Peace in Afghanistan Crucial for SCO Member States, Says Tajikistan President

The leaders emphasised that peace and stability in Afghanistan are essential for the region.

In a joint statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan on Wednesday, the leaders stated that having an inclusive government in Afghanistan is important.

The leaders of Afghanistan's eastern and northern neighbours expressed concerns about increasing security threats and stressed on the importance of collaboration between Dushanbe and Islamabad in combating terrorism.

Although the statement did not specify the exact security and terrorism threats faced by the two countries, Pakistan has consistently criticised attacks by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan originating from Afghan soil, and Tajikistan has voiced concerns about the infiltration of terrorist groups, including ISIS and the Eastern Turkestan Islamic Movement, from Afghanistan into its territory.

Sharif began his two-day visit to Tajikistan on Monday, during which he signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the Tajik president.

They stated that the exclusion of women and civil activists from the third Doha meeting has strengthened the Taliban's position and encouraged systematic human rights violations and gender apartheid.

In their statement, the human rights activists described the outcome of the Doha meeting as "rubbing salt into their wounds," adding, "The deliberate exclusion of women from the official meeting due to the demands of Taliban officials indicates an astonishing disregard for human rights and women's rights by the organisers of this conference."

They also characterised the meeting with women and civil society representatives on the sidelines of the Doha meeting as "performative, ineffective, and lacking transparency," noting that special representatives from various countries did not participate.

The human rights activists have called on the United Nations to include women and civil society groups in all political processes related to Afghanistan and to ensure that human rights and women's rights do not become bargaining tools for the Taliban.

In their statement, they also demanded the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2721 and the appointment of a special representative for Afghanistan.

On Wednesday, the Taliban announced that Nooruddin Azizi, the group's Minister of Commerce and Industry, met with Abdulla Aripov, the Prime Minister of Uzbekistan.

According to the Taliban’s Ministry, Uzbekistan will invest in transmitting electricity from Surkhan Darya to Pul-e-Khumri and then to Kabul, as well as in the Hairatan-Herat-Spin Boldak railway line.

The Taliban's Ministry of Commerce said that the meeting discussed increasing trade between the two countries and attracting Uzbek investment in Afghanistan.

The Taliban announced that Aripov will lead a delegation to Kabul in the near future.

On Tuesday, the Taliban's Minister of Commerce travelled to Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, heading a trade delegation accompanied by private sector representatives.

Afghanistan's power distribution network primarily relies on imported electricity, mostly from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

Mujahid said that the Taliban would release US citizens in exchange for the release of their forces from Guantanamo Bay.

Mujahid stated that the US must accept the group's conditions to free its citizens.

During a press conference in Kabul, he emphasised that just as US citizens are important to the United States, "our people" are important to the Taliban.

Two US citizens, a man and a woman, are currently held by the Taliban.

The Taliban arrested Ryan Corbett, a US citizen, in August 2022. US officials say he is being kept in solitary confinement and is in very poor health condition. Additionally, the Taliban detained an American woman last September.

The Taliban spokesperson did not specify who should be released from Guantanamo Bay in exchange for the US citizens.

Previously, a senior US official had said that the Taliban demanded the release of Muhammad Rahim al-Afghani in exchange for Ryan Corbett. Rahim al-Afghani has been imprisoned in Guantanamo since 2008.

Recently, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee urged Joe Biden to prioritise the release of Ryan Corbett.

Earlier this year, Wardak was detained at Mumbai International Airport with gold worth USD 2.2 million.

According to the Times of India, Rafiullah Kaliwal, an Afghan consulate employee in Mumbai, is also implicated in the case.

The investigation by the Indian Revenue Service revealed that Wardak met one of these jewellers in January 2024 to introduce Kaliwal to facilitate the cash sale of 200 kilograms of gold.

The agency disclosed that one of the detainees confessed to selling 300 kilograms of smuggled gold from January to April to clients referred by him.

Wardak's attempt to smuggle 25 kilograms of gold from Dubai to India was scheduled for April 25.

Following reports of her involvement in gold smuggling, Wardak resigned as Afghan Consul General in Mumbai.

Indian authorities clarified that Wardak was not arrested due to her diplomatic immunity. She was appointed during Ashraf Ghani's government and became the first Afghan female diplomat to serve under the Taliban.

Indian intelligence officials confirmed ongoing investigations, with efforts to apprehend key figures in the jewellery smuggling network underway.

According to Indian Revenue Service officials, their inquiries indicate that 300 kilograms of foreign-marked gold was smuggled into India in the first four months of this year.

Officials from the agency also suggested that Wardak might have smuggled gold bars into the country previously, selling them to jewellers.