Zabihullah Mujahid Leads Taliban Delegation At Doha Meeting

These women have launched a campaign seeking a boycott of the Doha meeting due to the absence of women’s rights in the agenda and at the negotiation table.

The third Doha meeting is scheduled to be held in the coming days without the presence of women in the main negotiations.

The exclusion of women and democratic forces from the Doha meeting has sparked widespread criticism from women activists and civil society. Critics argue that excluding women from the Doha meeting is against the values outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and assert that any meeting about Afghanistan without women lacks legitimacy.

Some international organisations, including Human Rights Watch, have criticised the exclusion of women from the Doha negotiations, calling it shocking.

Additionally, several Afghan activists and politicians have called for a boycott of the third Doha meeting.

Previously, Rahmatullah Nabil, former head of Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security, urged Afghan women and civil activists to suspend relations with the United Nations.

While women have not been invited to the third Doha meeting, a delegation representing the Taliban government will attend.

The Taliban did not participate in the second Doha meeting, citing the UN's refusal to accept the group's conditions. One of the Taliban's conditions was that they should be the sole representative of Afghanistan in the negotiations.

Earlier, sources confirmed to Afghanistan International that the third Doha meeting will be held under the supervision of Rosemary DiCarlo, the UN Under-Secretary-General. Previous meetings were led by Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General.

At the same time, Iran’s Chief of Police said that there is "no sign of reduced drug cultivation in Afghanistan”.

Abdul Mateen Qani, the spokesperson for the Taliban's Ministry of Interior, wrote on X social media platform on Monday, that the Taliban has "eliminated the scope of drugs from Afghanistan in a short time with limited resources”.

He added, "Currently, there is no drug-related threat from Afghanistan to neighbouring countries and the world."

Qani called on international organisations to provide alternative livelihoods for Afghan farmers.

The United Nations, in its latest report, stated that although poppy cultivation in Afghanistan has decreased, the production of recreational drugs, especially methamphetamine, has increased by the same measure.

Iranian officials have repeatedly criticised the Taliban's inability to combat drugs. Most recently, Ahmad Reza Radan, Iran's Chief of Police, said at the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking conference on Monday that "there is no sign of reduced drug cultivation in Afghanistan today”.

He cited "the presence of US" as one of the reasons for drug cultivation and production in Afghanistan, adding that increased drug cultivation in Afghanistan has led to higher drug transit and consumption in other countries.

Meanwhile, Iran’s commander of border guards in Khorasan Razavi reported the seizure of 198 kilograms of drugs near the Afghan border on Saturday.

Previously, the Secretary-General of the Anti-Narcotics Headquarters, Eskandar Momeni also said that there is no decrease in the production, growth, and trafficking of drugs in Afghanistan.

Momeni urged the United Nations to consider drugs in Afghanistan as a serious threat.

According to the Taliban, they also promised to build a well-equipped hospital.

The Office of Taliban’s Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs reported on Monday, about Baradar's meeting with a number of investors and healthcare specialists from South Africa.

These investors stated that they would use advanced technology to extract and process Afghanistan's minerals.

According to the Taliban, South African healthcare specialists promised to support Afghanistan's healthcare sector by constructing a well-equipped and standard hospital.

The Taliban mentioned that foreign companies are active in the mining sector but did not provide transparent information about these companies.

On Tuesday, the court said in a statement that the woman was lashed 39 times.

The Taliban has not disclosed the identity of the woman, but mentioned that the punishment was issued by the court of Obe district in Herat city and was carried out after being confirmed by the Supreme Court.

Despite opposition from human rights organisations, the Taliban continues to carry out public and corporal punishments on citizens.

In a note on X, Jalali emphasised that they are "doomed to fail”.

He added that this "aimless group no longer has any buyers in the political market, and no one is willing to bet on the hollow words of these burnt-out figures."

The fourth Vienna meeting, attended by dozens of leaders and politicians opposing the Taliban, has been held to discuss the future of Afghanistan.

Senior Taliban officials are yet to make explicit comments about this meeting.