The foreign ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) said that forced displacement of ethnic and religious groups in Afghanistan must be prevented.
In a joint statement on Tuesday, these foreign ministers stressed on mutual respect for the fundamental rights of all ethnic groups in Afghanistan.
The joint statement was issued by the foreign ministers of Russia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Armenia.
After the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, reports show that members of the Tajik, Hazara, Uzbek, and Turkmen ethnic groups have been forcefully displaced to different regions of Afghanistan.
On Tuesday, many local sources reported that dozens of families have been transferred to Takhar province from border areas and Pakistan in recent days. Some sources said that these families were Pakistani nationals, but other sources said that these people were Afghans who had been displaced by war in recent years.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed about a week ago that refugees from the North Waziristan region of Pakistan are being transferred to some parts of Afghanistan.
Recently, there were reports about an agreement being reached between the Taliban and the government of Pakistan regarding the relocation of members of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to northern Afghanistan.
The anti-Taliban armed groups have warned that relocation of these TTP members to northern Afghanistan will push the country towards partition.
Northern Afghanistan shares a border with several member countries of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation.
