Afghan Girl Talks About Torture, Interrogation At Taliban’s Intelligence Agency Prison

SCO held the meeting of the Council of Heads of State of SCO virtually on Tuesday and stressed that for stability in the region, the situation in Afghanistan must be settled immediately.

The member states believed that one of the most important factors of preservation and strengthening of safety and stability within SCO region, is advocating to build Afghanistan as an independent, neutral, united, democratic, and peaceful state, free from terrorism, war and drugs.

The SCO member states also emphasised on the importance of long-term hospitality and effective assistance provided to the Afghan refugees by regional and neighbouring countries of Afghanistan.

The declaration thanked the international community for their active efforts to facilitate Afghan refugees’ dignified, safe, and sustainable return to their homeland.

With regards to the evolving humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, the member states supported continued efforts to assist the Afghan people.

The 23rd meeting of heads of state of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation has been held virtually by India. Among others, Russian President, Vladimir Putin, and the President of China, Xi Jinping, have participated in the SCO meeting.

India assumed the rotating chairmanship of the SCO at the Samarkand Summit of the organization on September 16 last year.

Sharif had been speaking at the virtual 23rd Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of State and said that stability in Afghanistan is a concern for all nations.

The Pakistan Prime Minister said, "There is a need to achieve lasting peace and security in the region as it is both a common concern as well as a responsibility of all SCO leaders. Stability in Afghanistan is critical for achieving this common objective. The international community currently finds itself in a standstill with Afghanistan."

He also added that Afghanistan needs essential support in order to ward off a grave humanitarian crisis, prevent an economic meltdown and to combat terrorism.

He echoed thoughts of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that the Taliban must take measures to ensure its soil is not used for terrorism.

Shahbaz Sharif noted that a peaceful and stable Afghanistan will bring dividends to Afghans and unlock the true economic potential of the SCO region and contribute to global peace, security and progress.

He stated that the SCO Afghanistan contact group has an important part to play in providing a platform for practical cooperation.

The 23rd meeting of heads of state of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation has been held virtually by India. Among others, Russian President, Vladimir Putin, and the President of China, Xi Jinping, have participated in the SCO meeting.

India assumed the rotating chairmanship of the SCO at the Samarkand Summit of SCO on September 16 last year.

Modi also asked the heads of state of the SCO to work for the welfare of Afghanistan and provide humanitarian aid to the country.

Addressing the participants, the Prime Minister of India, who hosted the virtual summit, called on SCO member states to jointly stand against terrorism and stressed that they should not hesitate to condemn the countries that support terror groups.

Modi added that the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation has become an important platform for the peace, progress, and development of Eurasia.

The 23rd meeting of heads of state of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation has been held virtually by India. Among others, Russian President, Vladimir Putin, and the President of China, Xi Jinping, have participated in the SCO meeting.

This is Putin's first appearance at an international meeting since the Wagner mercenary fighters revolted in Russia.

Saleh’s call for Afghan politicians to armed resistance comes two weeks after Abdul Rashid Dostum, another former Afghan vice-president called for talks with the Taliban.

The former Afghan vice-president described the Doha agreement as a “conspiracy to hire the Taliban as a geopolitical tool”.

He called the Taliban a threat to every regional actor, except Pakistan.

US President Joe Biden's unexpected statement about the importance of the Taliban to prevent the threat of al-Qaeda in Afghanistan has been met with wide-ranging reactions from Afghan politicians. Among others, Rahmatullah Nabil, the former head of the Afghanistan intelligence agency, compared the Taliban to Russian mercenary fighters, the Wagner group, and called them "Islamic Wagner".

The Taliban has been against any power-sharing arrangements with other political groups since taking over Afghanistan in 2021 and has asked Afghan political leaders to return to Afghanistan and live as ordinary citizens.

In a press conference, Nazparvar criticised the ban and called it "surprising".

According to Iran’s Student News Agency (ISNA), Nazparvar emphasised on the need to strengthen trade relations with Afghanistan and said, "Afghan brothers use the water and flour of our province, but we cannot use Afghanistan's resources because currently the import of Afghan marble and travertine into Iran is prohibited. "

He did not explain the reason for banning the import of Afghan marble and said, "This is not a matter of law, but a ministry directive. We hope to be able to lift this ban."

A 2022 World Bank report indicated that after the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, Afghanistan's trade relations have been limited to Pakistan.