Iranian and Indian Officials Discuss Regional Contact Group on Afghanistan

Nabil indicated that there are reports that a group within the Taliban assesses how to acquire tactical nuclear weapons. He stressed the Taliban could seek these weapons through Pakistan or by hiring scientists.

Nabil also emphasised the divergent global perspectives on Afghanistan, with some viewing it as a problematic "black hole" and others as an opportunity. He stressed the need for consensus to guide Afghanistan back to its people.

The dialogue, which commenced on Monday in Tajikistan, attracted various anti-Taliban figures, experts, and politicians.

Rangin Dadfar Spanta, ex-National Security Adviser during Hamid Karzai's presidency, urged the U.S. and NATO to acknowledge their failures in Afghanistan. He advocated for international efforts to alter Afghanistan's current trajectory.

Spanta lauded the endeavours of Afghan women for human rights and democracy, terming them as a remarkable representation of the Afghan people's strive for liberty and justice.

He attributed the Taliban's return to power to the inefficiencies of the former Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and shifts in the global order.

Spanta highlighted ongoing issues in Afghanistan, including the absence of rule of law and socio-economic disparities.

He also commented on a recent United Nations report, acknowledging its significance while criticising the UN special coordinator for Afghanistan, Feridun Sinirlioglu, for seemingly downplaying the Taliban's actions. Spanta believed that while the report contains useful insights for resolving the Afghan conflict, it should not gloss over the Taliban's conduct.

This move, as reported by Dawn, a leading Pakistani newspaper, is intended to prevent the misclassification of Pakistani nationals as "Afghan deportees."

Dawn's sources at the Taliban's mission in Pakistan reveal that since this policy's implementation last Friday, there have been no deportations to Afghanistan from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The Taliban contends that, under the guise of deporting undocumented immigrants, Pakistani police have erroneously sent Pakistani citizens to Afghanistan.

When these individuals were sent back to Pakistan, Taliban diplomatic sources reported that Pakistani authorities rejected their re-entry. This issue is part of broader disagreements between the Taliban and Pakistan regarding the deportation of nearly two million migrants lacking legal documentation.

The Taliban has accused the Pakistani government of confiscating immigrants' belongings and not allowing sufficient time for them to retrieve these items before deportation. In contrast, Pakistani authorities have dismissed these accusations as unfounded, stating that comprehensive records, including photographs and fingerprints, have been taken of all deported individuals for future reference.

Pakistani officials further assert that the Taliban's new requirement for consulate verification will slow the deportation process, potentially prolonging the detention of these immigrants in Pakistan.

Previously, Karimi worked as the deputy spokesperson of the Taliban. The Taliban has not publicly announced the appointment of Karimi as the group’s ambassador to China.

Sources from the Taliban's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kabul confirmed to Afghanistan International on Saturday that Bilal Karimi has arrived in Beijing and is set to fill in the position of Taliban’s ambassador.

Bilal Karimi was a member of the Cultural Commission of the Taliban before the group’s takeover of power in August 2021. He was later appointed as the deputy spokesperson of the group.

China has not yet recognised the Taliban government, but has close commercial and political relations with this group.

Earlier, Beijing appointed a new ambassador for Afghanistan who in Kabul, handed over his credentials to Mullah Hassan Akhund, the prime minister of the Taliban.

After the collapse of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, China was one of the first countries after Pakistan and Russia to accept Taliban diplomats.

The views of human rights activists, politicians, artists, politicians, and teachers are supposed to be reflected in this campaign.

Amnesty International is urging all human rights activists, protestors, and various groups to send messages of solidarity and support for Afghan women and girls in the period starting from November 25 to December 10. Afghan women and girls are encouraged to share their experiences using the hashtags provided by the rights organisation.

On X social media platform, the organisation stated, "Today as we launch the #16DaysOfActivism, we will feature messages from human rights defenders, activists, protestors, artists, politicians, and teachers.”

Amnesty International requested that the following hashtags be used in sharing messages: #speakupforafghanwomen, #16DaysOfActivismAgainstGenderBasedViolence, #16DaysOfActivism.

On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, Samar told Afghanistan International that the interest issue has caused the international community to show flexibility to the Taliban.

In an exclusive interview with Radio Afghanistan International, she added that the Taliban has deprived women in Afghanistan of all their rights and emphasised that it is unprecedented in the world.

Samar said that, although Afghan women's rights have not been mentioned in the Doha Agreement, the UN Security Council, which positions itself as a global advocate for human rights, has approved the agreement.

The Doha Agreement was signed on February 29, 2020, between representatives of the Taliban and the United States in Qatar. A few weeks later, by passing a resolution, the UN Security Council endorsed the agreement and the joint declaration between the government of Afghanistan and the United States, which was signed at the same time in Kabul.

A section of the Doha Agreement, states that the United States will request the recognition and approval of the agreement by the United Nations Security Council.

Samar added that families of the Taliban send group members to religious schools for various reasons, including poverty. She said that a majority of the Taliban members did not experience the love and affection of a mother during their childhood.

She expressed concerns that, due to the deprivation of mothers' affections, the Taliban may lack respect for women, including their own mothers.

Samar said that the Taliban are now forcing people to send their children to religious schools. A place where, according to her, "there is free bread, but children are brainwashed”.