China to Continue Addressing Afghanistan's Issues, Says President Xi Jinping

Chinese President Xi Jinping announced that China will continue to play its role in addressing issues related to Afghanistan.

Speaking at a ceremony in Beijing on Friday, he reaffirmed China's commitment to promoting peace.

According to Chinese media outlets, Xi stated that Beijing will continue to play a constructive role in the Ukraine crisis, resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and addressing issues related to the Korean Peninsula, Iran, Myanmar, and Afghanistan.

Xi Jinping made these remarks at the 70th anniversary celebration of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence in Beijing.

Although China, like other countries, does not recognise the Taliban, it maintains economic and diplomatic relations with the group and has handed over the Afghan embassy in Beijing to the Taliban.

Yue Xiaoyong, China's special envoy for Afghanistan, recently stated in an interview with Iranian media outlet IRNA that the international community should respect "the culture of the Afghans" and their "approach to handling internal affairs”.

This Chinese diplomat reiterated the importance of the international community refraining from any interference in Afghanistan's internal affairs, advising against "imposing external solutions to resolve Afghanistan's issues”.

Afghanistan’s Religious Minorities Face Violence, Discrimination, Says US State Department

Jun 28, 2024, 09:35 GMT+1

The US State Department released its annual report on "International Religious Freedom" on Wednesday, stating that religious minorities in Afghanistan faced violent attacks and widespread discrimination last year.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, while presenting the department's annual report, said that millions of people worldwide do not enjoy religious freedoms.

The report emphasises that over the past year, the Taliban has not protected places of worship in Afghanistan.

The US State Department's annual report mentions the declining population of Sikhs and Hindus, attacks on Shia places of worship, and assaults on Hazaras.

Referring to the killing of a Salafi cleric in February 2023 in Kapisa province, the report notes that thousands of Salafi followers have left Afghanistan since the Taliban took control.

The report cites sources indicating that the killing, torture, and forced displacement of Hazaras by the Taliban, as well as the seizure of their land and homes, have occurred in Bamiyan, Daikundi, Maidan Wardak, Baghlan, Balkh, Kunduz, Badakhshan, Herat, Ghazni, Sar-e Pul, Kandahar, Uruzgan, Takhar, and Samangan.

The report states that Sikhs and Hindus are concerned about their safety under the Taliban rule in Afghanistan and fear torture if they file a complaint in court.

According to the US State Department, more than 900 Sikh and Hindu citizens have left Afghanistan since the Taliban's takeover, with only six remaining to protect their sacred sites and books.

The report quotes a Christian rights organisation as stating, "The Taliban are striving for the complete eradication of Christianity or any other religious minority from the country."
Referring to the ban on the teaching of Shia jurisprudence in all schools, the report notes that no Shia clerics have participated in the country's religious councils.

The report also mentions that in July 2023, the Taliban banned the celebration of Eid al-Ghadir in Kabul, Balkh, Herat, and Daikundi provinces.

The US State Department report states, "In addition to religious issues, the Taliban have prepared an extremist violent curriculum for schools, which includes military training."

The report, referring to suicide attacks on worshippers in Baghlan in October 2023, an attack on a sports club in a Hazara-majority area of Kabul in November, and a bombing on a bus carrying Hazaras in Kabul on November 8, states that systematic attacks against Hazaras have not ceased.

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