INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
A new constitution for Afghanistan should only be adopted following a transparent, inclusive, and meaningful national consultative dialogue,
envoys of eight countries and the European Union said in a meeting in Italy&s capital Rome.The meeting of Special Representatives and Envoys
for Afghanistan from Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States was held
on October 18, according to a joint statement released by the US State Department on Tuesday.They noted with regret that the Islamic Emirate
of Afghanistan (IEA) has taken &no serious steps to initiate an inclusive political process with fellow Afghans regarding the future order
of the country; and affirmed that legitimacy is derived, first and foremost, from the Afghan people.&They emphasized that &a new
constitution for the country should only be adopted following a transparent, inclusive, and meaningful national consultative dialogue and
urged the Taliban and other Afghans to seek advice from the UN and OIC in this regard.&Participants of the meeting also expressed &grave
concern for the human rights situation in Afghanistan; and reiterated their firm belief that the Taliban&s policies excluding women and
girls from social, economic, political and cultural life in Afghanistan, including restrictions on education and employment, violate the
rights of Afghans and international obligations, deeply undermine the economy and affect the prospect of the country&s development and
long-term stability.&They called on the IEA to &reverse their restrictive educational policies immediately; and affirmed that education is a
human right and that equal access to quality education, based on curricula that meet international standards and that cover various areas of
knowledge, should be ensured for all.&Participants of the meeting acknowledged IEA actions to tackle terrorist threats from ISIS-K but
&expressed concern that some terrorist groups still reside safely inside Afghanistan and are able to plan and carry out cross-border
terrorist strikes.&They urged all States, including Afghanistan&s neighbors, to uphold their applicable obligations with respect to the
protection of refugees, to promote the right to seek asylum, and to ensure individuals, and called on these States to put in place measures
to develop a system of registration for undocumented Afghans, while ensuring protection for vulnerable Afghans in need of international
protection, according to the statement.This comes as the Islamic Emirate has repeatedly said that it is committed to ensuring the rights of
Afghans according to Sharia.The post New constitution in Afghanistan should be adopted following national dialogue: Rome meeting first
