RASC News Agency: Several foreign non-governmental organizations in Canada have called for the Canadian government to lift restrictions on aid organizations operating in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. According to Canadian media reports released on Saturday evening, April 27, these restrictions were supposed to be lifted in January 2023.
These organizations, which primarily provide humanitarian aid, have criticized the Canadian government’s double standards toward aid organizations. Asma Faizi, president of the Afghanistani Women’s Organization, which works with women in Canada, Afghanistan, and other countries, stated that her organization’s activities in Afghanistan have been banned by the Canadian government.
Faizi, who also supports an orphanage in Kabul, remarked, “Canadian organizations want to operate inside Afghanistan, but they are being prevented from doing so.” She also criticized governments’ double standards toward non-governmental aid organizations. In July last year, the Canadian Parliament passed a bill to facilitate humanitarian aid.
This bill created exemptions for humanitarian projects, including the provision of health and education services in Afghanistan. In February 2022, nearly six months after the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan, the United States, the European Union, and Australia granted exemptions to aid organizations. According to these exemptions, donors face penalties if they pay taxes to the Taliban.
The Canadian government announced that paying taxes to the Taliban would be considered financial support for a “terrorist organization.”