US State Department Imposes New Visa Restrictions on Taliban

Earlier, Pakistan's defense minister had said that Afghanistan's soil has been used against Pakistan. The Pakistan defense minister’s statement came after an explosion targeted a mosque in Peshawar city and killed and injured hundreds of people.

Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which, according to Pakistani officials, is based in Afghanistan, claimed responsibility for the attack. TTP officials said that it has carried out the attack in response to the killing of Khalid Khorasani, a commander of the group.

After the explosion, Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, said that Afghan soil is being used against Pakistan and that Kabul and Islamabad should work together to defeat terrorism.

The foreign minister of the Taliban on Wednesday asked the Pakistani authorities to investigate the explosion at the mosque. He emphasised that a suicide bomber with a small bomb can’t have such a devastating impact.

Muttaqi said, “In the last twenty years, we have not seen a suicide vest, a bomb, or a barrel that can blow up the roof of the mosque.”

The Taliban has carried out massive explosions over the last two decades and has taken responsibility for a number of these attacks.

Muttaqi asked the Pakistani authorities not to criticise Afghanistan.

He added, "If you say that Afghanistan is the hub of terrorism, you have also said that terrorism has no borders. If terrorism was in Afghanistan, it would have spread to Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, China, and other countries."

After the Taliban’s take over of Afghanistan, several Pakistani officials have repeatedly said that the country's armed opposition had taken refuge in Afghanistan.

According to WHO, health teams have visited hospitals in Bamiyan and other provinces to ensure necessary measures are in place for the winter.

Meanwhile, WHO has emphasised that women's work is highly important in providing health services, especially in the winter season across the country.

This is while the Taliban has banned Afghan women from working in non-governmental organisations.

WHO said that it salutes Afghanistan's female health workers "for their heroic sacrifices in serving the health needs of Afghans”.

Uzbekistan stated that the Taliban has not been fulfilling its technical obligation and hence, the transportation services have been suspended.

The Uzbekistan officials have said that the railway administration under the control of the Taliban has not been able to implement the "agreed terms" between the two sides.

According to the Uzbek officials, representatives of Kabul and Tashkent had met to discuss the railway issues last year in Termez city.

During the meeting, it had been agreed that the technical steps would be implemented by the Taliban regarding railway transportation by February 1, 2023. However, it seems that the Taliban have not been able to act in accordance with the agreement signed by the two sides.

Lavrov added that the international community has urged the Taliban to fulfill their commitment.

He said that in order to recognise the Taliban government, a government is required which has the inclusion of all ethnic and political groups.

However, the Russian Foreign Minister emphasised that lack of an inclusive government is not an obstacle for Moscow's engagement with the Taliban.

Lavrov said that Russia would continue its talks with the Taliban to encourage the group to form an inclusive government.

Ahead of the presser, the Russian Foreign Minister had held closed doors talks with his Pakistani counterpart in Moscow.

During the joint press conference with Zardari, Lavrov added that terrorist threats continue to emerge from Afghanistan, and Moscow and Islamabad agreed to jointly work in the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

The Russian Foreign Minister did not elaborate more regarding the details of the agreements between the two sides, but added that they use the contact group of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, to deal with terrorist threats.

During the Taliban reign of Afghanistan, the Russian embassy and also the charge d'affaires of the Pakistani embassy in Kabul have been attacked in 2022.

ISIS had claimed responsibility for the attacks.

She stressed, "We stand ready to find solutions so that women are not in the crosshairs of restrictions."

Mohammed also said that she discussed women's access to their rights during a meeting with Taliban officials in Kandahar.

At the end of her visit to Afghanistan, the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations announced that she had conveyed to the Taliban that they must lift restrictions on Afghan women.

Soon after these statements, the Taliban imposed new restrictions on Afghan girls’ right to education and barred them from participating in the university entry exams of private universities in Afghanistan.