Many Deported Refugees From Pakistan Face Security Challenges in Afghanistan, Says UNHCR

The group has said that there is no need to form an inclusive government and the people of Afghanistan are satisfied with the Taliban government.

The Taliban claimed that they had saved Afghans from corrupt and repressive rulers of the previous government and had ended warlordism in Afghanistan.

On November 17, Feridun Sinirlioglu, the UN special coordinator on Afghanistan, presented his assessment report of the situation in Afghanistan to the UN Security Council. The report is described as the road map of interaction with the Taliban.

Sinirlioglu said that the Taliban's adherence to human rights, and a political process for the participation of Afghan political factions can lead to the normalisation of relations between the international community and the Taliban government.

In response, the Taliban said that the group’s government is inclusive and represents various ethnic and religious groups.

The group said, "Any attempt to bring back the failed figures of the past or form a coalition government is contrary to the sacrifices made by the Afghans."

The Taliban had accepted and agreed to "starting an intra-Afghan dialogue" in the Doha agreement with the United States, which led to the withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan. The group had announced that after the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan, it would start a dialogue with Afghan political factions.

Following the fall of Kabul in August 2021, the leaders of prominent Afghan political groups fled the country to the neighbouring countries. They stressed that an inclusive government must be formed in Afghanistan.

The crossing was closed after Pakistan implemented visa requirement for truck drivers at Torkham to visit the country, starting Tuesday.

According to reports, Sarfraz Bugti, Pakistan’s Caretaker Minister of Interior, has emphasised on border security and the passage of people with visas from Afghanistan.

Taliban officials have not yet commented on the matter.

Visa requirements for truck Afghan drivers to enter the country is a new step taken by the Pakistani government.

In recent weeks, the interim government of Pakistan implemented a similar decision at the border between Chaman and Spin Boldak of Kandahar province too. In response to the newly enforced passport and visa policy, thousands of people have initiated a sit-in at the Chaman border on the Pakistani soil.

Meanwhile, Torkham border crossing reopened for businessmen and travellers on September 15 after being closed for nine days.

The Torkham border was closed due to a clash between Pakistani border guards and Taliban fighters.

It also asked the Taliban to implement Islamic Sharia against the people whom the group calls "rebels".

On Sunday, Bakhtar News Agency which is controlled by the Taliban, reported that the sciences academy of the group hosted a programme about "the implementation of hudud and qisas and its role in providing security”.

The participants of the programme have issued a resolution which states that "hudud and qisas should be implemented in public for the admonition of as many people as possible".

Following the takeover of power in August 2021, the Taliban have publicly flogged many people on various charges. The group is accused of using "double standards" against its own people and other citizens.

The Taliban has also been accused of not adhering to principles of a fair trial in the arrest and trial of individuals.

According to the front, two Taliban members were killed, and four others got wounded in the attack.

In a statement, it said that a Taliban vehicle was also destroyed during the attack.

Taliban has not yet commented on the matter.

The group usually does not react to the statements of its opposition fronts and tries to downplay the activities of these fronts.

However, the Taliban has confirmed that over the past two years, it has arrested numerous individuals from various provinces on charges of being members of the Taliban's armed resistance fronts.

In a recent report, AW reveals a troubling increase in offensive online posts aimed at Afghan women, noting a threefold rise over the past two years.

The report, released on Monday, scrutinises around 78,000 posts in Farsi and Pashto languages on the X social media platform. These posts, related to 100 Afghan women activists, underscore a worrying trend of escalating online violence, particularly since the Taliban's ascent to power.

AW's analysis indicates that the majority of the abusive posts originate from low-ranking Taliban and pro-Taliban social media users, though users of other political and ethnic backgrounds are also implicated in such harassment. Francesca Gentile, the project's senior investigator, remarks that social media in Afghanistan has drastically shifted from a platform of social and political expression to one rife with abuse and suppression, especially targeting women.

Women activists, as per the report, face severe online harassment, including receiving pornographic messages and threats of sexual violence and death. One interviewee expressed the stigma attached to women's online presence, saying, "If you are an active woman and have a presence on social media, you are seen as a prostitute.”

The study also sheds light on the profound mental health impact of this online abuse. Many Afghan women, in response to the incessant harassment, have resorted to minimising their social media presence or self-censoring to mitigate backlash and derogatory comments.

Afghan Witness, operating under the umbrella of the Centre for Information Resilience, a UK-based non-profit, is dedicated to documenting human rights abuses, war crimes, and disinformation in regions like Afghanistan, Ukraine, Myanmar, and Sudan.