Appointments Should Be Based On Merit, Not Nepotism, Says Taliban Leader

The statement also mentioned that they are obligated to take responsibility for Afghanistan's socio-economic problems.

The joint statement by Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping was published on the Kremlin's website on Thursday, May 16.

In the joint statement, the presidents of Russia and China referred to the 20-year presence of the US and NATO in Afghanistan as an "occupation”.

The statement also called for the release of Afghanistan's frozen financial reserves by the US.

It added that the US and NATO should support the post-war reconstruction of Afghanistan and take all necessary measures to release Afghanistan's frozen central bank reserves.

According to the statement, the presidents of Russia and China also expressed their willingness to increase cooperation regarding Afghanistan, both bilaterally and multilaterally, with the goal of transforming Afghanistan into an independent, neutral, peaceful country free of terrorism and drugs.

In this regard, Putin and Xi Jinping emphasised on the active and constructive role of regional formats, including the Moscow format and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, in resolving Afghanistan's political issues.

Putin arrived in Beijing on the Thursday morning, May 16. He thanked Xi Jinping for establishing a strategic partnership based on national interests and mutual trust with Russia.

However, Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban leader, has so far avoided a meet with Lacroix, who is visiting Kabul.

It is unclear whether the Taliban leader will meet this senior UN official in the coming days.

Sources say that the Taliban leader has indicated that he will receive the views and suggestions of the Under-Secretary-General through Muttaqi.

Reports of the Taliban leader meeting with foreign officials have been rare.

Hibatullah Akhundzada has only met with two foreign leaders: Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam leader Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman in 2023.

Sources say that in his meeting with Muttaqi, Lacroix urged the Taliban to refrain from violent treatment of non-Pashtuns. He also called for an end to arbitrary arrests and the detention of former government officials.

The Under-Secretary-General also emphasised on reopening schools and universities for all girls. However, sources said that Muttaqi responded by saying that the Taliban is not yet ready to open educational institutions to all girls.

Quoting the Taliban leader, Muttaqi stated that the UN should not interfere in the matter of girls' education as it is related to the traditions and beliefs of the Afghan people. Muttaqi promised that the Taliban would reopen schools and universities for girls and women under better conditions but did not provide a timeline for lifting the education ban on women.

Additionally, the UN Under-Secretary-General expressed concern over Taliban interference in aid organisations’ activities, noting that it negatively impacts the UN's cooperation with the Taliban.

He stated that the UN wants aid to reach those in need transparently, but Taliban interference hinders this. He specifically mentioned obstacles created by the Taliban's Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in providing health services, which impede women's access to aid.

Under the new decision, asylum seekers from countries like Afghanistan, whose asylum requests have previously been rejected, will be sent to Rwanda.

Previously, the government of Rishi Sunak had stated that asylum seekers who illegally entered the UK after 2022 and had their asylum cases rejected would be sent to Rwanda. However, with the new decision, thousands more, currently residing in limbo, will be deported.

Asylum seekers from war-torn and dangerous countries are reluctant to return to their home countries and expect to remain in Britain even if their requests are denied.

James Cleverly, British Home Secretary said, “Those who have no right to remain in the UK should not be allowed to stay. Failed asylum seekers who do not leave the UK voluntarily will be in line for detention and enforced removal to a safe third country under the new agreement."

The British government claims that Rwanda is a safe country and Afghan asylum seekers and those from other countries who are unwilling to return home will remain in Rwanda.

According to Sky News, rejected asylum seekers will receive support from the British government in Rwanda for up to five years.

Cleverly admitted that many of the asylum seekers cannot be returned to their countries, as their countries are dangerous conflict zones, including those from Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria.

Following this decision, human rights activists and refugee-supporting organisations strongly criticised the government.

According to The Telegraph, refugee rights activists said that the government's decision is not a solution to the migration crisis and the UK must reform its asylum system, curb smugglers, and introduce safe routes for refugees.

The Rishi Sunak government hopes that sending rejected and illegal asylum seekers to Rwanda will reduce the incentive for others to migrate to the UK through dangerous routes.

However, last week, 760 people also entered the country via small boats through the English Channel.

The reason for this conflict is said to be the construction of a checkpoint at the zero point of the border by Pakistani forces.

Pakistani border forces have constructed a new outpost at the zero point of the Durand Line in the Dand Patan district of Paktia province, which has faced opposition from the Taliban.

As per the sources, the Kharlachi crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan has also been closed due to this conflict.

In the past four days, Taliban forces and Pakistani border guards have clashed several times.

Local sources reported from Paktia province on Monday that a conflict occurred between the forces of the two sides in the border area of Aryob Zazi district.

The Taliban canceled a visit by a Pakistani military delegation to Kandahar due to last Thursday's air and missile attacks by Pakistan on Paktika province.

A Pakistani military delegation was scheduled to travel from Rawalpindi to Kandahar on Sunday, May 12.

Security sources from Pakistan confirmed to Afghanistan International that the Taliban canceled this visit.

The placard read, "No to the Taliban, no to terrorists, and no to their supporters."

Several Taliban members and political figures have been engaged in discussions regarding Afghanistan in Oslo since Tuesday, May 14.

Omar Samad, former Afghan ambassador to Canada; Jafar Mahdavi, former Afghan parliament member; Faizullah Zaland, a professor at Kabul University; Karim Amin, a senior member of the Hezb-e Islami party led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar; and Qayyum Sajjadi, former Afghan parliament member, are among the Afghan political activists and Taliban supporters present at the meeting.

In addition, Nazar Mohammad Mutmaeen, a Taliban member who previously served as the head of the National Olympic Committee in Kabul, and Faiz Mohammad Usmani, who was the Minister of Hajj and Religious Affairs in the previous government, are also in attendance.