Taliban Publicly Flogs 6 Individuals In Kandahar & Ghazni Provinces

They asserted that establishing an inclusive government with broad participation from all ethnic and political groups is the only way to achieve lasting peace in the country.

In a joint statement, the leaders declared their readiness to support efforts aimed at normalising the situation in Afghanistan.

According to the Russian news agency TASS, the statement reads that the member states express their readiness to support the international community's efforts to ensure peace and development in this country.

The SCO summit commenced on Wednesday for a two-day session and was attended by leaders and representatives from Russia, Kazakhstan, India, Iran, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Mongolia, Azerbaijan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, and Turkmenistan.

Although some of these countries maintain economic and diplomatic relations with the Taliban, none have recognised the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan. Since the Taliban came to power, no Afghan representative has been allowed to attend SCO meetings.

Speaking at the SCO summit in Astana, Rahmon expressed his support for continued efforts to assist the Afghan people.

In his address, he highlighted regional security concerns and stressed on the necessity for SCO member countries to continue working together to combat terrorism and extremism, as well as transnational organised crime, including drug trafficking.

Rahmon emphasised that the shared interests of SCO member countries lie in ensuring peace, stability, and security in Afghanistan.

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.