A group of Afghan women held a demonstration in Kabul against the recognition of the Taliban, on Saturday. The protesters said that the recognition of the Taliban means the world is ready to “recognise terrorism”.
In the resolution published by these women demonstrators, it has been stated that the people of Afghanistan consider the Taliban as a group which is against human rights. They said that Afghan people will not accept the Taliban rule to be imposed on their life.
This is the latest protest of Afghan women against the Taliban policies and practices who have regularly held demonstrations.
Over the past year, the Taliban continuously arrested members of the protest movements of Afghan women.
Barbara Woodward, the UK ambassador to the United Nations, said that the Taliban's restrictions have excluded Afghan women from social life. Woodward said that there is no justification for Taliban's actions against Afghan women and girls.
The UK ambassador to the United Nations stated that the Taliban's recent decision to ban Afghan female staffers of the UN is a clear violation of the basic principles of the United Nations Charter, including the principle of non-discrimination.
Woodward stressed that UK welcomes the recent resolution of the UN Security Council condemning the behaviour of the Taliban.
She called for immediate reversal of the Taliban’s decisions that restricts the basic rights and freedoms of women and girls in Afghanistan.
The UK ambassador to the United Nations said that her country has allocated 662 million dollars-worth of aid to the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan since April 2021.
Woodward stressed that London will not abandon Afghan women and girls.
On Thursday, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution condemning the Taliban's discriminatory treatment of Afghan women.
Members of the Security Council called on the Taliban to immediately end discriminatory policies against Afghan women, especially the ban on women's education and work.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said that extremist groups in Afghanistan have expanded their activities in neighbouring countries. Shoigu said that these groups have stepped up efforts to promote their ideas in the region.
Addressing the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) defence ministers’ meeting in New Delhi on Friday, the Russian defence minister emphasised that international terrorist groups including Al Qaeda, ISIS, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), and East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) have increased their influence in the region.
The Russian defence minister warned at the SCO meeting that considering the current situation in Central Asia, it is necessary to adopt new security measures for the region.
According to him, extremists who have settled in Afghanistan, pose main security threats to Central Asia.
Emphasising that Afghanistan is a key issue in the agenda of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, he said that in order to deal with terrorism, separatism, extremism, and instability in the region, there should be more coordination between SCO member states.
The SCO defence ministers discussed military issues, threats to global and regional security, and challenges facing member countries in Friday’s meeting in New Delhi.
Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, and India are members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
Concerns about regional security have increased in Central Asia while Tajikistan announced on Wednesday that two terrorists who had entered Tajikistan from Afghanistan have been killed. Tajik officials said that these two terrorists had planned terrorist attacks inside Tajikistan.
Anas Haqqani, a Taliban senior official, called the United Nations Security Council’s (UNSC) resolution a “failed attempt of putting pressure on the Taliban”. Haqqani reacted to the new resolution and said that stances that are not based on deep understanding are ineffective.
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Thursday unanimously adopted a resolution condemning the Taliban's decision to ban Afghan female staffers of the UN from working.
The resolution stated that the Taliban’s anti-women policies undermine human rights and humanitarian principles. The UNSC members called on the Taliban to swiftly reverse its policies and practices restricting women and girls’ enjoyment of their human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Anas Haqqani is the brother of Sirajuddin Haqqani, who is the powerful minister of interior of the Taliban. This member of the Haqqani Network added, "It would have been better for the UN Security Council to evaluate the lifting of diplomatic sanctions, which punish Afghans collectively, instead of these resolutions."
Haqqani stressed that the "open arms policy" of the Taliban is the solution to problems, not the actions taken by the United Nations.
The Taliban’s reaction to the UN resolution comes while the group has not stepped back from its anti-women policies and practices during negotiations with UN officials and members of the international community.
Members of the international community have repeatedly urged the Taliban to form an inclusive government with the participation of all ethnic and political groups soon after the group took over the country in August 2021.
Ismail Mashal, a university professor, has been hospitalised after being released from a Taliban prison. Relatives of Mashal told Afghanistan International that he is currently "vomiting blood and has mental health issues”.
The Taliban released Mashal on bail a month after his arrest on February 2 in Kabul.
According to reports, the Taliban torture their prisoners and get forced confessions from them. On the other hand, no human rights organisation monitors Taliban prisons and numerous reports have been published about prisoners not having access to health services and food while in Taliban detention and imprisonment.
However, the relatives of the Afghan university professor did not explain the reasons for his health conditions.
Ismail Mashal has been an advocate and campaigner for the right to education of Afghan girls and women under the Taliban regime. He tore up his academic documents in protest against the Taliban’s decision to ban girls’ education in universities in Afghanistan and later donated his personal books to girls in the streets of Kabul.
The Taliban arrested Mashal and announced that his arrest was due to his "provocative actions against the Taliban regime”.
In a meeting with the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Washington seeks an inclusive government in Afghanistan. Blinken and Guterres met in Washington ahead of the Doha meeting on Afghanistan.
The US Secretary of State also stressed that respect of women’s rights by the Taliban in Afghanistan is necessary.
The Doha meeting will be held between the UN Secretary-General and special envoys of various countries on Afghanistan on May 1 and 2.
The spokesman of the UN Secretary-General said that the purpose of the Doha meeting is to build a consensus to send a unified message to the Taliban and address the challenges in Afghanistan.
It seems that with the adoption of the UN Security Council resolution that condemned the anti-women policies and practices of the Taliban, the UN Secretary-General can hope to form the desired consensus among the UN member states regarding Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, Markus Potzel, the deputy UN envoy for Afghanistan met with Abdul Salam Hanafi, Deputy Prime Minister of the Taliban in Kabul.
According to the Taliban, Potzel briefed the Taliban official on the Doha meeting and said that security, human rights, and other issues related to Afghanistan will be discussed in the upcoming meeting.
Hanafi has highlighted what the Taliban statement termed as “positive and important steps” of the group and urged the participants of the upcoming Doha meeting to take “effective and positive decisions” regarding the Taliban’s achievements in Afghanistan.
The Taliban officials have in the past emphasised that their government is inclusive and that they consider the rights of Afghan women in the "framework of Islamic Sharia".