Taliban’s Representative Participates in Meeting of Ambassadors With Iranian Leader

Muttaqi refuted the Western countries' criticism of the detention and torture of human rights activists by the Taliban and accused the West of double standards with regards to human rights.

He made this statement on Thursday during the graduation ceremony of a three-month course at the Institute of Diplomacy of the group’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He pointed to the killing of thousands of Palestinian lives and said that nothing is being said about Israel's actions. Muttaqi emphasised that there is still no definition of human rights, criticising the imposition of sanctions under the name of human rights on certain nations and governments.

Senior Taliban officials are not allowed to travel due to UN sanctions and the group is under severe international sanctions due to terrorist activities.

The Taliban government has not been recognised and has been isolated for not respecting human rights and having a relationship with terrorist groups.

The Taliban's foreign minister further accused Afghan civil activists of collaborating with Western countries. In justifying their detention, he stated, "Five individuals in Afghanistan, in contact with the West and working for them, have been imprisoned and it is been said that their rights have been violated. If the prisons worldwide are filled with the oppressed, it is not necessarily a violation of human rights."

In the last two years, the Taliban has closed girls' schools and barred women and girls from attending universities. The group has detained and subjected hundreds of civil activists and women's rights defenders to torture.

Experts and human rights organisations said that the Taliban's regressive policies and exclusion of women from societal participation constitute a form of gender apartheid.

On her X social media platform, she wrote that they emphasised on the importance of the role of regional countries in Afghanistan “including maintaining a principled position towards an inclusive government that upholds the rights of Afghan women and men”.

From time to time, the US Special Representative holds meetings with officials from different countries to discuss Afghan issues, particularly the rights of Afghan women. Unfortunately, these efforts have proven fruitless, as the Taliban continues to disregard international calls to respect human rights.

Uzbekistan, similar to other nations, has not recognised the Taliban regime, yet maintains close relations with them.

The Uzbekistan ambassador is based in Kabul, and the Taliban has recently designated its diplomat as the head of the Afghan embassy in Tashkent.

This message stated that the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan under the control of the Taliban is a posing serious threat to the national security of the US.

Biden informed that the Executive Order of February 11, 2022, must continue in effect beyond February 14.

“The widespread humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan — including the urgent needs of the people of Afghanistan for food security, livelihoods support, water, sanitation, health, hygiene, shelter, and settlement assistance, among other basic human needs — and the potential for a deepening economic collapse in Afghanistan continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United State," said Biden in his message.

Following the takeover of power in Afghanistan by the Taliban, more than USD 9 billion of Afghan assets were frozen in European and American banks, of which seven billion dollars are kept in American banks.

On November 21, 2022, the United States established a trust fund in Switzerland to protect this asset and transferred USD 3.5 billion of Afghanistan's foreign exchange reserves to this fund.

The establishment of this fund aims to enhance financial and monetary stability amidst the extensive economic crisis in Afghanistan.

The White House emphasised on the significance of safeguarding Afghanistan's foreign exchange reserves within the financial institutions of the United States, as a crucial step in addressing the national emergency and ensuring the well-being of the Afghan people.

Following the collapse of the previous government in Afghanistan, US is the largest provider of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. The US government said that it has provided Afghanistan more than USD 2 billion in these two years.

Doha meeting hosted by the United Nations is set to be held on February 18 and 19.

Special Envoys of different countries for Afghanistan and international organisations will be among the participants of this meeting.

Earlier, it had been announced that the representatives of Afghan women and civil society, as well as representatives of the Taliban, will also attend the Doha meeting.

The United Nations' selection of representatives for Afghan women and civil society members to invite for the Doha meeting remains unclear. The Taliban has stated that their decision to participate in the Doha meeting will be determined after receiving a clarification regarding the agenda of the meeting from the United Nations.

At the press conference, Niklasson said that the Taliban has a positive outlook towards the Doha meeting and their participation.

However, he added that Taliban officials say that they will decide on their participation if the United Nations provides clarification about the meeting format and proceedings.

Niklasson said that the main purpose of his meeting with Taliban officials was to focus on the Doha meeting, and he discussed various issues, including the composition of the Taliban delegation for the meeting.

He added that during his four days in Kabul, he held discussions with Taliban officials, including the deputy Minister of Interior for Counter-narcotics, about the achievements of the ministry in the fight against narcotics.

He mentioned that in the near future, he is participating in a meeting of representatives from five Central Asian countries in Kyrgyzstan to discuss the fight against drugs in Afghanistan.

In their response, the media outlet questioned why Iran hasn't directed Hezbollah to engage in the conflict or taken direct action against Israel, instead of killing Sunnis in Syria.

Hassan Kazemi Qomi, Iran's Special Representative for Afghanistan, had stated in an interview with a state-controlled Iranian media outlet that, if necessary, more than one army of suicide bombers" will be deployed from Afghanistan to support Gaza.

Qomi considered the Taliban to be part of the "Axis of Resistance" in the region.

Iranian government designates the groups it supports, along with others combating the Western coalition and Israel in the region, as the "Axis of Resistance”.

On Thursday, Al-Mirsaad, a media outlet affiliated with the Taliban intelligence, responded to Kazemi Qomi's statements, saying that "both Iran and Israel are seeking to eliminate the Sunni Arabs in the Gaza Strip”.

It added, "What is Iran doing in Iraq? Who is Iran killing in Syria? What did Iran do in Yemen?”

In a statement published on the Al-Mirsaad website by Nasser Saeed, it has been written, "The matter of Palestine is, in fact, a concern for all Muslim nations and should be collectively addressed. However, Iran's ineffective policies in the Middle East have transformed the region into a significant threat."

This media outlet affiliated with the Taliban further elaborated, "Iran's support for Shia minorities in the area has contributed to their empowerment, leading to increased Iranian influence in the region. Such a policy has adversely impacted relations between Iran and the Gulf countries."

It added that one significant reason for the lack of interest from Arab countries in the Palestinian conflict is the strong relationship between Hamas and Iran.

“It is surprising that the forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran kill Sunnis in Syria and Iraq, destroy their houses and demolish their mosques; [how] they defend Palestine?" expressed Taliban-affiliated media.

It continued stating that Qomi's statements indicate that Afghanistan is a breeding ground for fighters, many of whom they are irresponsible.

Al-Mirsaad added that if Iran revises its failed and biased regional policies, relative security could potentially be established, paving the way for steps toward the creation of an independent Palestine.