Afghan Weekly (Jan 13 – Jan 19, 2017)

The thaw in Pakistan and Afghanistan relations could not sustain for long and, again, a kink was observed in the relations of the two neighborly countries following the recent deadly bombings carried out by Taliban in capital Kabul. In a telephonic conversation with Pakistan’s Army Chief of Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Sunday, President Ashraf Ghani said that terrorists who planned the recently lethal bombings in Kabul are moving around at liberty in Pakistan and that Afghanistan was resolute to hit back at them at an appropriate time. Though, a presidential palace press release states that Bajwa assured Ghani that past mistakes would not be repeated by Pakistan. While, on the other hand, quoting Bajwa on Twitter, a Pakistani army spokesman said that General Bajwa told Ghani that all militant sanctuaries and training encampments have been exterminated in Pakistan and now it is the up to the Afghans to act against the terrorists on their soil.

“Blame games are damaging to lasting peace,” said Bajwa, while bringing up the anti-Pakistan rhetoric after recent terrorists attacks in Afghanistan.[1] In the midst of this strain, top American and Pakistani military commanders have once again endorsed their backing for an Afghan-led peace and reconciliation process. Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa and US Central Command Chief General Joseph Votel pledged support for Afghan peace efforts at a meeting in Rawalpindi on January 18.[2]

Russia’s return in Afghanistan both captures the hopes and skepticism surrounding the Afghan dilemma. This week, Moscow has called on the leaders of the Taliban group to abandon violence and launch an intra-Afghan channel of communication to end the ongoing violence in the country; this statement came from Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia.[3] At the other end of the world, President Obama made his last call to National Unity Government leaders on January 19, 2017, and expressed his deep appreciation for the unwavering partnership between the United States and Afghanistan, and their efforts for peace and stability.[4] Below follow other updates on the security, internal politics, international engagements and socio-economic developments in Afghanistan from the past week.

Security Overview

Taliban widely active where Baghlan coal-miners were shot – January 13.[5]
65 houses torched by ISIS loyalists in Kot district of Eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan on January 14.[6]
Daesh fighters return to parts of Nangarhar’s Kot District – January 14.[7]
7 civilians killed in an explosion east of Afghanistan’s Pachiragam district of Nangarhar province on January 15.[8]
Top Taliban leader killed by a US airstrike in Musa Qala district of Helmand province on January 15.[9]
13 seminary teachers kidnapped by ISIS militants in Deh Bala area of Haska Mina district in eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan on January 15.[10]
Senior Taliban commander among 21 killed in latest operations conducted in Kapisa, Parwan, Oruzgan and Khost provinces on January 15.[11]
Afghan forces drive IS From remote district of Pachiragam on January 15.[12]
Kidnapped ICRC foreign staff released after 4 weeks in Afghanistan on January 16.[13]
Senior government official shot dead in Baghlan in north of Afghanistan on January 16.[14]
Taliban’s explosives factory discovered in Balkh province on January 17.[15]
20 more homes razed by Daesh militants in Khorgi area of Kot district, Nangarhar on January 17.[16]
31 Haqqani network terrorists arrested in Khost province on January 18.[17]
6 militants killed as ISIS attack was repulsed in eastern province of Nangarhar, Afghanistan, on January 18.[18]
NATO-led Resolute Support (RS) mission dismissed Taliban’s claims as baseless for shooting down a US Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), drone – January 18.[19]
Taliban militant and his 4 sons killed by own bomb in Qosh Tapa area of Northern Afghanistan on January 19.[20]

Update on Afghan Refugees

The enigma of Afghan refugees

With the wavering relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan, mostly due to factors outside their control, the day to day relations between these two neighbors are more often strained impacting on the lives of common people astride the Durand Line.[21]

Study rejects massive involvement of Afghan refugees in crimes in Pakistan

According to the local newspaper Dawn News, a total of 11,685 cases were registered during the period 2014 to September 30, 2016. Out of the recorded cases, 10,549 were put up in court and only 134 involved Afghan refugees, which is 1.27% of the total number of cases landing in court. The paper cited documents obtained from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Government’s Directorate of Prosecution and Department of Police to cross-check and corroborate the statistics.[22]

Refugees poured $7 billion to Afghanistan by returning home in past one year

Syed Hussain Alimi Balkhi, Afghan Minister of Refugees and Repatriation, informed a gathering in Kabul regarding the latest developments in the repatriation of Afghan refugees. According to the Minister, more than 1 million refugees returned to Afghanistan during 2016 and over 900,000 of them repatriated voluntarily.[23]

International Engagements

NATO Will Not Allow Afghanistan to Be a Safe Haven for Terrorists

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in a meeting with New Zealand’s Prime Minister Bill English in Brussels on Thursday said they will not allow Afghanistan to become a safe haven for terrorists.[24]

Russia calls on Taliban to Renounce Violence and Launch Intra-Afghan Dialogue

Russia has called on the leaders of the Taliban group to renounce violence and launch an intra-Afghan dialogue to end the ongoing violence in the country. Maria Zakharova, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, told reporters, “We urge the warring parties in Afghanistan, primarily the leaders of the Taliban movement, to renounce violence and to take urgent action to launch intra-Afghan dialogue.”[25]

UAE Official Blames Afghan Government for Kandahar Attack

Head of General Security for the Emirate of Dubai Lt Gen Dahi Khalfan Tamim disputed claims by Afghan security officials and said Afghan officials are responsible for the deadly bombing in Kandahar on Tuesday which claimed the lives of 11 people, including five UAE diplomats.[26]

Afghan CEO’s second deputy Mohammad Khan Urges Wider Regional Support for Afghanistan’s Stability

In order to establish enduring peace and stability in Afghanistan, world powers must focus on the root cause of the ongoing war in Afghanistan, said the CEO’s second deputy Mohammad Khan.[27]

US, Pakistan Back Afghan-Led Reconciliation Drive

Top American and Pakistani military commanders have reaffirmed their support for an Afghan-led peace and reconciliation process. Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa and US Central Command Chief General Joseph Votel pledged support for Afghan peace efforts at a meeting in Rawalpindi.[28]

Obama Phones NUG Leaders, Urges Them to Keep Unity

President Barack Obama phoned President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah late Wednesday and praised the National Unity Government (NUG) leaders for their efforts to “attain peace and stability” in Afghanistan.[29]

Relations with Pakistan

Pakistan Army Chief calls President Ghani, suggests intelligence cooperation

The Pakistani Army Chief of Staff General Bajwa called President Ghani following deadly bombings in Kabul and other key provinces to condole the attacks that left scores of people dead or wounded. According to an official statement released by the media wing of the Pakistani military, “COAS suggest[s] a robust border management mechanism and intelligence cooperation to put a stop to and fro movement of terrorists across the border. He said that elements inimical to peace in the region are strengthened by the blame game.”[30]

Kabul Attack Masterminds Move Freely in Pakistan: Ghani to Bajwa

In a telephonic conversation with Pakistan’s Army Chief General Bajwa, President Ghani said that planners of Kabul bombings are travelling around freely in Pakistan. However, a presidential palace press release stated that Bajwa assured Ghani that past mistakes would not be repeated by Pakistan. Pakistani army spokesman said that Bajwa told Ghani that all militant hideouts and training camps have been eliminated in Pakistan and now it is the up to Afghans to take action against the terrorists on its soil.[31]

Afghanistan Green Trend (AGT) Supporters Demonstrate Against Pakistan

Members of the group, also known as Rawand-e Sabz-e Afghanistan carried posters and chanted anti-Pakistan slogans during their demonstration. Protesters accused Pakistan Embassy of changing into a nest of spies in Afghanistan.[32]

Kandahar bombing likely plotted in Quetta: Afghan Officials

The Afghan Intelligence National Directorate of Security (NDS) officials have said preliminary reports indicate the attack was plotted in Quetta city. In the meantime, the officials are saying that thorough investigations are underway regarding the incident.[33]

ANP Concerned at Tense Kabul-Islamabad Relations

Pakistan’s Awami National Party (ANP) has voiced its concern over the increasingly frigid relations between Kabul and Islamabad. Ties between the neighbours, long haunted by mistrust, have deteriorated after a series of deadly attacks and an intensifying Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan.[34]

Spy agencies of Afghanistan and Pakistan must help forge trust between: General Raheel

Intelligence agencies of Pakistan and Afghanistan will have to play a key role in overcoming the air of mistrust between the two countries, said former Chief of Army Staff General (retd) Raheel Sharif. General Raheel said that during his tenure he had made progress in relations with Afghanistan and expressed the hope that his successor, General Qamar Bajwa, would make progress in this regard.[35]

Internal Politics and Governance

Watchdog Issues Its Annual Report on Parliament’s Performance

According to a report, lawmakers in parliament sometimes consider their ethnic background when dealing with impeachments and summoning sessions and also have little understanding of the procedures regarding parliament proceedings.[36]

Afghans Have Little Faith in NUG’s Economic, Security Policies

A new survey carried out by the Center for Strategic and Regional Studies (CSRS) has found that the majority of people in Afghanistan are skeptical about government’s policies on economy, security and corruption.[37]

Hekmatyar to Appear Soon in Kabul: Amin

Hizb-I-Islami Afghanistan (HIA) said it would have a wide presence in future elections and did not worry about the sanctions imposed on the party’s leader, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, who would soon appear in the capital Kabul.[38]

Former Ministry of Public Health Official Accused of Embezzlement

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) on Tuesday announced it had uncovered a case of embezzlement involving hundreds of thousands of dollars in the ministry’s Drug Demand Reduction department. According to the ministry, former head of the department Ahmad Fawad Osmani had transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars to his personal account over the past eight years.[39]

Economy and Development

Afghanistan’s Carpet Industry and Its Challenges

The Afghan carpet industry could offer great opportunities to entrepreneurs but today the industry is bogged down with challenges. The key challenge is salaries and that experienced carpet makers earn very little to produce carpets that are among the best and most sought after in the world. Owing to this 40 percent of experienced weavers have left the profession in just the past four years.[40]

Deh Sabz Brick-Makers Avoiding Tax: Governor

According to data provided by Mohammad Gul Sharafat, Governor of Deh Sabz, nearly 1,000 brick factories operate in the district and only 27% pay government tax.[41]

Aid groups need $550 million to confront worsening Afghan crisis – U.N.

International aid groups needs more than half a billion dollars this year to help millions of Afghans struggling with increased violence and a bleak economy as a humanitarian crisis worsens, a senior U.N. official told Reuters. The UN estimates at least 9.3 million Afghans, or nearly a third of the population, will need humanitarian assistance in 2017, a 13 percent increase from last year.[42]

Women in Afghanistan

Helmand Policewomen Concerned Over Their Safety

A number of policewomen in Helmand province have called on officials to provide security to them and their families. The policewomen said, however, that no threats can prevent them from doing their work but that they have recently had to deal with increased threats against them and against their family members.[43]

Teenage girl raped and murdered in North of Afghanistan

A teenage girl was raped and murdered in the northern Faryab province of Afghanistan, local officials said on January 17. The incident took place in Bal Cheragh district of Faryab, involving two men who repeatedly raped the girl and strangled her to death.[44]

Afghanistan’s first female orchestra set to take Davos by storm

The group is set to be catapulted onto the world stage with a performance at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Zohra, an ensemble of 35 young musicians aged 13 to 20, some orphans or from poor families, will be performing before 3,000 CEOs and heads of state during a session on January 19 and at the closing concert on January 20.[45]

Radio Debates Focus On Women’s Rights in Afghanistan’s South

Raising awareness about women’s rights and gender-based violence was the aim of a series of UN-backed radio debates in the country’s southern province of Zabul.[46]

This weekly is compiled by Saddam Hussein who is a research intern at the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS).

Sources

[1] https://www.khaama.com/pakistan-army-chief-calls-president-ghani-suggests-intelligence-cooperation-02680

[2] http://www.outlookafghanistan.net/national_detail.php?post_id=17226

[3] http://www.khaama.com/russia-calls-on-taliban-to-renounce-violence-launch-intra-afghan-dialogue-02671

[4] http://www.tolonews.com/afghanistan/obama-phones-nug-leaders-commends-them-their-efforts

[5] http://www.tolonews.com/afghanistan/taliban-widely-active-where-baghlan-coalminers-were-shot

[6] https://www.khaama.com/isis-loyalists-torch-60-houses-in-east-of-afghanistan-02667

[7] http://www.tolonews.com/afghanistan/daesh-fighters-return-parts-nangarhar%E2%80%99s-kot-district

[8] http://www.khaama.com/explosion-kills-7-civilians-in-east-of-afghanistan-02676

[9] http://www.khaama.com/us-airstrike-kill-top-taliban-leaders-in-helmand-province-02679

[10] http://www.khaama.com/isis-militants-kidnap-13-seminary-teachers-in-east-of-afghanistan-02678