Helmand River Water Rights Remain Unresolved, Says Iranian Vice-President

Protesters on Wednesday asked the United Nations to review and address their asylum applications.

The Afghan protesters included journalists, civil activists and prosecutors in the former government of Afghanistan and have been waiting for their asylum request to be accepted by the United Nations for the past year.

Earlier, several journalists in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, had held a demonstration and demanded the organisation to process their asylum requests.

After the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021 in Afghanistan, thousands of Afghan citizens, especially journalists and human rights activists, have fled to Pakistan.

NRF emphasised on the formation of a democratic, moderate Islamic system in Afghanistan.

According to the NRF, such a system should be based on people’s vote, and must respect the freedom of people, especially women in Afghanistan.

Both the previous governments of Afghanistan and the Taliban honour this day, but Afghanistan is still mired in war and conflict.

The Taliban, which seized power for the second time on August 15, 2021, have imposed severe restrictions on social and political life of the people of Afghanistan and have limited their freedoms.

This group has excluded women from social life and have banned their right to education and work.

While these restrictions have been met with protests of women groups and international criticism, the Taliban have reacted with violent crackdown of these protests and have ignored these international demands.

The Taliban’s defense minister was speaking at a gathering on the 34th anniversary of the withdrawal of Soviet forces from Afghanistan and emphasised that there is no alternative to the Taliban regime.

He stressed that the group must unite people around the Taliban political system.

The Taliban’s Defense Minister said that if someone does not want the current political system of the group, they should provide an example of what kind of system they want. However, he added that the people should support the Taliban regime.

Mullah Yaqoob stated that any front that wants to create instability should know that the people of Afghanistan are now awake.

He addressed the opponents of the Taliban and said that instead of threatening them, they should participate in the development of Afghanistan.

Amir Khan Muttaqi, the foreign minister of Taliban, too, addressed the gathering and said that the government of the Taliban has made significant progress in the country. He added that Afghanistan's soil has not been used against any country.

Referring to the concern of Afghanistan's neighbouring countries about the presence of ISIS in northern Afghanistan, Muttaqi said that these countries should not threaten the Taliban.

Muttaqi added that if an ISIS member is identified, he will be destroyed.

Mullah Yaqoob’s call to maintain the Taliban regime comes even as Sirajuddin Haqqani, the interior minister of the group, recently criticised the Taliban leadership.

Haqqani had said that the current situation of the Taliban regime is not acceptable and they should prevent monopolisation of power.

The Taliban’s minister of mines and petroleum was addressing a gathering which celebrated the 34th anniversary of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan, in Kabul.

Delawar’s criticism is the latest in a series of criticisms of the supreme Taliban leader from senior members of the group over the past few days.

The Taliban Minister of Mines and Petroleum also said on Wednesday that freedom is won by the people and lost by the leaders. According to Delawar, gaining freedom is as important as persevering it.

In recent days, criticism of the decisions of the Taliban leadership has increased from senior members of the group in Kabul. Earlier Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban's interior minister, criticised the leadership of the group in a speech in Khost province. He accused the Taliban leadership of monopolising power in Afghanistan and said that the current situation is unacceptable.

One and a half years after the Taliban’s return to power, celebrating Valentine’s Day, like some other occasions, has become a dream in Afghanistan.

During the era of republic Afghanistan, the shopping malls in Kabul and other cities of Afghanistan had been selling gifts for Valentine's Day, and young men and women bought flowers, sweets and gifts for their loved ones.

Last year and on the first Valentine's day after the Taliban’s return to power, the group did not show much opposition to buying gifts and celebration of the day.

However, this year, reports from Kabul indicate that the Taliban members have put in place heavy presence of the group’s fighters across the city and have warned the public not to celebrate Valentine’s Day.