We Will Not Stop Putting Pressure On Taliban, Says US Secretary of State
On Tuesday, Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State called the Taliban's treatment of Afghan women and girls "ruthless" during a meeting in Washington.
On Tuesday, Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State called the Taliban's treatment of Afghan women and girls "ruthless" during a meeting in Washington.
Blinken said, "We continue to rally global pressure on the Taliban to reverse these repressive policies, which are hurting all Afghans."
On Tuesday, during a meeting, he said, "We’re training and empowering women civil society groups and peace builders, so that they can play a leading role in building peace, in building free and open societies, and negotiating the end of conflicts, especially in places where those in power ruthlessly repress the rights of women and girls, like Afghanistan.”
Antony Blinken, referring to the ban on Afghan women's education and work, stated that women and girls continue to fight for their rights and to build a bright future for themselves and their country.
Despite international pressure, the Taliban has refused to reconsider its policies, which human rights experts say constitute "gender apartheid”.
Filippo Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, called for a long-term solution to the situation of Afghan refugees in Pakistan at the end of his three-day visit to the country.
Grandi urged Pakistan to extend the Proof of Registration (PoR) cards for Afghan refugees.
On Tuesday, the UNHCR office in Pakistan issued a statement saying, "Wrapping up a three-day visit, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, has called for a bolstering of efforts towards longer-term solutions for Afghans in Pakistan, and support for their host communities."
The statement mentioned that the deportation process of illegal migrants from Pakistan has been halted, and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees also asked Pakistan not to resume this process.
Grandi also promised that later this year, a meeting with representatives from various countries, development organisations, and the private sector will be held to discuss a solution.
He said that all options, including resettlement in a third country and voluntary return to Afghanistan, are being considered for Afghan refugees.
During the past three days, Filippo Grandi met with senior Pakistani government officials, including the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Pakistan, as well as several Afghan refugees in Islamabad and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
About 20 Afghan families, who were relocated to Albania after the fall of the previous government, say that their asylum cases have not yet been addressed.
They have called for a faster process in handling their cases, noting that support from the Albanian government is decreasing.
Representatives of these families, in an open letter obtained by Afghanistan International, stated that they lack opportunities for work and education.
They said that this situation, along with the lack of attention to their immigration cases, has led to poor mental health and depression among Afghan families in Albania.
These families were evacuated from Kabul by some US organisations. Many Afghans who were relocated to Albania after the fall of the previous Afghan government have since been transferred to the US or Canada.
In their letter, these Afghans mentioned that obtaining residency in Albania is not a fair option for them, and being transferred to another third country would only prolong the processing of their immigration cases.
Pakistan is constructing a new border terminal in the Killa Saifullah area of Balochistan, near the Afghanistan border.
The purpose of this terminal is to monitor terrorist activities, control illegal trade, and prevent the illegal movement of people.
The Nation newspaper reported on Tuesday, July 9, that this terminal will be used as an alternative route for trade with Afghanistan and Central Asia.
Pakistani officials have not officially commented on the construction of this terminal.
The terminal will be built on 35 hectares of land at a cost of over 24 billion Pakistani rupees, and it will take 60 months to complete at the border point within Pakistan.
The Nation wrote that once completed, the terminal will facilitate services in all official and operational offices, including customs, the Federal Investigation Agency, the National Database and Registration Authority, the Anti-Narcotics Force, and intelligence and security agencies.
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has released a detailed report accusing the Taliban's Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice of violating human rights and fundamental freedoms.
According to UNAMA, ombudsmen of the ministry have engaged in at least 1,033 acts of arbitrary punishment, including 205 cases of mistreatment of women and 828 cases of men.
On Tuesday, July 9, UNAMA expressed concern over the increasing power of this Taliban ministry, stating that its actions negatively impact fundamental rights and freedoms, especially for women.
The report highlights the ministry's use of verbal threats, arrests, detentions, mistreatment, and public flogging to enforce its directives.
UNAMA reported that the ministry's authority extends to overseeing media, participating in the media violations commission, eradicating addiction, banning the sale of poor-quality gold, regulating private businesses, mediating disputes, and monitoring prisons.
From August 2021 to March 2024, the ministry imposed numerous restrictions, including bans on music, hookah smoking, displaying images of humans and animals, public statues, artistic sculptures, black magic, and celebrations of Nowruz and Valentine's Day.
These restrictions contradict individuals' right to participate in cultural life, with women being the most adversely affected. The ministry also violates the right to privacy through phone searches, mosque inspections, and questioning couples about their marriage certificates in public, the report added.
UNAMA documented 1,033 cases where this Taliban ministry used force to implement its directives.
Media Restrictions
The Taliban's virtue ministry has imposed severe restrictions on the media, preventing the broadcast of music, comedy programmes, and foreign cultural contents.
In provinces like Kunar, media networks have been instructed not to broadcast the voices of female callers or use female presenters. Women in the media must appear with masks and full hijab as mandated by the Taliban.
Women's Travel Restrictions
The ministry mandates that women need a male guardian for journeys longer than 78 kilometres. In November 2022, the Taliban in Nangarhar instructed women not to visit health clinics without a male guardian, although this restriction was lifted after a month.
Similar restrictions were reported in Kandahar, Balkh, and Khost, where women were not allowed to work, take taxis, or shop without a male guardian.
In December and January, several women in Kabul were arrested for not wearing "appropriate hijab”.
Restrictions On Women's Business
Despite the Taliban's commitment to women's work in the private sector, UNAMA documented that the ministry ordered the closure of women-run bakeries in Kabul, some women's shops in Kandahar and Balkh, and demanded shop owners to replace female shopkeepers with men. Tailors were also instructed not to take women’s clothing measurements.
The United Nations called on the Taliban to respect citizens' fundamental rights and adhere to the seven international conventions to which Afghanistan is still a member.
Reliable sources have told Afghanistan International that Ali Mojani, a diplomat and advisor to the special representative of Iran for Afghanistan, is on the verge of being expelled.
According to these sources, Taliban officials have stated that this Iranian diplomat is an "undesirable element" and has "overstepped his boundaries”.
Sources said that the Taliban have given Mojani, who holds a diplomatic passport, a few hours to leave the country.
The sources indicated that the Taliban are expelling this Iranian diplomat in response to the recent expulsion of one of their diplomats from Mashhad and his undiplomatic actions.
Ali Mojani Barred from Eidgah Mosque in Kandahar
Ali Mojani recently stated that Taliban members did not allow him to perform Eid al-Adha prayers led by Mullah Hibatullah, the Taliban leader, at Eidgah mosque in Kandahar.
Mojani mentioned that he had previously sent an official letter to the Taliban's Ministry of Foreign Affairs to participate in the Eid prayers, but the Ministry did not adhere to diplomatic protocols and did not respond to his official request.
This Iranian diplomat wrote on X social media platform that after an hour and a half of waiting, the Taliban did not allow him to enter the mosque.
Ali Mojani posted on his X account that Taliban members told him that the office of Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban leader, did not grant him permission to enter Eidgah.
Torture of Iranian Photographer and Taliban Diplomat Expulsion
On December 16, 2023, Salim, a Taliban diplomat, beat up and tortured an Iranian photographer at the Afghan consulate in Mashhad. Following this incident, the Iranian government expelled this Taliban diplomat.
Salim, was serving as the first secretary at the Afghan consulate in Mashhad.
Kazemi Qomi, Iran's special representative for Afghanistan, recently confirmed that this Taliban diplomat was expelled for beating an Iranian female photographer.
Qomi stated that the offender was "severely dealt with, such that it was decided he must leave, and this action was carried out”.
