Taliban Detains Four Alleged NRF Affiliates In Kabul

In an interview with Afghanistan International, Ismail Khan, known for his anti-Taliban stance, remarked that the leadership phase of Atta Mohammad Noor, former Balkh governor, and Salahuddin Rabbani, former foreign minister, has concluded.

Despite this, Ismail Khan asserted that there are no internal disputes among Jamiat-e-Islami members. He attributed the Taliban's return to power to a deal with the US and commented on the diplomatic relations between Iran and the Taliban, noting that Tehran, like other countries, maintains connections with the group.

Khan also highlighted the significance of the recent Moscow meeting, which he sees as the beginning of a unifying effort among Taliban opponents to address Afghanistan's challenges. This meeting, which took place on 23 November, saw the attendance of various anti-Taliban figures, including Ahmad Massoud leader of the National Resistance Front, and Russian officials.

Reflecting on the fall of Herat city to the Taliban, Ismail Khan provided insights into its collapse. In the days leading to the Afghan government's downfall, he led an anti-Taliban resistance front in western Afghanistan until his capture by the Taliban, after which he moved to Iran under an agreement with the group.

Khan has seldom spoken about the reasons behind Herat's fall in the past two years. He accused key government officials, such as the Deputy Interior Minister, the Herat police chief, the Army Corps commander, and the provincial Intelligence Director, of surrendering Herat to the Taliban.

He recalled requesting support from government and military leaders to defend the city, only to find them lacking the will to fight and prepared to surrender. Khan recounted calling for an operation against the Taliban advance, but senior security officials, he claimed, chose to abandon their military duties in readiness for surrender.

During a meeting on Wednesday, Kakar requested a five-day period to convey their demands to the Pakistani authorities in Islamabad.

This dialogue occurred following a 41-day sit-in protest in the Chaman region, situated along the Afghanistan border. Imdadullah, a protester present at the meeting, labelled the talks with the Balochistan governor as positive.

As of Thursday, the sit-in protest has reached its 42nd day, with demonstrators continuing to oppose the visa-free travel ban at the border crossings between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Ghawsullah, leader of the "Laghri" workers' union in Chaman, warned that if their demands are unmet, they will cease tax payments to the Pakistani government.

The interim government under Prime Minister Anwar ul Haq Kakar has made significant policy changes regarding border issues and migrants. One of the key decisions by his interim cabinet was setting a November 1 deadline for over 1.7 million Afghan refugees to exit Pakistan. This decision led the Ministry of Interior to initiate a large-scale operation to detain and deport these refugees forcefully.

Additionally, the government has decided to enforce a "single document system" for border crossings between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Under the new policy, travellers are required to use passports and visas exclusively, effectively ending the era of crossing borders with other documents like national identity cards.

The NRF detailed that these attacks targeted the Taliban police command headquarters in Badakhshan and a Taliban outpost in Kunduz.

As of now, Taliban officials have not issued a response to the NRF's statement. The NRF declared that these strikes were executed on Wednesday night.

Emphasising their objective to terminate Taliban rule, the NRF stated its commitment to continuing its attacks against the group in various regions.

According to Mamundzay, India's strategy included supporting individuals with direct Taliban links. He highlighted that Afghan consuls in Mumbai and Hyderabad are pro-Taliban.

In a Bloomberg interview, Mamundzay noted a recent strengthening in India-Taliban relations. He claimed that many diplomats from the previous Afghan administration have departed, leaving behind those who favour the Taliban and maintain contact with its foreign ministry.

India's foreign ministry has not commented on these assertions.

Mamundzay also told Bloomberg that Afghan Consul Generals Zakia Wardak in Mumbai, Syed Mohammad Ibrahimkhil in Hyderabad, and Mohammad Qadir Shah, the commercial consul at the Afghan embassy in India, back the Taliban regime.

The motives behind India's apparent warming towards the Taliban remain speculative. It's suggested that India aims to safeguard its Afghan investments and retain influence in the region.

India resumed its Kabul embassy operations last year, focusing on humanitarian aid, including food and medicine distribution. However, consular services like visa issuance for Afghans are still suspended.

In recent developments, the Taliban has assumed control over some Afghan diplomatic missions in India. Sher Mohammad Abbas Stankzai, the Taliban's Deputy Foreign Minister, confirmed ongoing operations of their Mumbai and Hyderabad consulates and impending reopening of the recently shut Delhi embassy.

The organisation said that Pakistani authorities have committed widespread abuses against Afghan migrants.

Recently, the Taliban consulate in Karachi reported the kidnapping of an Afghan immigrant girl by a "Pakistani military member".

HRW reported that Pakistani police and other authorities, alongside conducting mass arrests and confiscating the property and assets of Afghan immigrants, also destroyed the identity documents of thousands of Afghan migrants. The organisation added that Pakistani authorities are compelling them to return to Afghanistan through widespread abuses against Afghan immigrants.

On Tuesday, this human rights organisation wrote that since mid-September 2023, Pakistani authorities have deported over 400,000 Afghan migrants.

Elaine Pearson, HRW Asia Director, said, “Pakistani officials have created a coercive environment for Afghans to force them to return to life-threatening conditions in Afghanistan.”

She urged the Pakistani authorities to cease the mistreatment of immigrants and provide Afghans who are at risk the opportunity to stay in Pakistan.

Human rights activists and journalists reported that the Pakistani government's mistreatment was part of a campaign to force Afghan migrants to leave the country. They say that the police have beaten, threatened, and detained Afghan immigrants.

HRW stated that the Pakistani police also demanded bribes and confiscated jewellery, livestock and other property and destroyed their houses with bulldozers.

The organisation stated that among those deported or compelled to leave Pakistan are Afghans who were born in Pakistan and have never resided in Afghanistan.

HRW also said that Afghans, including women and girls, human rights defenders, journalists and former government employees who fled following the takeover power by Taliban, are at risk of persecution.

According to reports, Pakistani officials have allegedly compelled Afghans waiting for resettlement in the United States, the United Kingdom, and other countries, who couldn't renew their visas, to pay an exit fee of USD 830.

According to HRW, the forced deportations of Afghan refugees violate Pakistan's obligations as a party to the United Nations Convention Against Torture and under the customary international law principle of nonrefoulment.

Elaine Pearson urged countries that have promised to resettling Afghans at risk to expedite the processes while pressuring on Pakistan to fulfil its human rights obligations.