NRF Leader’s Presence in Moscow Coaxes Russia To Urge Taliban For An Inclusive Government

The Taliban-controlled Bakhtar news agency reported on Wednesday that senior Taliban officials also participated in the gathering.

While addressing the gathering, Abdul Salam Hanafi, the Taliban’s Deputy Prime Minister, claimed that the group has established absolute security in Afghanistan. Hanafi added, "In the Islamic Emirate, all expenses of government offices are financed from the internal budget of the country."

Continuing to praise the Taliban, he claimed that during the republic era, the affairs of Afghanistan were based on personal and party interests.

So far, no country has recognised the Taliban. One of the main preconditions of the international community is the formation of an inclusive government and respect for human rights in Afghanistan.

In line with these demands, Amnesty International announced on Wednesday that 198,612 people around the world petitioned the Taliban to end human rights violations in Afghanistan.

In this petition, it has been emphasised that two years after the group’s takeover of Afghanistan, the country is on the verge of irreversible destruction.

In addition, Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban's foreign minister, addressed the gathering and said, "We must know that uniting with tyrants and enemies of the homeland and asking them for help is not in anyone's interest."

Muttaqi did not name any person or group, but his statements were made a day after the visit of Ahmad Massoud, the leader of the National Resistance Front, to Moscow. During this trip, Massoud met Sergei Mironov, the leader of the A Just Russia Party, who is also considered an ally of Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia.

During this meeting, Sergei Mironov said that he seeks the formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan and extended a hand of friendship to the National Resistance Front.

However, the foreign minister of the Taliban claimed that no foreign country supports opponents of the group in Afghanistan.

Muttaqi stressed, "Afghanistan's weakness will be detrimental to everyone. It has been promised and assured in international forums that the world will not support the opponents of the current Afghan government.”

The Taliban has held similar meetings many times before to consolidate its power base and gain the support of clerics.

Referring to their petition which had been launched last year, the global rights body on social media platform X stated that Afghans deserve their right to live in freedom, dignity, and equality.

They also called on the Taliban to end human rights violations.

The petition had stated that the Taliban has started a new era of human rights abuse and violations since taking over on August 15, 2021 in Afghanistan.

Amnesty added that the Taliban had also broken their promise of protecting Afghan people’s rights, especially women’s rights, and they have resumed the cycle of violence and committed a litany of human rights abuses and violations with full impunity.

“Thousands of Afghans have been arbitrarily detained, tortured, disappeared, and even killed. Journalists, activists, human rights defenders, artists, academics, religious and ethnic minorities remain at particular risk,” the petition states.

It called on people to sign the petition as human rights in Afghanistan were under attack on all fronts and that it must be stopped.

Rashid said that the Taliban authorities have reasons for preventing Afghan girls and women from pursuing education, but they do not think it is necessary to convey the reasons to the citizens of Afghanistan and the media.

He said that they can only talk about the reasons for depriving Afghans girls and women from their right to education privately.

After two years of closing schools and universities to girls and women, Rashid claimed that the ban was for a "limited” time.

Afghanistan is the only country in the world where the education of women and girls is prevented.

On Tuesday, Rashid was speaking to the students of Paktia University where he said that students have repeatedly asked him about the closure of schools and universities to women and girls. But he emphasised that the Taliban does not want to talk openly about the reasons for closing schools.

He did not explain why Taliban officials are reluctant to explain their views on women's education. Previously, to justify the ban imposed on Afghan girls and women’s higher education, the Minister of Higher Education of the Taliban, said that the female students did not follow the Taliban's regulations regarding clothing and gender segregation.

Abdul Jabbar Takhari, the Taliban Consul in Karachi, said that these prisoners were freed and transferred to Afghanistan from various prisons in Sindh on Tuesday.

According to Takhari, six children were among the Afghan prisoners.

The Taliban official added that so far 2,516 Afghans have been released from Pakistani prisons and transferred to Afghanistan.

Takhari added that the Afghan consulate in the city of Karachi, which is under the control of the Taliban, is also trying to free 300 more Afghan prisoners.

In the past few months, the Pakistani police have arrested hundreds of Afghans who have travelled to the country due to security threats, health reasons, and migration to third countries.

Pakistani officials have said that these Afghan nationals had been arrested due to a lack of legal document issues.

Previously, human rights organisations and activists have expressed concern about the situation of Afghan immigrants in Pakistan.

During a press conference on Monday, Pierre said that the US President has always been very clear about the importance of girls living freely and being able to go to school and seek education.

Pierre added that the US has been very clear in laying out their concerns, such as girls’ education, with the Taliban.

However, Pierre stressed that Washington remains laser-focused on trying to support and assist the Afghan people without bolstering the Taliban.

Referring to the support of US President Joe Biden's administration towards the education of Afghan girls, she said that the US government consistently assesses Washington’s relationship and approach with the Taliban.

For more than 700 days, the Taliban have deprived Afghan girls and women of the right to education in Afghanistan.