Kyrgyzstan’s Minister of Economy & Commerce in Kabul to Discuss Trade

Jan 25, 2024, 10:07 GMT

Daniyar Amangeldiev, Kyrgyzstan’s Minister of Economy and Commerce, arrived in Kabul on Wednesday along with a delegation and met Taliban’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.

The Taliban's Foreign Ministry said that economic relations between Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan were discussed in this meeting.

In a statement released by the Taliban's Foreign Ministry, Muttaqi expressed appreciation for Kyrgyzstan's policy towards Afghanistan and conveyed their desire to enhance trade relations between the two nations.

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Pak Army Chief's Stance: 'Safety of Pakistanis Over Whole of Afghanistan'

Jan 25, 2024, 09:33 GMT

General Asim Munir, the Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan, has emphasised the importance of Pakistani lives over the entirety of Afghanistan.

As reported by Express Tribune, in a session with university students, General Munir stated, "When it comes to the safety and security of every single Pakistani, the whole of Afghanistan can be damned."

General Munir highlighted that the well-being of Pakistani citizens takes precedence over Afghanistan's situation. He claimed that Pakistan had been providing sustenance for five million Afghan citizens for over 50 years.

The General asserted the Pakistani Army's commitment to pursuing anyone who threatens Pakistanis. He accused Afghanistan of long-standing support for the Balochistan insurgency and lack of amicable relations with Pakistan. General Munir criticised the general public's ignorance of history, referring to Afghanistan's opposition to Pakistan joining the United Nations after its independence from India.

These comments indicate Pakistani officials' deep-seated dissatisfaction with the Taliban. The relationship between Islamabad and the Taliban-led Kabul has soured due to increasing security concerns in Pakistan.

Official figures show a marked increase in insecurity in Pakistan since the Taliban's ascent in Afghanistan. Pakistani authorities allege that the Taliban provides sanctuary and resources to militant groups opposed to the Pakistani government, like the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and implicate them in recent attacks on Pakistani security forces.

Taliban spokespersons have consistently refuted these accusations, suggesting that Islamabad is blaming the Taliban for its own security lapses.

Human Rights Organisations Investigate Taliban's Arrest of Women and Girls

Jan 24, 2024, 16:39 GMT

Information obtained by Afghanistan International indicates that several human rights organisations are conducting investigations into the Taliban's extensive detention of girls for breaching the group's dress code.

Notable international bodies, such as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights for Afghanistan, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International, are leading these inquiries.

These investigations are centred on the number of girls detained, their arrest methods and conditions, where they are being held, and the events following their detention. The Taliban's Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has recently arrested a significant number of girls and women in various cities, including Kabul and Daikundi, for not adhering to the group's dress standards.

The Taliban's actions have met widespread international criticism. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) highlighted that the Taliban's arrests have primarily targeted women and girls in Hazara and Tajik-populated areas of Kabul.

Earlier the Taliban issued a directive warning that failure to comply with its dress code would result in punishment and potential imprisonment of female relatives. Human Rights Watch has underscored the continued violations of women's and girls' rights into 2023, with Afghanistan being the only country where they are denied access to secondary and higher education and barred from most jobs in both the public and private sectors.

According to these human rights organisations, the pattern of abuse against women and girls in Afghanistan constitutes gender-based crimes against humanity.

Uzbekistan & Pakistan Envoys Discuss Afghanistan

Jan 24, 2024, 15:12 GMT

Ismatullah Irgashev and Asif Durrani, the special representatives of Uzbekistan and Pakistan for Afghanistan affairs, discussed the situation in Afghanistan.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan stated that both sides discussed transportation projects and expanding cooperation with Afghanistan in the meeting.

In a statement, Uzbekistan’s foreign ministry wrote that the meeting took place on Tuesday.

Based on the statement, both countries are interested in developing cooperation to solve the humanitarian crisis and promote the development of peace in Afghanistan.

As per the statement, the meeting addressed the progress of ongoing transportation projects in Afghanistan, with a focus on the construction of the Termez-Mazar-Sharif-Kabul-Peshawar railway.

This project begins from Termez in Uzbekistan and continues through Mazar-e-Sharif and Kabul in Afghanistan to Peshawar, Pakistan.

The construction roadmap for this railway route was signed in Tashkent in February 2021 by officials representing the three countries at that time.

According to this statement, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, and the international community have always emphasised on improving the current situation in Afghanistan and expanding cooperation.

NRF Targets Taliban’s Military Vehicle In Parwan Province

Jan 24, 2024, 13:48 GMT

The National Resistance Front (NRF) reported the destruction of a Taliban military vehicle using a roadside mine at the northern gate of Charikar city, the capital of Parwan province.

According to the Front, the operation resulted in the death of one Taliban fighter, with three others wounded.

In a statement on Wednesday, NRF stated that the forces of the front remained unharmed in this operation.

So far, the Taliban has not responded to the NRF’s claim.

As per the NRF statement, the forces of the front are planning and implementing targeted operations in different regions of the country to liberate the people and the country from the rule of the Taliban.

Recently, in response to the UNAMA report on the human rights situation in Afghanistan, NRF had said that the actions of the Taliban against the people of Afghanistan, especially women, will not go unanswered.

Earlier, on January 21, the front reported the killing and wounding of nine Taliban members in Nuristan province.

Recently, NRF published a report claiming that it has killed 128 Taliban members over a span of six months through a series of 90 attacks.

UN Envoy Urges Taliban To Lift Ban On Afghan Girls' Education

Jan 24, 2024, 12:42 GMT

On World Education Day, Roza Otunbayeva, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Afghanistan and Head of UNAMA, reiterated her call for the Taliban to end their ban on education for Afghan girls.

Otunbayeva stated that the ban on education inflicts harm on the entire Afghan population.

In her statement, Otunbayeva highlighted that the demand for the reopening of schools for girls extends beyond Western nations, with significant voices from the Muslim world, including the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, echoing this call.

She underscored the Taliban's responsibility to safeguard and promote the rights of all individuals, irrespective of gender, asserting that their current policies only serve to further isolate Afghanistan. Otunbayeva stressed the critical role of education in fostering societal prosperity and peace, deeming it not just a moral obligation but also essential for future stability and growth.

Addressing Afghan girls and women, Otunbayeva assured them of the UN's support. Additionally, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees stated on X social media platform that they continue to support the education of both boys and girls in Afghanistan. Despite ongoing challenges, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees views education as a vital source of hope for the Afghan community.

The Taliban's prohibition on education for girls above sixth grade and university attendance for girls has now exceeded 850 days, marking a significant regression in the nation's educational and social development.