An official letter from the Pakistan's Foreign Ministry has been obtained by Afghanistan International, indicating that Asif Durrani, Pakistan's special representative for Afghanistan affairs, has been dismissed from his position.
According to this letter, Durrani's tenure ended on Tuesday, September 10.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif named Asif Durrani as his special envoy for Afghanistan in June last year, and Durrani held that position for about a year and three months.
This veteran Pakistani diplomat, who is fluent in Persian and Pashto, travelled to Kabul several times during his mission and met with Taliban officials. During his mission, he also participated in meetings of representatives of the countries of the region hosted by the United Nations in Doha.
Pakistan's relations with the Taliban were tense during Durrani's tenure due to the spread of insecurity in Pakistan and border disputes.
The Afghanistan Journalists Centre (AFJC) has strongly condemned the Taliban’s crackdown on Afghanistan International and called on the group to immediately and permanently stop jamming the satellite frequency of the media outlet.
AFJC expressed grave concern over the incident and urged the Taliban to allow the country's citizens to access the media freely and without restrictions.
A statement by Afghanistan International TV recently said that since September 5, 2024, the Taliban government has clearly violated the free flow of information and freedom of the press by jamming Afghanistan International's satellite frequencies.
Earlier too, the Taliban government tightened restrictions on Afghanistan International and the Taliban's Ministry of Information and Culture had accused the media outlet of "violating the privacy of citizens and legal persons, character assassination, distortion of information, and promoting ethnic, linguistic, and regional prejudices”. The group banned any kind of cooperation with this media outlet.
AFJC stressed that the continued restrictions on the Afghanistan International Network and the disruption of the audience's access to the programmes of this media outlet inside the country is a violation of the country's mass media law.
The Taliban's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has declared the termination of Hassan Soroosh, the Afghan ambassador appointed by the former government, from his position in Canada.
In an official document obtained by Afghanistan International, the ministry stated that Soroosh's tenure ended on September 5. The letter, issued by the Human Resources Directorate of the Taliban's Foreign Ministry on September 9, announced the decision.
It is unclear whether the Canadian government or the Afghan embassy in Ottawa will comply with the Taliban's request to end Soroosh's mission. The embassy, still under the administration of Soroosh, has not yet commented on the matter. Notably, the Afghan embassy in Canada had previously extended consular services to Afghan nationals in the US after the closure of the Afghan embassy and consulates there.
Earlier, the Taliban had declared that the consular services of 14 Afghan diplomatic missions abroad, including Canada, were no longer valid.
Canada has maintained a strict stance against the Taliban, compared to other Western countries. Observers note that Canada’s stringent anti-terrorism laws have even hindered the provision of humanitarian aid to the Afghan people.
In December 2022, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau labelled the Taliban as a terrorist group, stating that it should not receive humanitarian funding. He said, "We must work out how to help the communities and individuals suffering in Afghanistan without funding or supporting the terrorist organisation currently in control."
Trudeau acknowledged the complexity of the issue and noted that Canada, like some of its allies, was seeking a solution to these legal constraints.
In response, both the Canadian House of Commons and Senate passed an amendment in June last year that exempted aid organisations from Canada's anti-terrorism laws when delivering assistance to Afghans. The amendment ensured that aid groups were not considered "criminals" for paying taxes to the Taliban while providing humanitarian relief.
Canada has also strongly condemned the Taliban’s human rights violations, particularly those targeting women.
Earlier, in March of this year, Canadian newspapers reported that the government did not respond to a letter from the Taliban requesting the appointment of diplomats to the Afghan embassy and consulates in Canada.
Jason Kung, a spokesperson for Canada’s Foreign Ministry, reaffirmed that the country does not recognise the Taliban as a legitimate government.
In recent months, the Taliban have been attempting to exert pressure on Afghan diplomatic missions in Europe and Canada in an effort to take control of these embassies.
The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Kabul on Friday, September 13, condemned the shooting of Shia civilians in Daikundi province and called for the punishment of those responsible.
The embassy also expressed its willingness to cooperate in this matter.
ISIS-Khorasan claimed responsibility for the attack on Thursday, September 12, announcing that 15 civilians, all men, were killed in Daikundi.
The Iranian embassy stated, "We demand the prosecution of those responsible for this great tragedy and declare our readiness to assist in this regard."
Nasser Kanaani, spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, described the ISIS attack as "criminal" and said the Islamic Republic strongly condemns it.
According to Mehr News Agency, Kanaani welcomed the Taliban's "anti-terrorist actions" and called for immediate steps to bring the perpetrators of the shooting to justice.
Several Afghan politicians and political and military groups have also condemned the shooting of Hazaras in Daikundi, labelling it a "genocide and crime against humanity”.
Information received by Afghanistan International indicates that ISIS terrorists used a US-made weapon to kill at least 14 Hazara civilians in Daikundi.
After the fall of the Afghan government in August 2021, US military equipment which had been supplied to the Afghan National Security and Defence Forces fell into the hands of the Taliban.
On Thursday, September 12, ISIS-Khorasan claimed responsibility for the killing of 15 civilians in Daikundi, all of whom were men. Images from the scene show that ISIS used several weapons, including an American pistol, to shoot the civilians in the head and body.
A military source told Afghanistan International that the pistol seen in the video released by ISIS is an American "GLOCK 19 in 9mm," which had been distributed to Afghanistan’s former security forces. The source added that four models of this weapon had been provided to the previous government’s forces, with the "GLOCK 19 in 9mm" being the most common.
Following the Taliban's takeover, Afghanistan’s army was disbanded, and all the weapons provided by the US fell into Taliban hands. In addition, during its withdrawal from Afghanistan, the United States left behind a significant amount of light and heavy weaponry, which, according to former US President Donald Trump, was valued at $85 billion.
The Taliban have repeatedly claimed that ISIS-Khorasan does not exist in Afghanistan, yet ISIS continues to claim responsibility for deadly attacks in the country from time to time.
The Shia-majority province of Daikundi was considered one of the safest in Afghanistan during the previous Afghan government.
According to local sources, the victims of the recent massacre were on their way to welcome pilgrims returning from Karbala city in Iraq which houses Shia holy shrines. ISIS had previously threatened, just months after the Taliban’s return to power, to kill Shia Muslims "from Baghdad to Khorasan”.
Following widespread criticism of the Taliban's laws, the group's Ministry of Justice issued a warning that anyone opposing their ratified legislative documents will be brought to trial.
The ministry stated that the Taliban’s laws are "100 percent Sharia-based" and that opposition to them is an "objection to Sharia," which is unacceptable.
According to the ministry, their legislative documents are derived from the "Holy Book of Allah, the traditions of the Prophet, and recognised Islamic jurisprudential texts”.
In a statement released on Thursday, the ministry emphasised that there is no article in their legislative documents that hasn't been sourced from the mentioned texts. They also noted that committees composed of scholars, muftis, and sheikhs within the ministry work on these legislative documents.
"If anyone criticises the ratified legislative documents out of prejudice or with the intention of undermining the system, this criticism is considered an objection to Sharia and will not be tolerated under any circumstances," the statement added.
The ministry further warned that "if any individual publicly criticises the ratified legislative documents of the Islamic Emirate, whether in the media or in other forums, and does so with malicious intent or hostility, they will face Sharia-based consequences and will be referred to the courts."
Over the past three years, the Taliban have ratified laws that have deprived citizens of their civil, political, and social rights. Among these are the bans on girls' education and women's employment. Recently, the Taliban's "Law on the Propagation Virtue and Prevention of Vice" has faced widespread criticism, as it has imposed even more restrictions on citizens, particularly women. This law mandates the Taliban's version of the hijab and declares women's voices as inappropriate for public spaces.
In addition to human rights activists and citizens, even some clerics supportive of the Taliban have criticised this law, arguing that it contradicts Islam.