70 Anti-Taliban Political Opponents to Meet Next Week in Vienna

Mujahid said that those in the UN always try to present a "bad" image of Afghanistan.

On Wednesday, in response to the 56th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, the Taliban spokesperson wrote on X that some UN member countries are overshadowing significant developments by portraying a negative image of Afghanistan.

Mujahid added that the Taliban appreciates the supportive stance of some countries in the UN Human Rights Council.

He emphasised, "It is a reality that positive and constructive engagement with the Islamic Emirate must be carried out."

On Tuesday, Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur for Afghanistan, presented his report, stating that the systematic and institutionalised discrimination in Afghanistan and the exclusion of women by the Taliban should shock the conscience of humanity.

Bennett described the exclusion of women from public life and their deprivation of education and work as "crimes against humanity" and called on the international community to recognise gender apartheid in Afghanistan.

Bennett also urged the international community to stop legitimising and normalising relations with the Taliban. He stated that the international community should not treat the Taliban as a legitimate government in the upcoming third Doha meeting.

Representatives of most countries at this meeting condemned the Taliban's policies towards women and called on the group to lift restrictions on women.

The ministry stated that it charges a transit fee of USD 700 per airplane.

This is in contrast to the last years of the previous government, when around 400 airplanes passed through Afghan airspace daily.

On Wednesday, June 19, Imamuddin Ahmadi, Taliban’s spokesperson for the Ministry of Transport, told Taliban controlled Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA) that international flights are conducted daily from the country's five international airports with "international standards”.

This Taliban official also mentioned that Nangarhar Airport, which was used as a military airport during the previous government, is now open for international flights.

The Taliban claim that there are 27 active airports across Afghanistan, including five international airports.

In August 2023, the group announced that over 25,000 transit flights had been conducted through Afghan airspace in the past year, generating 8 billion Afghanis in revenue.

Qasim Wafaeezada, the head of the Civil Aviation Authority during the previous government, said in 2020 that around 400 airplanes pass through Afghan airspace daily. This office had stated that over 95,000 airplanes passed through Afghan airspace annually.

Following the Taliban’s takeover of power in Afghanistan, most international airlines changed their routes and halted flights to Afghanistan.

Nearly three years later, some regional airlines have resumed their flights from Afghanistan.

Roza Otunbayeva, the head of United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), will explain the situation in Afghanistan at this meeting.

The Security Council is reviewing the situation in Afghanistan following a recent report by Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan, which stated that violence against Afghan women is strong and widespread.

Bennett emphasised that the exclusion of women from public life and the deprivation of Afghan women and girls from work and education, should’ve be classified as crimes against humanity and gender apartheid.

Simultaneously, the third Doha meeting, hosted by the United Nations and attended by special representatives of countries for Afghanistan, is scheduled for June 30 and July 1.

The Taliban have been invited to the Doha meeting and have announced that they will send a delegation to Qatar. However, according to reports, the UN has not invited representatives of Afghan civil society.

Political groups and women have called for the inclusion of diverse Afghan groups, including women, in the Doha meeting and have questioned the "legitimacy" of the Doha meeting in the absence of women.

Viktorov emphasised on the formation of an inclusive government with the participation of ethnic representatives in Afghanistan.

At the 56th session of the UN Human Rights Council, the Russian representative said, that Moscow is closely monitoring the economic and human rights situation, including the status of Afghan women and girls in education and employment.

Viktorov reiterated the importance of forming an inclusive government in Afghanistan and said, "A very important issue is the formation of a fully inclusive government in Afghanistan with the participation of representatives from all ethnic groups and minorities in the country."

He attributed the current situation in Afghanistan to the "irresponsible withdrawal" of international forces from the country, stating that the Taliban inherited Afghanistan with a multitude of problems.

Viktorov added that Afghanistan's complete dependency on international aid over the past twenty years has worsened the country's economic situation.

He also said that international sanctions against the Taliban have brought Afghanistan very close to a humanitarian disaster.

Han called on the Taliban to make positive efforts to secure the interests of the Afghan people.

Without naming any countries, the Chinese representative at the meeting blamed some countries for the current poor humanitarian conditions in Afghanistan, stating that the long-term freezing of Afghan assets and the imposition of unilateral sanctions have caused many to suffer and have inflicted "serious damage" on the human rights of Afghans.

He said that China is deeply concerned about the current situation in Afghanistan and supports an Afghan-led approach to addressing the urgent needs of the Afghan people in a "flexible and pragmatic" manner.