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ISLAMABAD: United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo concluded a high-level visit to Kabul on Sunday, where she pressed the Taliban to lift restrictions on women&rsquo;s access to education, employment, and public life, according to a United Nations statement. During talks with senior Taliban officials, DiCarlo raised deep concerns over the increasingly severe limits placed on women&rsquo;s roles, including restrictions affecting female UN staff and broader societal bans on women&rsquo;s participation in public life. She urged the authorities to immediately rescind these measures to improve the humanitarian and human rights situation in the country.&nbsp; DiCarlo praised the vital role Afghan women working for the United Nations play in supporting humanitarian and development efforts across the country.&nbsp; According to the UN statement, she also met separately with Afghan women and civil society representatives to discuss the human rights situation in Afghanistan, underscoring the UN&#39;s concern over the status of women and girls in the country. The meetings come as Afghanistan remains under Taliban rule, with girls banned from attending school beyond the sixth grade and severe restrictions on women&#39;s employment and movement. Afghanistan remains heavily dependent on humanitarian assistance amid economic isolation, banking restrictions, and widespread poverty, with UN agencies warning of prolonged vulnerability for millions. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates that 21.9 million people (roughly 45% of the population) will require assistance in 2026. Doha process meetingIn a separate development during the visit, Taliban officials said DiCarlo and Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani discussed continued engagement on the UN-led Doha Process, a diplomatic framework aimed at easing Afghanistan&rsquo;s political, security, and humanitarian crises.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2015276343949459966&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=be69938480a04f03355573a307aee5882e3a6c03&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 648px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="2015276343949459966"></iframe></div></div> According to the Taliban&rsquo;s Ministry of Interior, the talks covered international engagement, counter-narcotics cooperation, economic stability, and private-sector restrictions, as well as the effectiveness of UN humanitarian assistance, Bakhtar News Agency reported on Saturday. The Taliban statement said that DiCarlo announced that the next round of Doha Process working group meetings will be held in Kabul. The United Nations has not formally confirmed the location of the next working group sessions, which have previously been held in Qatar&#39;s capital.

Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo concluded her visit to Kabul, Afghanistan, on 25 January. (Photo/United Nations)

Afghanistan

United Nations Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo discusses humanitarian access, economic conditions, and continued political engagement, while Taliban authorities said Kabul would host the next Doha process working group meeting.

UN envoy presses Taliban on women’s rights during Kabul visit

ISLAMABAD: Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov arrived in Islamabad on Wednesday for a two-day state visit aimed at strengthening bilateral ties, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister&rsquo;s Office (PMO).&nbsp;Japarov landed at the Nur Khan Airbase, where he was received by President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. He was presented with a 21-gun salute, while children in traditional attire offered bouquets of flowers, the PMO said. The visit came at the invitation of PM Sharif. <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 560px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1996171369638429165&lang=en&maxWidth=560px&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=67bf6f34b5ff5b76afa932b3d59f6c8d7fcf3d20&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 560px; height: 316px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;"></iframe></div></div>During his stay, President Japarov was scheduled to hold high-level meetings with both President Zardari and PM Sharif. His delegation included cabinet ministers, senior officials, and business leaders.&nbsp;Earlier in August, Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan agreed to deepen bilateral cooperation, including collaboration in cryptocurrency, blockchain technology, and digital finance.

Economy

Foreign Affairs

Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov visits Islamabad for a two-day state trip, holding high-level meetings to strengthen political, trade, and emerging technology cooperation between the two countries.

Articles tagged with "Official visit"

UN envoy presses Taliban on women’s rights during Kabul visit

Kyrgyz president in Pakistan to advance political, trade, tech cooperation