Haqqani Issues Warning To Countries Supporting Taliban Opponents

Afghanistan International had access to an early draft of this joint statement, which outlined the groups' collective dissent against the Taliban's invitation to the Doha gathering.

Released on Thursday, the document critiques the current situation in Afghanistan under the Taliban rule, spotlighting issues such as "the denial of fundamental rights, war crimes, abductions, torture, killing of women and former government associates, imposition of gender apartheid, acts of genocide, forced migrations, and the appropriation of properties of native populations across different regions of Afghanistan, alongside the cultural antagonism" and the Taliban's backing of terrorist organisations.

The political entities assert that extending invitations to the Taliban for international forums would only embolden their violent conduct.

They have urged the United Nations to ensure the inclusion of all significant Afghan political sides in the Doha meeting, aiming to pave the way for "establishing a government that reflects the people's will”, through a comprehensive national process.

The statement highlights the critical nature of continuing humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, distinguishing between “humanitarian assistance for the needy and economic interactions with the Taliban group”.

Furthermore, the statement calls for a halt to any political or diplomatic engagements with the Taliban without the representation of the Afghan populace, echoing the demands of political groups and the general public for consideration at the Doha meeting.

The anti-Taliban factions and protesting women in the statement convey that "collaborating with the Taliban would not serve the Afghan people's interests and would instead stir the group further away from humanitarian principles."

These groups have also announced their readiness to collaborate with the UN's special envoy to Afghanistan, with an anticipation for a decision regarding this envoy's appointment at the Doha meeting.

Signatories of this statement include the Afghanistan Freedom Front, National Resistance Front, women's protest movements, Islamic Unity Party, National Resistance Council for Salvation of Afghanistan, Islamic Party, Jamiat-e-Islami, National Islamic Movement Party, Dawat-e-Isalmi, and the Islamic Unity Party of the People of Afghanistan, among others.

The Justice and Freedom Party, the Greater Eastern Council, the Greater Kandahar Council, the Greater Northern Council, the Process for Protecting the Values of Jihad and Resistance of the People of Afghanistan, and the People's Solidarity Party of Afghanistan have also endorsed this statement.

Scheduled for February 18, and 19, the Doha meeting on Afghanistan, under the auspices of UN Secretary-General António Guterres, will witness participation from special representatives of over 20 countries.

Stéphane Dujarric, the Secretary-General's spokesperson, affirmed the UN's objective to foster a unified strategy towards engaging with the Taliban at the Doha meeting.

This council said that the Taliban forcibly took away people's sources of income and forced the residents to migrate.

The council, which is a newly established orgnisation consisting of activists from Panjshir province, published an investigative report on Wednesday stating that these private and public places have been usurped by high-ranking Taliban officials.

As per the report, a significant number of residential houses equipped with living amenities and vehicles have been taken over by high-ranking Taliban officials, who now reside in them alongside their families. Additionally, there are reports indicating that some of these houses have been transformed into military bases by Taliban authorities.

It added that there are more than 21,000 members of the Taliban in Panjshir, who are "harassing" the residents of this province.

According to the council, the Taliban has taken control of mosques, schools, and drinking water sources, along with residential properties. Moreover, the group has established security bases throughout various areas in the province and constructed public roads using fertile lands owned by the local population.

Two significant explosions were reported around 1:30am on Wednesday in the Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari and Fars provinces.

The blasts occurred at Halvaei Pass in Borujen, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, and Tang-e Ghaderabad in Khorrambid, located in Safashahr, Fars province.

No other details about the Salafi group's identity have been disclosed by Iran International.

Media reports and official statements in Iran highlight that the explosions led to the disruption of gas supply to dozens of villages, with gas distribution to state offices and industries being limited in both provinces.

Information obtained by Iran International suggests that the gas transmission line explosions were a result of deliberate sabotage.

Following the incidents, a notice from the Isfahan Gas Company informed Isfahan residents of an imminent nationwide gas outage, with an unspecified restoration time. The notice also recommended that people should stock up on food, water, and heating supplies.

Subsequently, a clarification message discredited the initial notice, reassuring residents that the gas supply and distribution faced no specific issues.

The CEO of the Isfahan Gas Company later declared the circulated outage notice to be a forgery during an interview.

Sa’id Agheli, director of Iran's Gas Network Operation Centre, characterised the explosions as "terrorist sabotage acts”.

As reported by Fars News Agency, the targeted pipeline is a critical conduit for natural gas from the Persian Gulf refineries to major cities like Tehran, Isfahan, and Mashhad.

The aftermath of the explosions included prolonged road closures near the sites and caused residents of adjacent villages to spend hours outdoors in fear.

The blasts were so powerful that the sound and the flames could be observed up to a 60-kilometre radius, leaving dozens of villages without gas supply.

He said that he will protest against the election results.

During a press conference in Islamabad on Wednesday, Fazal-ur-Rehman said that the defeat of his party was a result of fraud ordered by "international anti-Islamic powers".

He accused the United States and Israel of opposing his efforts to improve relations between the Taliban and Pakistan and preventing his victory.

Rehman said, "Our crime is that we played a role in the stability of the Islamic Emirate in Afghanistan and worked for peaceful relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam has supported the position of Hamas against Israel's state terrorism."

At the same time, in an interview with "Hum News" news channel, he also accused the Pakistan Army of interfering in the elections.

He declared his refusal to accept the election results, announcing a demonstration against the outcome in response to his party, Jamiat Ulama, securing only four seats in the elections.

Rehman, who was a candidate for the National Assembly from Dera Ismail Khan constituency, lost to Ali Amin Gandapur, an independent candidate affiliated with the Tehreek-e-Insaf party.

During his press conference, Rehman also said that bribes were taken from both successful and unsuccessful candidates during the February 8 elections.

Andrei Serdyukov, Chief of CSTO Joint Staff, added that the training camps of these groups have expanded in northern Afghanistan.

The Russian news agency, TASS, reported that Serdyukov made these remarks during a press conference on Wednesday.

"The main threat to the stability in Central Asia comes from international terrorist and extremist organisations, namely the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda and others," Serdyukov said.

He also added that in particular, an increase in the number of fighters of ISIS and TTP has been recorded near the southern border of Tajikistan.

According to him, the increase in the flow of immigration due to the suppression of ethnic and religious minorities along with the economic crisis in Afghanistan may contribute to the deterioration of the situation.

This CSTO official also stated that uncontrolled drug trafficking and illegal distribution of weapons had a negative impact on the crime situation in the region.

Recently, the United Nations Security Council had published a report which stated that the Taliban's relationship with Al-Qaeda is still close. It stated that Al-Qaeda has established four bases in Ghazni, Laghman, Parwan and Uruzgan provinces.

This report was denied by the Taliban.

The Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) is a military alliance comprising six member countries: Russia, Tajikistan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. It was established in 1992, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union.