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www.desitalk.com – that’s all you need to know India Reaffirms Commitment To Humanitarian Assistance For Afghanistan At UN Security Council -UNITED NATIONS A ddressing the United Nations Se- curity Council briefing of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghani- stan (UNAMA) September 17, 2025, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, P. Harish, emphasized India’s interest in peace, stability and develop- ment in Afghanistan as a priority for India, validated by its participation in UN meetings and its readiness to engage with all parties on this. “India has a paramount interest in ensuring peace and stability in Afghanistan,” he said. Reminding the international commu- nity that life under a sanctioned regime for four years and devastation from the recent earthquake had made the situation worse, Harish said, “This is the time for compassion, a time for lending a helping hand to millions of Afghanis suffering under the yoke of poverty, disease and hunger.” Emphasizing India’s prioritized human- itarian assistance and capacity building initiatives for Afghan people, Harish said India’s commitment was evident in India’s more than 500 development partnership projects across all of Afghan’s provinces. India’s Humanitarian Assistance – Har- ish stated India has been cooperating with the UN agencies in areas of health, food security, education and sports. Response to Earthquake – India re- sponded promptly to the recent earth- quake, becoming one of the first countries to extend humanitarian assistance in the form of 1,000 family tents, 15 tons of food supplies, 21 tons of relief materials includ- ing medicines, hygiene kits, blankets and generators. More relief supplies are on the way, Harish said. Four Year Assistance – India has extend- ed continued humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan since August of 2021, provid- ing a total of 50,000 tons of wheat, more than 330 tons of medicines and vaccines, 40,000 liters of pesticides and other social support items, Harish said. Drug Rehabilitation Assistance – India has also been actively engaged in drug rehabilitation, especially focused on women, Harish pointed out. He listed India’s contribution of 84 metric tons of assistance and medicines and 32 metric tons of social support items. Education Assistance – A major contri- bution of India is to the education of the Afghan people, providing scholarships and fellowships for undergraduate and graduate studies to 2,000 Afghan students, of which 600 were girls and women. Continuing Political Dialogue – India has also an open political dialogue with Afghanistan, Harish said, referring to the two talks between India’s External Affairs Minister and the Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan, in mutual interest. He then spoke about India’s appreciation of Afghanistan’s condemnation of the Pahal- gam terrorist attack in April of 2025. Need for a Different Approach – Har- ish stressed the need for a nuanced and integrated approach to deal with the post-conflict situation in Afghanistan. “Afghanistan needs a fresh approach with hitherto unused policy instruments to support its people who are in such a dire need,” said Harish. “Business-as-Usual approach is only expected to maintain status quo-which is not good for Afghanistan and unlikely to meet international community expecta- tions for Afghanistan’s people,” said Har- ish, reiterating India’s continued commit- ment to engage with relevant stakeholders and support the international commu- nity’s efforts for stability in the region. Earlier, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan and Head of the UNAMA, Roza Otunbayeva, told the Security Council that support from the international community was affected by the lack of pragmatism in Afghanistan. Hanifa Girowal, speaking for civil society, urged the Security Council to ensure on a priority basis that political dialog is led by Afghan women, schools are reopened and women’s right to work is restored. A majority of the UN member states also stressed similar needs. By Archana Adalja PHOTO:UN UN Security Council chamber in NYC. 5 CITY VIEWS September 26, 2025 Indian American Documentary Nominated For Two Emmy Awards D ESTINATION OAK TREE ROAD, an acclaimed documentary film about the meteoric rise to global recognition of a New Jersey retail and residential neighborhood from years of decline, has been honored with two 2025 NewYork Emmy Award nominations. The film, directed and narrated by broadcast journal- ist Rohit Vyas, received the nominations for Documen- tary Historical and Performer/Narrator categories. The recognitions were announced recently at the PIX 11 stu- dios by the NewYork chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NY NATAS). “I am honored that the hard work put into this production by our entire team has been recognized by esteemed peers in the industry,” Vyas is quoted saying in the press release. “Having spent decades as a broadcast journalist covering the Indian and South Asian diaspora communities, this first documentary film project is par- ticularly special. It is profoundly gratifying to see that the collective effort has made an impact,” he added. DESTINATION OAK TREE ROAD spotlights the history of Oak Tree Road, a mile-and-a-half-long, once-desolate but today bustling cultural and business district in New Jersey that stretches from Edison Township to Iselin in Woodbridge Township. Officials and long-time residents interviewed in the film attribute the area’s revitalization to the hard work and commitment of the Indian American community. The production delves into how the community’s efforts, in spite of numerous early obstacles, brought Oak Tree Road wide recogniztion and attracted investment from multinational corporations. Nominated alongside Rohit Vyas are fellow producers, 14-time Emmy AwardWinner Janice Selinger, Actress/ Sports Host Aditi Vyas and Arts Advocate Isha Vyas. Also nominated for the project is Joe Lee, former NJPBS Vice President and General Manager as the Executive in Charge of Production and Steve Stone as Director of Photography. The film, which first aired on NJPBS, is a co- production of Vyas Productions and NJ PBS/TheWNET Group. It is currently available to stream on PBS. “The Asian Indian community in New Jersey is one of the largest in the country,” said Rohit Vyas. “This docu- mentary aims to reflect its history, challenges, and suc- cesses through the microcosm of one small but impactful area. Most importantly, it is a quintessentially American story. Work hard, achieve success, and live the American Dream.” The 68th Annual NewYork Emmy Awards takes place in NewYork City on October 11. By a StaffWriter PHOTO:COURTESYVYAS PRODUCTIONS Broadcast journalist Rohit Vyas.