. Ties between the neighbouring countries have frayed since the Taliban takeover, with Pakistan accusing Kabul's rulers of failing to root out militants sheltering on Afghan soil, a charge the Taliban government denies. A delegation from Islamabad met with officials in Kabul in March, with Pakistan emphasising the importance of security in Afghanistan for the region. The Taliban government has repeatedly called for the "dignified" return of Afghans to their country, with Prime Minister Hassan Akhund urging countries hosting Afghans not to force out them out. "We ask that instead of forced deportation, Afghans should be supported and provided with facilities," he said in an Eid message the day before Pakistan's original deadline. Rights groups have condemned Pakistan's campaign. Human Rights Watch slammed "abusive tactics" used to pressure Afghans to return to their country "where they risk persecution by the Taliban and face dire economic conditions". Afghan girls and young women would lose rights to education if returned to Afghanistan, as per Taliban authority bans. Amnesty International condemned the removal of Afghans in Islamabad awaiting resettlement in other countries, saying they would be "far from foreign missions who had promised visas and travel documents, and risk deportation due to the increased difficulty in coordinating their relocation with missions such as the United States". Following an ultimatum from Islamabad in late 2023 for undocumented Afghans to leave Pakistan, more than 800,000 Afghans returned between September 2023 and the end of 2024, according UN figures.
