Taliban’s Leader Rejects Group’s Prominent Uzbek Commander’s Resignation

In response to a question about the Islamic Republic's plan to prevent "the infiltration of the Taliban under the pretext of commercial action", Fatemeh Mohajerani replied, "The ownership and sovereignty of the lands is in the hands of the Islamic Republic of Iran and absolutely cannot be transferred."

A few days ago, the Jomhouri-e Eslami newspaper quoted informed sources as saying that irresponsible people are trying to hand over the land of Chabahar port to Afghans. The newspaper called the Taliban a self-proclaimed government that has opened the way for infiltration into the region under the pretext of commercial activities.

At a press conference in Tehran, the government spokeswoman emphasised, "Never, ever, never, at any time, under any circumstances, will the country endanger its internal security and the security of its borders for any economic gain."

At the same time, Fatemeh Mohajerani said, "In the form of national interests and joint exploitation, and in the form of common interests, exploitation may be entrusted," but the ownership of the lands belongs to the Islamic Republic of Iran.

In February 2024, Mohammadullah Bakhtiar, the Taliban's head of transit at the Ministry of Commerce, in a meeting with officials of the Islamic Republic, called for the establishment of a representative of the group in the Chabahar Free Zone.

The protesters called on the international community to take action against the Taliban's restrictions on women.

Members of the Afghan Women's Movement for Equality staged a protest march on the streets of Kabul on Wednesday, October 16 with participants including men and women.

The organisation called for an end to the "genocide of the Hazaras" and chanted slogans like "education, work, freedom”.

In a four-point statement, the movement stressed that the imposition of gender laws, human rights violations, extrajudicial killings, and torture in Afghanistan must be stopped immediately.

The movement also called for a greater presence of women in decision-making and peace negotiations.

On the other hand, the Afghan Women's Movement for Equality has called on the international community to provide humanitarian aid to the Afghan people without the Taliban's influence.

They called for attention to the situation of Afghan refugees, support for lasting peace, the establishment of inclusive governance and access to justice.

They called for an end to child marriage, forced marriage and domestic violence, saying the Taliban's restrictive policies "amount to crimes against humanity".

The Taliban has cracked down on civil protests and women's protest movements, detaining and torturing dozens of human rights activists.

Although Afghanistan is an observer member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, the Taliban has not been invited to the meetings of this regional organisation.

Afghanistan joined the SCO as an observer member on June 7, 2012, but the Taliban has not been invited to its meetings for the past three years.

In his welcome speech to the participants of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif emphasised on peace and stability in the region.

At the same time, he said, "The participation of representatives of all SCO members in this meeting is a sign of the strength of relations and cooperation between the countries."

Shehbaz Sharif said, "Our joint efforts are vital to overcome today's crises, from environmental challenges to terrorism and extremism.”

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), which was formed in 2001 by Russia and China, consists of nine members, including Belarus, Iran, Pakistan, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

Dozens of Afghan migrants trying to enter Iran have been reportedly shot dead by Islamic Republic border guards.

Mohammad Farid Hamidi has asked the United Nations and international human rights organisations to punish the perpetrators of this crime.

Mohammad Farid Hamidi, the former Attorney General of Afghanistan, wrote on social media platform X, "Intentional attack on people despite knowing that they are refugees and that they are defenceless, is an example of a crime against humanity, a serious and inhumane crime."

Earlier, a news agency reported that the border forces of Iran shot at Afghan migrants who were trying to enter Iran in Kolgan Saravan area. According to this news agency, out of about 300 Afghan refugees and asylum seekers, only 60 or 70 people survived and the rest were killed or injured.

Hamidi said that these refugees had taken this dangerous route in the hope of finding a "safe and secure place and escape from life threats" and they deserved protection according to international laws, human ethics and Islamic teachings.

He has criticised the Taliban and said that this group does not have the ability to defend the rights of citizens abroad and does not feel responsible in this matter.

He added, "The United Nations, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the United Nations Human Rights Council, the International Criminal Court and other relevant institutions must take serious action and punish the perpetrators of the case.”

According to the reports, this event happened on Sunday evening and there are no accurate figures of casualties yet. Some of the eyewitnesses, whose audio file reached Afghanistan International, said that around 300 Afghan migrants were targeted by Iranian military forces and more than 200 people were killed.

Kolgan Saravan region is in Sistan and Baluchistan province of Iran and borders with Panjgur region of Balochistan province of Pakistan. Apparently, the Afghan refugees intended to enter Iran through Pakistan.

Along with human smugglers, Baloch rebels also use this route to travel, and the Panjgur area is one of the areas where Baloch rebels have a large presence.

This is not the first time that Iranian forces shot at Afghan refugees at the border. Earlier, Amnesty International said in a report that Afghan migrants who wanted to go to safe countries through Iran and Turkey were shot dead by Iranian and Turkish border forces.

The Prime Ministers of Pakistan and China also emphasised on the need for an effective and measurable fight against terrorism in Afghanistan.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan published the joint statement of Shehbaz Sharif and Li Qiang, Prime Ministers of Pakistan and China, on Tuesday.

The Chinese Prime Minister has gone to Islamabad on a four-day visit to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting.
On Tuesday, in a joint statement, they emphasised on the necessity of preventing the use of Afghan soil against the neighbours.

Pakistan accuses the Taliban of supporting its opposition groups, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan. Pakistani authorities say that Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan has carried out attacks in this country using the soil of Afghanistan.

Islamabad considers the attack on Chinese citizens in this country also related to Afghanistan. Taliban, in turn, has accused Pakistan of supporting ISIS.

Sharif and Chiang emphasised on the need to strengthen anti-terrorism cooperation at bilateral and multilateral levels and asked the Taliban government to take concrete and verifiable measures to eliminate terrorist groups active in this country.

The prime ministers of Pakistan and China also emphasised on the importance of strengthening communication and coordination on the situation in Afghanistan and called for "coordinated efforts by the international community to encourage the Taliban to establish an inclusive political framework and implement moderate policies.

The two countries agreed to play a constructive role in supporting the sustainable development of Afghanistan and its integration into the international community.

During his visit to Islamabad, the Chinese Prime Minister called Pakistan "China's iron friend" and signed several memorandums of understanding with this country in the fields of transit, trade and security