Bakhtiyar Hakimov, the special representative of the Russian President for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), announced that Afghanistan's application for membership in the SCO has not yet been reviewed.
According to Hakimov, Afghanistan's membership application is currently not on the agenda.
As reported by Daryo News Agency, Hakimov stated that Afghanistan submitted its membership application to the SCO in 2015.
However, he emphasised that the situation in Afghanistan remains an important issue within the framework of the SCO.
Hakimov added that SCO member countries will continue to cooperate with Afghanistan, each according to their own laws, interests, and guidelines.
Since 2012, Afghanistan has been an observer member of the SCO. However, following the Taliban's rise to power, no representative from Afghanistan has been allowed to attend SCO meetings.
Habibollah Sayyari, the Deputy Coordinator of the Islamic Republic of Iran's Army announced that one of the primary objectives of closing the Iran-Afghanistan border is to prevent the illegal entry of Afghans.
On Wednesday, Sayyari visited the border wall construction project between Iran and Afghanistan.
According to Iranian media, Sayyari stated that the closure of the eastern borders and the national strategic plan to build the Iran-Afghanistan border wall would ensure lasting security in Iran.
This senior military official of the Islamic Republic's army mentioned that the technical construction of the border wall project is being carried out according to engineering standards.
He detailed that the 444th Engineering Groups of the Islamic Republic of Iran's Army are executing specialised operations for this project under the worst weather conditions.
The Deputy Coordinator did not specify the timeline for the completion of this project but expressed hope that the project would be completed in the shortest planned time.
The border closure between Iran and Afghanistan will involve constructing a four-metre-high wall.
Zarmina Paryani, a prominent women's rights activist, criticised the public's indifference to the Taliban's treatment of women and urged people to protest against the harassment of women in Afghanistan.
She revealed that the Taliban members had "stripped her and other women” in prison.
Paryani stated that the Taliban clicked group photos of her and the other women present along with her while they were naked.
The women's rights activist made these remarks in response to criticisms about her attire on social media. She asked her critics to stop harassing her and her family, asserting that her lifestyle and choices are personal matters and not the concern of her family.
On July 6, Paryani posted a photo with a message on the social media platform X, criticising values that endorse male ownership of women. She declared that she is fighting against these "religious and cultural" values.
The post and photo sparked a wave of both criticism and support for Paryani. She said that following the publication of the post, her family was subjected to harassment.
Addressing her critics, Paryani wrote, "If you feel guilty about seeing a woman's bare body, then stop the Taliban, who have removed women's hijabs in prisons over the past three years and have committed numerous atrocities against the women of my country."
In a video message, she said, "You saw me in a short-sleeved shirt, but the Taliban, with their guns, jihad, and Islamic flag, saw my body in just a bra."
Paryani urged her critics to direct their anger towards the Taliban instead of attacking her and to prevent women from being stripped in the group's prisons.
Paryani's revelations come amid previous accounts from other Afghan female activists who protested against the Taliban who were imprisoned by the group, sharing their harrowing experiences with the media.
On January 19, 2022, the Taliban’s intelligence members raided Zarmina Paryani's home in Kabul, arresting her and her three protesting sisters. They were detained by the Taliban for 26 days. After their release, the Paryani sisters secretly fled the country and sought refuge in Germany.
Mahmoud Siadat, Chairman of the Iran-Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce said on Tuesday that over 50% of foreign-registered companies in Iran belong to Afghan citizens.
Siadat mentioned that Afghan traders have invested more than USD 3 billion in Iran.
According to Iran's Student News Agency (ISNA), this official noted, "Today, over 50% of foreign companies registered in Iran are Afghan companies." He added that "the largest foreign investors in Iran are also Afghans”.
Following the fall of Kabul to the Taliban in August 2021, Afghan businessmen have extensively invested in Iran. This indicates Afghan merchants’ trust in Iran's business environment.
In an interview with ISNA, the chairman of the Iran-Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce emphasised on the importance of private organisations in facilitating trade with Afghanistan and the operation of the joint chamber between the two countries.
Siadat called for supporting Afghan entrepreneurs and leveraging their capabilities to grow the economies of both Afghanistan and Iran.
He stated, "The issues of Afghans in Iran must be addressed. They are our greatest asset for Iran's future in Afghanistan."
Following the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan, many Afghan businessmen and investors have moved their companies and a significant portion of their capital to various countries, including Iran.
However, the Taliban says that they have created an environment conducive to investment for both domestic and foreign investors in Afghanistan and are working to encourage Afghan businessmen to transfer their investments back to Afghanistan.
On Wednesday, the Dawn newspaper reported that the federal cabinet of Pakistan will hold a meeting to decide the fate of Afghan migrants.
A government official stated that a decision is likely to be made to extend the residence of Afghan migrants holding Proof of Registration (PoR) cards by six months to one year.
This meeting follows a discussion between Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Filippo Grandi, the head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Grandi had requested the Pakistani government not to expel migrants holding residence cards.
A senior UN official mentioned that currently more than 1.3 million Afghan migrants are living in Pakistan with residence cards.
The Pakistani newspaper reported that Sharif complained during his meeting with Grandi about the inefficiency of the UNHCR in Islamabad. He stated that in the past three years, of 70,000 Afghan migrants, only 9,000 have been sent to third countries.
The Prime Minister of Pakistan noted that the UNHCR had pledged to relocate 70,000 Afghan migrants who arrived in Pakistan after the fall of Kabul in 2021 to third countries but has not fulfilled this commitment in the past three years.
On Tuesday, the UNHCR office in Pakistan announced that Grandi, at the conclusion of his three-day visit, urged enhanced efforts to secure long-term solutions for Afghan refugees in Pakistan and to provide support to the host country.
Zamir Kabulov, Russia's special representative for Afghanistan, said that the plan to remove the Taliban from Russia's list of terrorist groups is progressing well.
In an interview, Kabulov highlighted that the process of delisting the Taliban as a terrorist group is underway.
Responding to inquiries about the timeline for the Taliban's removal from the list, he told TASS news agency, "When all stages are completed we will inform everyone. The work is still ongoing."
Previously, Kabulov had reported that the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Justice had formally advised President Vladimir Putin on the possibility of delisting the Taliban from banned organisations.
Sergey Lavrov, Russia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, officially announced Russia's decision to remove the Taliban from its list of designated terrorist organisations.
At the conclusion of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, Putin acknowledged the Taliban's control over Afghanistan and affirmed them as "allies in the fight against terrorism”.
Critics of this move have cautioned that delisting the Taliban could be seen as endorsing terrorism and extremism across Central Asia and beyond.