Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, expressing concern about the situation of women in Afghanistan, announced that the Taliban has issued over 50 edicts to suppress women and girls’ rights.
Guterres added that the world is going through turbulent times, and women and girls are facing severe hardships.
In his speech on Tuesday at the 68th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, he emphasised on the improvement of the situation of women, especially in conflict-affected countries.
The Commission on the Status of Women of the United Nations is the largest global gathering on the status of women, held annually at the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York.
The Taliban government, known for its extensive restrictions on women and recognised for its anti-women stance worldwide, has consistently rejected the global community's requests, especially from Islamic countries, to change its edicts.
During the nearly three years of Taliban rule, women have been deprived of many basic rights, including education, employment, sports, travel, and even going to parks.
Women's rights activists have repeatedly called for the recognition of "gender apartheid" in Afghanistan under the Taliban control.
On Sunday, the UN Women's Office expressed concern in a note on its social media account that restrictions on women in Afghanistan are becoming normalised.
Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA), under the control of Taliban, reported that Ubaidur Rehman Nizamani, the Pakistani Ambassador to Afghanistan, travelled to Kandahar and met Mullah Shirin Akhund, the governor of the group for the province.
Mullah Shirin is close to Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban leader. Last year, he was appointed as the governor of Taliban in Kandahar province in a decree attributed to the group’s leader.
A few months after the appointment, he travelled to Pakistan. Earlier, he had served as the deputy of intelligence for Taliban’s Ministry of Defence.
According to the RTA, in the meeting with Nizamani, Mullah Shirin congratulated him for the recent elections in Pakistan.
It has been reported that the Taliban’s governor and the Pakistani Ambassador discussed strengthening bilateral relations during the meeting.
The purpose of this Pakistani diplomat's trip to Kandahar has not been disclosed, and it is unclear if he met with the Taliban leader or not.
However, RTA reported that Nizamani is expected to go to Pakistan following his visit to Kandahar and meet the Foreign Minister and the new officials of his country.
According to US intelligence agencies, the potential for significant resistance against the Taliban appears dim, largely because a major portion of the Afghan population is exhausted by ongoing conflicts and the Taliban's punitive actions.
Furthermore, the report highlights that the factions opposing the Taliban are struggling due to a lack of strong leadership and international support.
The annual assessment of threats to US national security, released on Monday, notes that the Taliban has consolidated its power in Afghanistan and effectively quelled opposition forces.
Since assuming control in August 2021, at least two anti-Taliban military groups have initiated operations against the regime, particularly focusing on the country's northern areas.
These groups, namely the Afghanistan Freedom Front and the National Resistance Front, sporadically report on their guerrilla tactics against the Taliban. Despite their efforts, the Taliban has managed to eliminate key members and commanders of these groups, branding them as rebels.
Ahmad Massoud, who leads the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan, has been actively engaging in international discussions, participating in meetings in cities like Moscow and Vienna to garner support.
Earlier, in a notable announcement, the Afghanistan Freedom Front claimed responsibility for the deaths of 592 Taliban members and the injury of 699 others over the past two years, showcasing their ongoing resistance.
Despite these efforts, the US intelligence report indicates that the Taliban regime has not only suppressed opposition, but also enhanced its diplomatic engagements globally. However, the report criticises the regime's neglect of Afghanistan's dire humanitarian and economic situation.
The intelligence agencies criticise the Taliban's stringent policies, including the ban on girls' education and the public punishment of dissenters, which continue to suppress basic freedoms and rights.
The international stance, as per the report, remains cautious, with regional powers focusing on containing Afghanistan's issues within its borders while carefully navigating their relationships with the Taliban.
The report also warns of the ISIS-Khorasan's intentions to destabilise the region by targeting foreign interests in Afghanistan, thereby challenging the Taliban's legitimacy.
Despite the Taliban's claims of having subdued ISIS in Afghanistan, the latter has been responsible for numerous attacks, including a significant assault on the Russian embassy in Kabul.
ISIS has not only targeted foreign entities, but also perpetrated attacks against ethnic Hazaras and Shiites, underscoring the persistent threat it poses in the region.
A recent UN Security Council report corroborates the ongoing threat of ISIS in Afghanistan, contradicting the Taliban's assertions of victory over the group, and highlighting the continued instability in the region.
Amnesty International has called on people to write letters to the head of the Taliban Intelligence for the release of women's rights activist, Manizha Seddiqi, and two Afghan girls' education activists, Seddiqullah Afghan and Ahmad Fahim Ahmadi.
On Tuesday, Amnesty International stated that these three Afghan activists have been arbitrarily detained by the Taliban.
The organisation emphasised that the Taliban has no evidence against them, but continues to hold them in detention.
In this latest initiative, Amnesty International aims to intensify domestic pressure on the Taliban, in order to ensure the freedom of these activists. The organisation has urged the public to participate in the campaign, advocating for the prompt and unconditional release of the activists.
Ahmad Fahim Ahmadi and Seddiqullah Afghan, who worked with the "Fekr Behtar" organisation, were arrested by Taliban intelligence forces on October 17, 2023 from their office in the Kart-e-Char area of Kabul. They were held in the custody of the Taliban's intelligence for 72 days, and later, the Taliban transferred them to Pul-e-Charkhi prison.
Amnesty International has stated that the Taliban detained these two individuals on charges of initiating protests, encouraging women to participate in demonstrations, and collaborating with the girls' robotics team to leave the country.
Manizha Seddiqi, a member of the Spontaneous Movement of Afghan Women, was forcibly taken by Taliban intelligence forces on October 9, 2023, and later transferred to the Pul-e-Charkhi prison.
Amnesty International claims that these individuals have been detained on fabricated charges, and they have not been given the right to a fair trial.
The National Resistance Front (NRF) announced on Monday that it has attacked a Taliban base in the 17th police district of Kabul, killing a Taliban member and injuring two others.
The Front has claimed that its forces have not suffered any casualties in the operation.
In a statement on X social media platform, NRF stated that it will continue its attacks against the Taliban.
Over the past week, the National Resistance Front has carried out several attacks on Taliban positions in Taleqan, Parwan, Herat, and Takhar. According to the front, multiple Taliban members were killed and injured in these operations.
Following the release of a note from the US Embassy regarding the support of certain Afghan civil activists in Istanbul for "engagement with the Taliban," some of them expressed their disagreement with Karen Decker's approach.
One participant in this meeting emphasised that they insisted that the Taliban "do not believe in dialogue”.
Faraidoon Elham, former deputy director of Administrative Office of President, present at the session, told Afghanistan International on a call, that civil activists who met with Decker in Istanbul explicitly stated that the Taliban had shown over the past two and a half years that they do not believe in dialogue.
Elham added that the last Doha meeting indicated the Taliban's fear of even encountering four Afghan civil activists.
Referring to the establishment of thousands of religious madrassas under Taliban control in Afghanistan, he stated that these centres would become a "cancerous seed" not only for the Afghan people, but for the entire world. According to him, the religious fundamentalism promoted by the Taliban poses a serious threat to the security of the region, Europe, and the United States.
Elham had said that the world must work together to establish an "inclusive government" in Afghanistan, and the political system in the country must change.
Farzana Ebrahimi, another civil activist present at the meeting with Karen Decker in Istanbul, has sent the complete text of her speech to Afghanistan International. Her speech does not indicate any support for "engagement with the Taliban”, She did not consider war and violence as a solution for Afghanistan and stated that a political solution should be sought to overcome the crisis.
This civil activist emphasised on the formation of a framework to provide the groundwork for the establishment of a popular government consisting of all ethnic groups.
In her speech, Ebrahimi mentioned that people, especially vulnerable communities like the Hazaras, women, and former government officials, are currently enduring widespread physical and mental insecurity.
She stated that despite claims about ensuring security and fighting terrorism, Hazara and Shia communities in Afghanistan are experiencing violent incidents that explicitly qualify as "genocide" and "crimes against humanity”.
She stressed that Afghanistan is experiencing a deep, multi-faceted, and complex crisis for which the Taliban is responsible.
Ali Folladwand, an Afghan physician in Istanbul, also provided the text of his speech to Afghanistan International, in which there is no visible expression of support for engagement with the Taliban.
In his speech, it has been mentioned that the "highly centralised and exclusive structure and destructive narrative dominated by power in Afghanistan" is the fundamental problem in the country. According to him, the power narrative in Afghanistan is based on "expulsion, monopolising the power and opportunities in the hands of one ethnic group, and expelling other ethnicities residing in this country”.
He stated that Afghanistan's history shows that "until this fundamental problem is resolved, Afghanistan will not be a peaceful and progressing country”.
In this civil activist's speech, it has been stated that the Taliban's rule has made the situation challenging for everyone in the country except for their own group. According to Folladwand, "religious and ethnic minorities such as Hazaras, Panjshiris, Uzbeks, Sikhs, and Sufis are under intense pressure”.
As an example, he criticised the complete removal of Hazaras from political power by the Taliban, stating that the Taliban seeks to "completely eradicate Hazaras from the political arena”. He also criticised the occupation of land and homes of Hazara people by Taliban commanders.
In this speech, it has been stated that US aid to Afghanistan under Taliban control should not be unconditional.
Karen Decker, Charge d’Affaires of the US embassy for Afghanistan, disclosed on March 8 the specifics of her meeting with Afghan activists in Istanbul. She shared on the X social media platform: "Lots of talent and energy here ready to support a political roadmap and engagement with the Taliban." This note was followed with widespread criticism on social media.
In reaction to Decker’s remarks, Michael McCaul, US Congressman, expressed his disagreement, stating, any engagement with the Taliban is a slap to the face of Afghan people.