Muttaqi, Head of Uzbekistan’s Presidential Administration Discuss Bilateral Relations

On July 25, a delegation of Pakistani clerics led by Mufti Taqi Usmani arrived in Kabul. It was reported that the clerics’ visit to Kabul was aimed at convincing the Pakistani Taliban to cease fighting against Pakistan.

The Pakistani delegation had travelled to Kabul at the invitation of the Afghan Taliban. They met with Noor Wali Mehsud, the leader of the Pakistani Taliban, and held meetings with the leaders of the Afghan Taliban.

The delegation returned to Pakistan on Friday. Mawlana Tayeb, an influential cleric from tribal areas of Pakistan, who was also a member of the delegation, said, "In our meeting with the Afghan Taliban, we emphasized that they should reopen girls' schools, so that they can be educated. I gave them an example and said that I am also a mullah, but my niece is currently serving as a general in the Pakistani army."

Life under the reign of Taliban has become difficult for Afghan women. They have lost the right to work, and education, among other things.

So far, the Taliban has not paid attention to the demands of domestic and international stakeholders to reopen girls' schools. It has been more than 315 days since Afghan girls above grade six have been denied the right to go to school.

However, Tayeb stated that the Taliban said that girls' schools will be reopened soon. "The Taliban appreciated our proposal to reopen girls' schools and assured us that they will soon reopen girls' schools and colleges, so that women can study according to Sharia law," he said.

Guterres strongly condemned this attack and said that attacks on civilians and civilian objects are strictly prohibited under international law.

Thomas West, the US special representative for Afghanistan, has also said that he is deeply saddened by the explosion during a cricket match in Kabul.

West said that violence serves no purpose and is not an answer for the people of Afghanistan.

Earlier, the Emergency Hospital in Kabul had confirmed that 13 wounded were taken to the hospital, one of them was declared dead on arrival and 12 others were under treatment.

Other local sources told Afghanistan International that seven people had been killed in the attack. Eyewitnesses also said that the number of dead and injured was high.

However, the Taliban officials announced that only four people were injured during the cricket stadium explosion. No group or individual has claimed responsibility for this attack yet.

The highest casualty has been in the Panjshir area, which also houses most of the NRF bases, with 184 people killed.

The total number of injured has not been revealed yet.

On the other hand, according to sources, five Taliban fighters have been captured by this front and at least 400 Taliban fighters have been killed over the past year.

The Taliban has not reacted to this report of the National Resistance Front.

Abdollahian had discussed the water rights issue during a phone call with Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Foreign Minister of the Taliban.

Iran's Foreign Ministry said that Abdollahian emphasized that handing over Iran's water rights is an important indicator for measuring the Taliban's practical commitments to international obligations towards Iran.

After the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021, Iran has emphasized on the country's water rights from Helmand River in an unprecedented manner.

On Wednesday, Iranian President assigned the country’s foreign and energy ministries to follow up on the issue of Tehran’s water rights.

Iranian Foreign Minister on Friday told the Taliban Foreign Minister that a high-ranking delegation from the Ministry of Energy of Iran is going to visit Afghanistan soon to assess the existing obstacles and negotiate with the Taliban authorities about water rights.

According to Iranian foreign ministry, Muttaqi said, "We are committed to Iran's water rights. When water is available, we will direct it to flow towards Iran."

Iran's foreign minister stressed that the two countries can return the river to its proper channel by forming a joint technical and operational team, so that people on both sides of the border are not harmed by the wastage of water.

According to the Taliban, Wang Yi, the Chinese Foreign Minister, has suggested the plan during a meeting with the Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi on the sidelines of the Tashkent conference on Afghanistan.

In this meeting, the two sides discussed bilateral relations, and economic and humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.

Hibatullah Akhundzada, the leader of the Taliban earlier, in a decree, banned poppy cultivation in Afghanistan.

However, Tajikistan's Interior Minister recently said that smuggling across the border has increased since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan. Ramzan Rahimzada said that the Taliban has not been successful in preventing drug trafficking from Afghanistan.

Hafiz Zia Jalal, the Deputy Spokesperson of the Taliban Foreign Ministry, said in a tweet that Wang Yi spoke about China's aid to Afghanistan in the humanitarian sector and reconstruction, especially in trade and agriculture.

The Taliban said that China's foreign minister has pledged to start issuing visas to Afghans from August 1, 2022.

According to the Taliban, Amir Khan Muttaqi, expressed his appreciation for China in allowing Ariana Airlines flights to China's Urumqi city and said that this initiative will increase Afghanistan's exports to China.

The Taliban delegation led by Amir Khan Muttaqi went to Uzbekistan on Monday this week to participate in the Tashkent international conference on Afghanistan.

Representatives of 20 countries and organisations including the United States, Russia, the European Union, China, United Kingdom, India, Iran, and Pakistan were also present at the Tashkent conference.