Don’t Grab Our Land, If You Don’t Release Our Water Share, Says Iranian Sunni Cleric

In a statement released on the occasion of the 104th anniversary of Afghanistan's independence, the council stated that Afghanistan’s affairs have been mainly managed by foreigners.

According to the council, "After the fall of the first Taliban government and the establishment of the republic order in 2001, freedom and democracy prevailed. Although there were challenges during this period, progress had also been made in various fields.”

The National Resistance Council for Salvation of Afghanistan, which comprises many well-known leaders and former officials of Afghanistan stressed that Afghanistan was once again occupied by the triangle of terrorism "Taliban, Tareek-e-Taliban Pakistan and Al-Qaeda”.

The council added that they are obliged to protect freedom and provide justice in Afghanistan.

At the same time, the Taliban leaders held a ceremony to commemorate the 104th anniversary of Afghanistan's independence in Kabul on Saturday.

In a statement published by the Taliban on this occasion, it had been stated that the group wants good relations with the countries of the region and the world.

Karzai said that with the reopening of the schools Afghanistan "will gain independence”.

The former Afghan president also said that the intra-Afghan negotiations for achieving lasting peace in Afghanistan need to be immediately resumed.

Karzai asked the Taliban to reopen the doors of schools and universities to girls as soon as possible.

Karzai had previously called for a dialogue between the Taliban and other Afghan parties.

The international community has also repeatedly asked the Taliban to hold talks with various political and civil groups in Afghanistan to form an inclusive government, but the Taliban has not yet responded to these demands.

Jahanabadi stressed that due to the activity of terrorist groups in Afghanistan, Iran is witnessing instability on the joint borders with Afghanistan.

In an interview with the Islamic Consultative Assembly News Agency, he said that the formation of an inclusive government with the presence of all political groups and ethnicities is one of the solutions that can lead to the stability of Afghanistan.

The member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Iranian Parliament accused the United States of preventing the formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan so that the country continues to face crisis.

Jahanabadi expressed his hope that the Taliban will form an inclusive government soon.

Taliban have always asked countries not to interfere in their internal affairs by declaring that their government is inclusive.

In an exclusive interview with Afghanistan International, Asif emphasised that Pakistan would use force if the Taliban does not fulfil its commitments.

The former defence minister of Pakistan had previously accused the Afghan Taliban of not fulfilling their commitments based on the Doha Agreement and allowing the use of Afghan soil against other countries.

Khawaja Mohammad Asif told Afghanistan International on Friday that after his recent trip to Kabul on February 22 and despite requests from the Afghan Taliban, the attacks of the Tareek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have increased across Pakistan.

He added that most of these attacks had been carried out from inside the territory of Afghanistan and the Taliban must accept the responsibility and fulfil their commitments. He warned that otherwise, Pakistan will have the right to defend its territory.

Asif also mentioned the recent fatwa attributed to Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada in which the Taliban leader has called the war in Pakistan forbidden and said that this fatwa could be "influential".

A member of the Taliban's Supreme Court and head of the group's Dar al-Ifta issued a fatwa on Thursday against the war in Pakistan, saying that the Taliban had pledged in the Doha Agreement not to wage "jihad" abroad. He implied that the leader of the Taliban, too, considered the war in Pakistan illegitimate.

Asif related the reason for the effectiveness of this fatwa to the "several decades of relations" between both the groups and their "joint leadership in the past" and said that "Afghan and Pakistani Taliban have fought many joint wars over several decades”.

Mortazavi held talks with Abdullah Sarhadi, the Taliban governor, in Bamiyan province.

According to the statement of the Taliban governor's office in Bamiyan, during the meeting on Thursday, Mortazavi emphasised that the Islamic Republic will send doctors and specialists to the Iranian-built hospital in Bamiyan. He said that this hospital will provide services not only to the citizens of Bamiyan, but also to the patients of the other provinces of Afghanistan.

The Iranian deputy ambassador discussed dispatching doctors to Afghanistan even though earlier, Mehr news agency had quoted a member of the Islamic Republic of Iran Medical Council (IRIMC) as saying that the medical sector in Iran may be forced to hire dentists from Afghanistan and Pakistan.