SCO Should Engage With Afghanistan To Expand Influence, Says Kazakhstan

Following a meeting with the Foreign Ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), Lavrov warned that threats continue to emanate from Afghan territory.

According to Lavrov, there needs to be a more substantial dialogue with the Taliban regarding the fight against terrorism.

On Friday, the state news agencies TASS and RIA Novosti reported that Lavrov, after the CSTO Council of Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Almaty, told reporters, "We consider supporting the fight against terrorism to be crucial."

The CSTO Council of Foreign Ministers’ meeting was held on Friday in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

The Foreign Ministers of Russia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Belarus attended the meeting.

Warning that threats from Afghanistan persist, Lavrov said, "We support the establishment of a more sustainable, permanent, and substantive dialogue aimed at implementing specific projects with the Taliban, who control Afghanistan."

Imangali Tasmagambetov, the Secretary-General of the CSTO, also presented a report at this meeting on the regional security situation and its impact on the security of CSTO member countries.

While the Russian Foreign Minister highlighted the threats posed by ISIS and Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, Georgy Grigorievich Machitidze, a researcher at an institute affiliated with the Russian Foreign Ministry, warned about the relations between the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in an article.

Georgy Grigorievich stated that alongside ISIS-Khorasan, Al-Qaeda, which operates under the aegis of the Taliban, is gaining increasing attention, providing its members with passports, housing, and, in some cases, employment.

Qani claimed, "The United Nations always tries to portray the situation in Afghanistan as unstable."

The Taliban spokesperson stated, "The United Nations should present its views considering the real facts of Afghanistan."

In his latest report on Afghanistan, the UN Secretary-General noted that over 2,500 security incidents have been recorded in the country in the past three months.
According to Guterres, security incidents in February, March, and April this year increased by 55% compared to the previous three months.

Among these incidents, drug-related issues surged by 97%, rising from 212 to 418 cases. Most of these incidents occurred in the central, northeastern, southeastern, and southern regions of Afghanistan.

The UN report indicates that the primary cause of this instability is the "ruling authorities' decision" to enforce a ban on poppy cultivation.

In the past three months, land disputes increased from 20 to 51 cases, mostly in the southern and eastern parts of Afghanistan.

During this period, armed clashes rose from 75 to 106 cases, although explosions decreased.

In a statement on Friday, the AFF reported targeting a Taliban military outpost in the Peshgur area of Panjshir, injuring two additional Taliban members.

Local sources in Panjshir confirmed the attack to Afghanistan International, stating that it resulted from an explosion.

This attack by the AFF on Taliban forces in Panjshir coincides with the UN Secretary-General's announcement on Friday that the group has carried out 14 attacks on Taliban forces in the past three months.

Ahead of the Doha meeting, Callamard emphasised that the rights of Afghan women and girls are non-negotiable and must be central to the UN meeting in Doha. The meeting, hosted by the United Nations, will be held in Qatar on June 30 and July 1.

Callamard stressed that if the human rights crisis in Afghanistan is not properly addressed and if women's rights defenders and other relevant stakeholders from Afghan civil society are not included, the credibility of the meeting will be at risk. She stated that sidelining fundamental human rights discussions is unacceptable.

She pointed out that yielding to the Taliban's conditions to ensure their participation in the Doha meeting risks legitimising a repressive system that, she said, has brutally excluded women from society and stripped them of their fundamental rights.

The Taliban expressed readiness to participate in the Doha meeting after lengthy negotiations with UN representatives. The UN Secretary-General's representative noted that the new format is the only way forward and that this is not the last Doha meeting; the dialogue process will continue.

These remarks come as representatives from several Western countries at the UN Security Council meeting on Afghanistan emphasised on the participation of women and civil society activists in the third Doha meeting.

Previously, some Afghan artists in Pakistan had approached the Peshawar High Court to seek political asylum.

These artists, who are residing in Pakistan without legal residency documents, had requested the court to prevent their deportation from the country.

The lawyer of the Afghan artists requested political asylum, and asked the court to allow them to stay in Pakistan until their fate is determined.

Judges Ijaz Anwar and Wiqar Ahmad listened to the issues faced by these artists in Pakistan and reviewed their asylum applications.

The petitioners’ lawyer also mentioned during the hearing that these artists had applied for asylum with the UN Refugee Agency, but were being harassed due to their lack of legal residency documents in Pakistan.

The Peshawar High Court postponed the hearing to the next session, but instructed the authorities not to deport them until their case is addressed.

This situation arises as some Afghan artists fled to Pakistan and Iran following the Taliban's takeover in August 2021.

Upon seizing control of Afghanistan, the Taliban banned playing of musical instruments, singing, and listening to music.

Additionally, the Taliban has arrested and tortured several musicians during their nearly three-year rule over Afghanistan. They have also destroyed musical instruments during house inspections. The Taliban consider playing and listening to music against “Islamic Sharia”.

Consequently, many Afghan artists fled to neighboring countries out of fear of persecution and torture by the Taliban.

Some of these artists do not have legal residency documents in these countries and are subject to deportation. However, these artists are determined not to return to Afghanistan under a regime that criminalises their profession.