Azra Zia Urges US to Honour Its Commitments to Afghanistan
Azra Zia, head of the First Human Rights Institute and a former US deputy secretary of state, has called on the United States government to honour its commitments to the people of Afghanistan, in remarks that also criticised Washington’s immigration policies and reduced support.
Speaking on Tuesday, 3 Sunbula, at an event in Washington on Afghanistan organised by the National Endowment for Democracy, she said that rather than mourning what has been lost, it is necessary to make clear what is happening now in Afghanistan, which promises have been broken, and what actions must be taken.
According to Zia, after the end of the US’s 20-year mission in Afghanistan, 120,000 US partners and allies were transferred to the country. She said that initially, the process of admitting these people was going well, and military bases, institutions, churches, government offices and thousands of American volunteers were mobilised to help Afghan refugees.
Zia criticised US President Donald Trump, saying the process was disrupted by measures she described as “unfair.” According to her, the termination of this process in the summer of 2025, the adoption of strict immigration policies and the suspension of aid to the people of Afghanistan have not only negatively affected Afghan migrants in the United States but have also worsened the situation of women in Afghanistan.
She said she was thinking of the women of Afghanistan who are resisting the Taliban authorities, as well as the thousands of Afghan exiles who fled Afghanistan because of their cooperation with the US military and institutions, but are now facing harsh policies.
Zia called on the US government to engage with Pakistan to prevent the forced return of Afghan refugees. She also stressed that Washington must place Afghan women at the centre of its policies and support Afghan civil society and democratic institutions.
She said that in a society where democracy has disappeared, only democratic institutions have kept “the candle of hope burning.” Zia also urged the US government to reconsider its approach to the International Criminal Court and warned that weakening the court would make it harder to hold the Taliban authorities accountable.
According to her, the Taliban authorities are carrying out extrajudicial killings and torture, unlawfully recruiting children into military structures, and institutionalising discrimination against women. The International Criminal Court is the body empowered to investigate certain grave crimes, including war crimes and crimes against humanity.
