‘Relative peace’ in Afghanistan but more needs to be done: UN rights chief

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – Acknowledging “relative peace” has returned to Afghanistan, UN human rights chief said Friday general amnesty granted by the Taliban for officials of the former administration is “significant”.

Michelle Bachelet, however, said Afghans “remain uncertain about the future of their country (and) also about where their next meal will come from.”

After her one-day visit to the war-torn country on Thursday, Bachelet said the Afghans are “toiling through desperate, intersecting crises and grappling with great uncertainty.”

“Basic human needs like food and health are severely underserved, and basic human rights like education, the right to work and the right to participate in decision-making processes are largely unfulfilled,” she said.

Her one-day trip marked the first high-level visit by any UN official of her stature to travel to Afghanistan after Taliban’s return to power last August.

Bachelet said she met representatives of the Taliban-led interim government besides civil society representatives, including women teachers, doctors, journalists, civil servants, and non-governmental organization workers.

“The women powerfully conveyed the urgency of the situation on the ground. And they pleaded for a seat at the table with the de facto authorities, as partners to help chart a way out of this economic, humanitarian and human rights crisis in Afghanistan,” said the UN rights chief.

“We want to speak to the Taliban ourselves. We know what our people need, not only in the city but also in the countryside, and we have authoritative information and solutions to raise with the Taliban ourselves,” Bachelet quoted the women leaders she met.

- Drastic changes since Taliban’s return

Bachelet said Afghanistan has seen “some drastic changes” after Taliban returned to power last year.

“With the decline in hostilities since that date, conflict-related casualties have reduced dramatically,” she said.

The Taliban returned to power last August to form an interim government in Afghanistan after complete exit of foreign forces from the country. The West-backed administration melted down and its officials fled the country. The return of the Taliban marked the end of a 20-year-long bloody war which saw tens of hundreds of innocent Afghans lost to the armed conflict.

“We fear that the humanitarian and economic crises may claim far more lives,” the UN rights chief warned.

“Today, one in three people in Afghanistan face emergency or crisis levels of food security and there is limited access to cash, high levels of unemployment and displacement.”

She said there “remains an unfortunately high risk of attacks by the ISKP (Islamic State – Khorasan Province) and others.”

The UN rights chief said she conveyed to the interim government through its acting deputy premier and interior minister the “importance of inclusivity in navigating the way out of this crisis.”

She, however, said, reports “suggest that door-to-door searches are continuing and we have publicly documented extrajudicial killings of former officials.”

“All those detained for exercising their human rights need to be promptly released.”

Bachelet urged re-establishment of an independent human rights mechanism, saying during the “time of relative peace in the country, it is crucial to establish inclusive alliances.”

She added: “I urge the de facto authorities to allow the maximum space for freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, to respect the role of the independent media, and to refrain from using any violence or imposing penalties on those who may be critical.

“I look forward to seeing that the commitments made for all girls and boys to have access to education be fulfilled. Girls and women need to have access to primary, secondary and tertiary education. Such significant steps will go a long way in securing the future of the country,” she said referring to announcements that schools will reopen on March 22.