Human rights

The global human rights watchdog said that Afghanistan now faces one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, exacerbated by donor governments’ aid cuts and the return of 1.9 million refugees expelled from Iran and Pakistan. 

Terming forced religious conversion and forced marriage of Christian and Hindu minor girls to older Muslim men as the most concerning issue, the report notes that there are few legal options available to the victims.

While the removal of the death penalty for two relatively obscure crimes was welcomed by international rights groups, many activists argue the government’s action is insufficient.

The World Food Programme (WFP) has sounded a dire warning about Afghanistan’s escalating hunger crisis, as an economic downturn, recurring droughts, and the forced return of thousands of Afghan migrants strain the country’s fragile infrastructure and limited resources.

UNICEF also called for more humanitarian aid and commercial traffic to come in to stabilise the situation and reduce the desperation of the population.

According to the junta, the NDSC will now assume all legislative, executive, and judicial powers, as permitted under Article 427(a) of the 2008 Constitution.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) had initially ordered the formation of a commission to probe the misuse of the law, but that decision was overturned last week, triggering outrage and disappointment among victims’ families.

The situation is especially dire for Afghan migrants in Pakistan, where visa renewals have been suspended, and Proof of Registration (PoR) cards invalidated without clear guidance. Migrants are reporting increased police harassment and arbitrary detentions.