UN Special Coordinator Asserts No Desire for Taliban Government Collapse

The network asserts that the United Nations should convene the Doha meeting with the aim of dismantling the Taliban government.

This call comes as the second United Nations meeting on Afghanistan in Doha, Qatar, is set to occur in less than two weeks. The Afghanistan Women's Political Network, a prominent women's protest movement, has issued a statement highlighting the necessity of focusing on the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan during the meeting.

Since the Taliban regained power, the network's statement notes that over 52 written and numerous oral decrees have been issued against Afghan women. The network stresses that women and girls in Afghanistan have been stripped of all their rights.

The network's expectations from the Doha meeting include ensuring the safety of women and girls, enhancing education and health, promoting gender equality, and strengthening civil society institutions in Afghanistan.

To realize these goals, the Afghanistan Women's Political Network calls for increased international pressure on the Taliban and urges the global community to withdraw economic support from the regime.

Previously, Afghan women activists sent an open letter to the United Nations, requesting the inclusion of women's representatives in the Doha meeting. The meeting, hosted by the UN, will see the participation of special representatives from countries with envoys in Afghanistan. The Taliban have been invited to the meeting, but they will decide on their participation after further information on the meeting's agenda and attendees.

They mentioned that traders would benefit from tax discounts at key ports and borders, including Chabahar, Bandar Abbas, and Turkey.

Bakhtar News Agency, under Taliban control, reported on Tuesday that this railway route is anticipated to ferry around 100,000 tonnes of commercial goods and approximately 100,000 passengers in its inaugural year.

However, the Taliban forecasts suggest a significant increase in the route's capacity, potentially transporting over 500,000 tonnes of goods annually within five years.

Officials also stated the commencement of passenger services on the railway route in April. About 400 Taliban security forces will be deployed at four strategic posts along the route for security.

The officials also pointed to the ongoing expansion project of the Torgundi railway extending to Rabat Paryan, covering 113 kilometres.

The Herat-Khaf railway, inaugurated in October 2022 in a joint event by the Islamic Republic and the Taliban, measures 226 kilometres, links Afghanistan to Iran's railway network. The railway stretches 77 kilometres within Iran and 149 kilometres across Afghanistan.

Ya'qub Ali Nazari, Governor of Khorasan Razavi in Iran, highlighted the railway's substantial annual cargo capacity of approximately six million tonnes, which is pivotal for export and transit development with China and Central Asia.

He highlighted that the US engagement with the Taliban is primarily centered on human rights issues and the reinstatement of girls' education.

Responding to journalist Marzia Hosseini from Afghanistan International, Patel underscored that any normalisation of relations with the Taliban hinges on their respect for the rights of all Afghan citizens.

This statement coincides with the recent acceptance of the Taliban ambassador's credentials by the President of China. Concurrently, Voice of America's English section reported, while referring to an official document, that the US State Department is contemplating the reactivation of its consular services in Kabul.

Patel affirmed the US’ ongoing commitment to engaging with the Taliban and Afghans abroad while maintaining pressure on the Taliban to change their discriminatory policies.

The US government has notably abstained from official interactions and talks with major Afghan opposition groups, such as the National Resistance Front and the National Resistance Council for Salvation of Afghanistan, over the past two years. This stance persists even as these opposition factions seek international support, including from the US, for their political endeavours against the Taliban regime.

The Taliban are yet to decide on their participation, pending a better understanding of the meeting's agenda and participant lineup, as per the ministry's statement.

During Monday's dialogue, as relayed by the Taliban's Foreign Ministry citing Feridun Sinirlioğlu, there is a consensus on the Taliban's participation in the Doha meeting.

The Doha gathering is designed for thorough engagement with Afghanistan, facilitating an ongoing dialogue process, as highlighted by the UN Special Coordinator.

Muttaqi, in his capacity as the Foreign Minister, emphasised on the redundancy of appointing another UN special representative, given UNAMA's active involvement in Afghanistan.

In the ministry's release, Sinirlioğlu's independent propositions included bolstering diplomatic presences in Kabul, removing sanctions on the Afghan central bank, and launching development and technical assistance for Afghanistan.

The anticipated Doha meeting, set for February 19 and 20, has invited diverse participants to discuss Afghanistan's future.

Despite the Taliban's acknowledgment of an invitation to this meeting, opposition groups have expressed discontent over the UN's lack of consultation with them.

Moreover, an open letter from Afghan women activists to the UN calls for the inclusion of female representatives at the Doha meeting.

The agency stated that drug production continues in underground laboratories within Afghanistan.

Russian news agency TASS, citing the agency on Monday, reported that drugs produced in Afghanistan are being trafficked to Tajikistan and then, to other countries.

According to the report, more than 2.5 tonnes of illegal substances were seized in 2023 in areas of Tajikistan bordering Afghanistan.

TASS added that this amount of drugs constitutes more than half of the total drugs seized in Tajikistan last year.

The report also mentions that Tajikistan has no information on the Taliban's measures against drug production and trafficking. This is despite Taliban officials claiming effective implementation of a ban on drug cultivation and production in Afghanistan.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) had reported a 95% reduction in poppy cultivation and opium production in Afghanistan. However, the UN noted an increase in the production of industrial drugs, especially methamphetamine, in Afghanistan under Taliban rule.

Iranian officials have also previously stated that despite the ban on opium and poppy cultivation in Afghanistan, drug production and trafficking from Afghanistan to Iran have not decreased.