Taliban Stripped Me, Other Women in Prison, Claims Afghan Rights Activist

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.

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.

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.

Miller said that the Taliban understands that its relationship with the international community is entirely dependent on its behaviour towards the people of Afghanistan.

Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesperson rejected the UNAMA report regarding the role of the Ministry of Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in human rights violations, particularly women's rights, stating that the behaviour of this institution is based on Sharia and Islamic principles.

Mujahid said that UNAMA criticised the actions of the ministry based on Western values.

During a press conference on Tuesday, the State Department spokesperson said that the United States is closely monitoring the Taliban's behaviour towards the people of Afghanistan, particularly women and girls.

He said that the US expects the Taliban to address the concerns of its people and the international community in this regard.

Miller added, "As we have said in public and private to the Taliban’s representatives, their relationship with the international community depends entirely on their actions. And we have made that clear.”

On Tuesday, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) released a detailed report on the record of the Taliban's Ministry of Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, stating that the ombudsmen of the ministry have carried out at least 1,033 arbitrary punishments.

The report added that among these cases, 205 involved mistreatment of women and 828 involved mistreatment of men.

According to the UN report, which covers the period from August 2021 to March 2024, this Taliban ministry has imposed a wide range of restrictions.

The report highlights that women have been the most affected by the actions of this ministry.

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”.