Josep Borrell Fontelles, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said that they “cannot abandon the Afghan women to be punished twice,” both by the decision of the Afghan government and with cutting of aid by the EU.
Borrell made the remarks at a press conference on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly’s meeting in support of the Afghan women.
“We cannot abandon the Afghan women to be punished twice. First by the Afghan government decision and second by us cutting development support,” he said.
The Islamic Emirate’s Spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, called aid by the international community a right of the people of Afghanistan.
“The international aid which is based on humanitarian purposes, should not be linked to the political issues. It should not be halted. The Afghan nation as a war-affected country, has the right to receive aid. On the other hand, some of the political issues are not only within the Islamic Emirate, but the policies of the international community are also not positive,” he said.
The political analysts said that the continuation of aid will benefit the people of Afghanistan but called on the caretaker government to show flexibility in engagement with the international community.
“The Islamic Emirate should not hide the current situation from the people of Afghanistan and it should not blame others for it,” said Janat Fahim Chakari, a political analyst.
“The Islamic Emirate should also show some flexibility in its policies and it should have engagement with the international community, so that Afghanistan can stand on its own feet,” said Abdul Malik Afghan, a political analyst.
This comes as the Islamic Emirate’s decree barring women from higher education and working at NGOs faced a strong reaction by the international community.
