Representatives of Uzbekistan, USIP Discuss Formation of Negotiating Group on Afghanistan

According to Maleki, after the warning of the President of Iran to the Taliban about the water rights issue from Helmand River, it had been expected that some action would be taken by Iran. He stressed that, however, there was no action taken against the group.

On Sunday, in an interview with Asr-e Iran media, the Iranian member of parliament emphasised that to pursue the Taliban over the water rights issue, the group’s embassy in Tehran should be closed.

The Islamic Republic of Iran handed over the Afghan embassy in Tehran to the Taliban in early 2023 and Taliban members have been appointed as the caretaker of the embassy in Tehran.

With the continued tension between the Islamic Republic and the Taliban over Iran's water rights from the Helmand River, this is not the first time that Iranian parliament members have proposed closing the Taliban embassy in Tehran.

Maliki said, "Taliban says there is no water, while according to the reports that are given to us, there is water in the Kajaki dam."

According to him, currently, the water rights issue is on the agenda of one of the committees of the Supreme National Security Council, so that the issue could be followed through non-diplomatic channels.

Maliki added that one of these ways could be to close the Taliban embassy in Tehran and reduce political, commercial, and economic relations through the Chabahar port of Iran.

In a statement, NRF added that Shias have held the Ashura ceremony without any restrictions over the past years.

On Sunday the front stressed on the "peaceful coexistence of followers of different sects and religions" in Afghanistan and said that the Muharram ceremony has always been organised with the "cooperation and sympathy of Sunnis".

Along with the NRF, other Sunni Afghan figures and political groups have also reacted to the Taliban’s restrictions imposed on Shia ceremonies in Afghanistan.

On Monday, Marshal Abdul Rashid Dostum also condemned these restrictions on his Twitter handle. He stressed that the Taliban are anti-Shia and stressed that the group is the enemy of a diverse Afghanistan.

According to Afghanistan International’s sources, the Taliban has prevented Shias from mourning the month of Muharram in public spaces across Afghanistan.

Baloch added that the Taliban should assure Pakistan and the international community that Afghanistan's soil will not be used against this country.

In a press conference in Islamabad on Friday, Baloch urged the Taliban to act upon their commitments to prevent the activities of terrorist groups in Afghanistan.

In recent days, a wave of attacks has increased in various cities in Pakistan, which has caused concerns for Pakistani authorities.

In the past week, Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has repeatedly criticised the Taliban for providing safe haven to terror groups in Afghanistan.

Khawaja Asif has also questioned the Taliban's claims that foreign terrorists are not present in Afghanistan.

Addressing the Taliban in Afghanistan, Khawaja Asif said that Pakistani Taliban members have been killed on a daily basis in Afghanistan. “Then, how can one say that TTP members are not present there,” he asked.

Following Pakistan's defence minister's harsh criticism of the Taliban, Asif Durrani, the country's special representative for Afghanistan affairs, travelled to Kabul for a three-day trip and met with several Taliban officials.

Pakistani media reported that the Taliban suggested Pakistan to resolve its problems with the Pakistani Taliban through dialogue. Some sources said that Pakistan has rejected the offer of the Afghan Taliban.

Meanwhile, Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, the Taliban's Deputy Prime Minister in a meeting with Pakistan's special representative for Afghanistan said that the group will not allow use of Afghanistan's soil against neighbouring countries, especially Pakistan.

He stressed that the water rights issue is part of the agenda of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran.

In an interview with Mehr News Agency on Saturday, Mehrabian said that he hopes the Taliban will act upon the Helmand Water Treaty.

In response to the question of whether the Iranian government had held a new round of negotiations with the Taliban on the water rights issue, the Iranian minister said that Helmand water rights is based on an international treaty between Iran and Afghanistan which can’t be changed and the Taliban can’t ignore the treaty.

Iran’s water rights issue from Helmand River has been one of the most controversial issues in the relations between the Islamic Republic and the Taliban in the past two years.

The issue has restrained Iran’s relations with the Taliban and has escalated verbal tensions between the two sides.

In a statement, the front, led by Ahmad Massoud, added that the weapons and ammunition of these four Taliban members had been seized and they were released after the mediation of local elders.

NRF added that its forces were able to capture four members of the "Taliban” in Farghamanj area of the Jurm district of Badakhshan province.

NRF stressed that its forces “treated the prisoners well and with consideration of the laws of war, the teachings of the holy religion of Islam and following the behaviour of the national hero Ahmad Shah Massoud”.

Meanwhile, Ahmad Massoud had emphasised on Thursday in a virtual conference at the three-day Aspen security meeting that he believes in a political solution to end the conflict in Afghanistan.

At the same time, he added that the resistance against the Taliban has expanded from Panjshir to Takhar and Badakhshan.