Former Women Peace Negotiator Slams Tashkent’s Invitation to Taliban

Taliban's beating rendered Selgai unconscious and she was transferred to a hospital with the help of the local residents.

It has been said that the Taliban had warned Selgai’s family that she can’t continue her job as a journalist. However, local sources said that the journalist had no other option, but to continue her job due to economic challenges.

International journalist defender organizations have often expressed concerns over severe restrictions on freedom of speech and free media under the Taliban regime.

In the latest case, UNAMA in a report of the last ten months under Taliban’s rule said that after Taliban’s takeover, media personnel have been restricted in their activity.

Free Speech Hub in March announced that after the Taliban’s takeover, all democratic structures, specially freedom of speech, have suffered a severe blow.

Also, according to this investigation, 28 women committed suicide during the said period. Taliban has also been involved in killings of women, as per the finding.

Based on Afghanistan Internationals findings from January 1 till July 22 this year, 76 women have been killed.

In Badakhshan province in northern Afghanistan, at least 44 women attempted suicide in the past four months, but now have been saved.

In January, 11 women had been killed or committed suicide, while numbers in June were 27, and in the first 22 days of July, it reached 14.

Family violance and social restrictions imposed by the Taliban have been said to be motives of more than half these incidents.

Heather Barr, Associate women’s rights director at Human Rights Watch, told Afghanistan International that after the Taliban’s takeover, men in the families have been the main factors of increase in violence against women. According to Barr, Taliban destroyed the system for handling domestic violence.

Human rights activists say that the number of killings and suicides are much higher; but restrictions on media and other observer oganisations have made it difficult to publicise these reports.

According to the findings, no reports of arrest or punishments for the perpetrators have been published. Taliban has removed the attorney office for prohibition of violence against women and transformed the Ministry of Women Affairs to the Ministry of Promotion of Virtues and Prevention of Vice.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the Foreign Minister of Pakistan, also called for close cooperation with Iran on Afghanistan and regional security.

According to the Iranian government official accounts, Zardari announced Pakistan's firm commitment to establish peace and stability in Afghanistan.

He said that the close cooperation between Iran and Pakistan on issues concerning Afghanistan, including refugee affairs, and ensuring the security of the region, is of high importance.

Qomi stated that stability in Afghanistan is a prerequisite for long-term peace and prosperity in the region.

AI sources said that TTM has around 200 fighters.

Before the collapse of Afghanistan in 2021, the Tajik militants fought in the ranks of the Taliban, but under the Taliban reign, the TTM members settled in several districts in Badakhshan province in the northeast of Afghanistan on the border of Tajikistan.

According to Al sources, the Tajik militants operate under the banner of Jamaat-e Ansarullah, a banned terrorist organization by Russia.

Observers believe that the TTM competes with the Islamic State-Khurasan (IS-K), which has many Tajik citizens in its ranks.

According to AI sources, the Tajik fighters of Jamaat-e Ansarullah, act as the border guards of the Afghan Taliban in Badakhshan province. The emergence of the TTM has reportedly increased concerns of the Tajik authorities.

According to AI sources, in recent days, the TTM fighters have built a watch tower near the border with Tajikistan for surveillance purposes of the territory of Tajikistan.

According to reports, Mahdi Arsalan - the pseudonym of Muhammad Sharipov, from the Nurobod district of Tajikistan, is the leader of the TTM under the Taliban. Some sources said that Arslan is also the leader of Jamaat-e Ansarullah. Mehdi Arslan had previously moved to Afghanistan and has fought in the ranks of the Afghan Taliban.

According to analysts, the emergence of the TTM as a new jihadist project in Central Asia will change the group’s popularity and attract radical Tajik youth.

The emergence of this jihadist movement is bad news for the government of President Emomali Rahmon, as Tajikistan is already struggling with the recent protests that occurred in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, and increasingly long-term economic challenges.

No more details about the dates, purpose of the trips and the orders given by the two leaders have been provided. However, Zabihullah Mujahid, Taliban’s spokesperson, published a picture on twitter of Mullah Yaqoob and Sirajuddin Haqqani, the sons of the Taliban and Haqqani network founders together and tried to quell the rumours about tensions between the senior members of the group.

The visit of these two senior Taliban and Haqqani network officials has stirred the pot in news circles as the Mansuri corps is infamously known as the group’s suicide squad. These forces are present in Badakhshan, Kunduz, Samangan, Baghlan, Balkh, Parwan, and in other provinces of Afghanistan.

Mujahid had said that “Mujahideen”, who are members of the suicide attacker group, are part of this group’s army and they will be organized within the structure of the Ministry of defense.

The Taliban ministers trip comes as heavy clashes continue in different parts of Afghanistan with the National Resistance Front (NRF) and other anti-Taliban forces.

The Taliban’s spokesperson tweeted, which seemed to be addressing the opposition, that Mullah Yaqoob and Sirajuddin Haqqani fulfilled all the requirements of Jihad, don’t underestimate their achievements.

Also, Haqqani, during his visit to Paktia said that all the security and defense forces of Taliban should ensure goodwill, sincerity, and obedience as their basic principles and avoid any kind of negligence.