UN Envoy Advocates For Right To Access Information In Afghanistan On World Radio Day

Radio Television Afghanistan, controlled by the Taliban, reported on Tuesday that the grave had been discovered during the digging of a water storage dam.

Taliban officials have said that a committee has been appointed to investigate the matter.

In November 2022, Taliban had announced the discovery of a mass grave in Kandahar province too.

He added that there have been no attempts by Washington to "normalise" relations with the Taliban currently.

During a press conference, Kirby said that there has been no change in the United States’ policy towards the Taliban.

Till now, no country has recognised the Taliban government, and the international community has said that Taliban's failure to fulfil their commitments, particularly concerning women's rights has been the reason for it.

Over the past two and a half years of their governance, the Taliban has imposed severe restrictions on women's education, participation in society, and employment.

Furthermore, the Taliban has not shown a constructive response to the consistent calls from the region and the global community to establish an inclusive government.

Additionally, various reports from the Security Council indicate that the Taliban has sustained ties with terrorist groups, including Al-Qaeda. Such associations have heightened concerns about the potential use of Afghan territory for activities against other nations.

Alongside fellow guests, he received a warm welcome from the Iranian president and foreign minister.

The Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) has released images from last week's event, showing Fazl Mohammad Haqqani, the Taliban representative in Tehran, meeting Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.

Following the Taliban’s takeover of power, Iran was one of the first countries to maintain close political and economic interactions with the Taliban.

Although Iran has not recognised the Taliban regime yet, on February 28, 2023, it handed over the Afghan embassy in Tehran to the Taliban.

Previously, the Indian Embassy in the United Arab Emirates had invited Badruddin Haqqani, the Taliban's envoy to the Afghan Embassy in the UAE, to participate in the celebration of India's Republic Day.

Indian officials clarified that Haqqani's invitation was issued under the title of the "Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan”.

They also discussed activating the Turgundi-Spin Boldak transit route.

The Taliban’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce announced that the meeting and discussions between the Taliban official and the Kazakh representative on Monday covered the visit of an official delegation and the private sector from Kazakhstan to Kabul, however, didn’t provide further details on the official Kazakh delegation's visit to Kabul.

Kazakhstan has strengthened its trade relations with the Taliban over the past two years. Earlier, the President of Kazakhstan proposed a plan to establish a regional UN center in Almaty to achieve sustainable development goals in Afghanistan and Central Asia.

Additionally, the Taliban's Ministry of Commerce announced in August that the Afghan and Kazakh private sectors signed a trade agreement worth over one hundred million dollars in Astana.

In January, Kazakhstan also removed the Taliban from its list of banned organisations.

Taliban appealed to countries worldwide, especially Islamic nations and human rights organisations, to take action on this matter.

On Monday, the group issued a statement urging countries and international bodies to seek a fundamental solution to the Palestinian issue.

The statement from the Taliban's Foreign Ministry added, "The continuation of genocide in Gaza poses serious questions to the prevailing international order and its values."

The ministry's statement further noted, "This century's genocide will further diminish the already weak credibility of international organisations and humanitarian conventions."

The Taliban's request comes at a time when they are accused of killing former security forces, arbitrarily detaining women and Afghan citizens, and have not demonstrated adherence to international conventions.

The group has also been accused of "gender apartheid" due to the ban on girls' education and the oppression of women.