NRF Launches Rocket Attack On Taliban Outpost in North of Kabul

It has been reported that after the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, about 800 Afghan citizens had applied for asylum in Japan.

The Immigration Services Agency of Japan said that of 800 Afghan asylum seekers, 114 have been granted asylum so far. The status of other Afghan refugees is not clear yet.

These asylum seekers are Afghans who had worked for the office of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Afghanistan.

It has been said that these Afghans who have received Japanese residency can live permanently in this country if they meet certain conditions.

Meanwhile, human rights groups stressed that compared to Western countries, Japan's criteria for granting asylum is "highly strict”.

On Thursday, Baloch said, "It is their [Taliban’s] responsibility and they have accepted this responsibility on various occasions.”

She mentioned in the recent trilateral statement which was issued when the Chinese and the Taliban Foreign Ministers visited Islamabad in May, the Taliban also accepted their responsibility that Afghanistan’s soil will not be used against other countries.

Baloch stressed that Pakistan expects the Taliban to fulfil their promises.

Islamabad considers Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as a terrorist group and reports indicated that the Afghan Taliban has been relocating the TTP members to northern Afghanistan.

Pakistan has welcomed the Taliban’s decision of relocation of TTP members from the border areas of the two countries to northern Afghanistan.

Earlier, Asif Durrani, Pakistan's special envoy for Afghanistan, said that the Taliban have taken initial steps to address Islamabad's security concerns, but they are still not sure about the effectiveness of the group’s plans.

Durrani added that Pakistan and China expect the Taliban to cooperate in curbing the TTP and the Uyghur militias, just as it cooperated with the United States in the case of Al-Qaeda.

In the meeting, Abdul Kabir said that like other Afghans, Shias will be given equal rights under the Sharia law.

The Taliban’s acting prime minister’s press office added that Shia clerics and influential community members presented their suggestions during the meeting with Abdul Kabir.

The press office didn’t provide more details about the suggestions provided by the Shia clerics.

On the eve of the Muharram and Ashura ceremony, sources told Afghanistan International that the Taliban ordered Shias to refrain from raising Shia religious flags and providing water and food on the streets and roads during the month of Muharram.

The sources emphasised that the Taliban has not officially issued any order regarding these restrictions and has raised the issue verbally with the relevant figures in the community to address issues faced by the Shia population of Afghanistan.

After taking power in Afghanistan, the Taliban have not appointed Shia representatives to senior cabinet positions of the group’s government. During the past two years, Shia representatives have repeatedly met with senior Taliban officials to address the demands of the Shia population.

However, last year, the US State Department published a report on religious freedom in the world and said that Afghanistan under the rule of the Taliban is witnessing severe violations of religious freedom.

Referring to the forced displacement of religious minorities in Afghanistan, the US State Department said that the Taliban expelled members of the Shia communities from their homes in several provinces and divided their lands among the supporters of the group.

Human Rights Watch also stated ISIS has repeatedly attacked Hazaras who are mainly followers of the Shia sect of Islam and other religious minorities in their mosques, schools, and workplaces, but the Taliban has not taken measures to protect them.

At the same time, Ghassab announced the formation of a committee to facilitate Afghan investors in Iran.

In an interview with Bazar Media, he said that although the investment of Afghans in Iran is small, it is significant in terms of numbers.

Ghassab explained that investments have been made in various sectors, including agriculture, industry, and construction.

Bazaar media on Friday reported that Afghans were the biggest foreign investors in Iran last year. In this report, it has been stated that the process of cash injection by Afghans to Iran's economy has increased significantly in terms of number and value.

It was said on the same basis, due to the increase in the amount of investment by Afghans in Iran, on Wednesday, the first meeting of the "Committee to Facilitate Afghan Investors in Iran" was held in the Office of the Special Representative of the President of Iran for Afghanistan Affairs, with the presence of all relevant government agencies of Iran.

Ghassab said that the goal is to facilitate the attraction of Afghan investors to Iran along with removing their obstacles, as well as supporting Iranian investors who are working in Afghanistan in commercial, security, and judicial aspects.

The ban is also imposed on raising flags on Muharram and opening cabins for volunteer distribution of food and water.

In the past twenty years, Afghanistan witnessed the celebration of Muharram and Ashura openly by the Shia community members.

Meanwhile, Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesperson, stressed that the Taliban will ensure the security during the Muharram ceremony in the coming weeks.

Mujahid said that last year there was no security incident during Muharram and the group will make sure that security remains tight during the Shia religious ceremony.

After the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, and despite the group’s emphasis on respect of the rights of Shia citizens of Afghanistan, the leaders of the Shia sect of Islam have complained of discrimination against members of the community.

Last year, the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs of the Taliban removed the holiday of Ashura from the Afghan calendar. This decision of the Taliban faced harsh criticism from Afghan citizens, especially Shia citizens.

Afghan Shia leaders have repeatedly asked the Taliban to recognise Jafari's jurisprudence, however, the group has not yet officially expressed its opinion on this issue.

In one case, the Ministry of Higher Education of the Taliban rejected the request of the Council of Shiite Scholars to include Jafari jurisprudence in the university curriculum.