Karzai Urges Taliban To Lift Ban On Girls’ Education, Calls It Barrier To Progress

According to the AFJC’s annual report released on Sunday, the Taliban shut down 22 media outlets and detained 50 journalists over the past year. The report described an intensified crackdown on press freedom, with increasing restrictions on media organisations and reporters.

The AFJC recorded 122 cases of threats, 22 media closures, and the detention of 50 journalists. It stated that 15 of the closed media outlets remain shut, while 10 of the detained journalists are still in custody.

Marking National Journalists’ Day, the report highlighted divisions within the Taliban regarding media policies. Some officials in the Ministry of Information and Culture follow media laws from the previous government, while conservative figures push for stricter control over the press.

The AFJC also pointed to the enforcement of the Taliban’s Promotion of Virtue law, which grants broad authority to morality enforcers overseeing media operations. These enforcers, sometimes working with Taliban intelligence, have taken direct action against journalists and media outlets.

The report criticised the sidelining of the Media Complaints and Rights Violations Commission. It also noted five new restrictions on media, including bans on airing live political programs, critical content, and broadcasting images of living animals. Journalists must now get Taliban approval for guests and use the terms “martyr” and “martyrdom” in reports.

Journalists who fail to comply face threats, imprisonment, or the closure of their media organisations. Despite these restrictions, the AFJC noted that no targeted attacks on media workers were recorded in the past year.

Muhammad Ali Saif, an adviser to the KP chief minister, stressed that dialogue with the Taliban is necessary to curb terrorism. He warned that Pakistan is struggling with rising militant attacks, yet the federal government remains inactive. He accused the country’s prime minister of being a “passive spectator.”

Saif criticised Pakistan’s leadership for lacking a clear counterterrorism strategy and failing to initiate diplomatic talks with Afghanistan. He added that the government does not allow Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to engage with the Taliban either. He warned that if urgent action is not taken, terrorism could spread to Punjab and Sindh.

Earlier, KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur linked the province’s insecurity to the situation in Afghanistan. He proposed forming a jirga [tribal council] to negotiate with the Afghan Taliban. He also expressed willingness to send a delegation to Afghanistan, pending federal government approval.

Violence has escalated in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan in recent months. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a major militant group opposing the Pakistani government, has a strong presence in KP.

Pakistani authorities claim the Afghan Taliban supports the TTP, allowing it to launch attacks from Afghan territory. The Taliban denies these allegations, but international reports have corroborated Pakistan’s concerns.

Speaking to Tasnim News Agency, Nabipour said he hopes to speed up the deportation process. He also criticised opposition to the expulsions, accusing “certain political groups” of trying to retain foreign nationals in Iran for political reasons.

Iranian officials frequently refer to Afghan migrants as “foreign nationals.” During a press conference on Saturday, Nabipour stated that the Iranian public supports the deportations. He argued that “resources should not be shared between foreigners and fellow citizens.”

The crackdown comes amid increasing restrictions on Afghan migrants in Iran. In recent months, authorities have banned Afghans from working and renting homes in several cities.

The human rights organisation Hengaw has warned of growing anti-Afghan sentiment in Iran. In a statement, it reported a rise in both state-sponsored and social discrimination against Afghan migrants.

Referring to the recent attack on a train in Balochistan, the newspaper claimed that the Taliban are acting in line with India’s strategy to legitimise Baloch separatists.

On Saturday, Express Tribune published an article titled “Kabul-Delhi Nexus”, stating: “It is no secret that Afghanistan and India are in cahoots, and have a vested agenda to nurse by bleeding and destabilising Pakistan.”

The newspaper, known for its alignment with the Pakistani military, described the train attack in Balochistan as an “intelligence failure.” It urged Islamabad to expose what it called “open-and-shut complicity” at diplomatic forums.

However, the publication criticised the international community for ignoring Pakistan’s complaints. It questioned why Pakistan’s evidence of foreign involvement in terrorism was not being acknowledged by the United Nations and other global powers.

While Islamabad claims to be a victim of terrorism, both India and the Taliban accuse Pakistan of using militant groups as proxies. India has long labelled Pakistan as a state sponsor of terrorism. In recent years, the Taliban, once closely aligned with Islamabad, have made similar allegations. Taliban officials claim that Pakistan uses ISIS to advance its regional influence.

Taliban spokespersons have previously stated that ISIS has bases in Pakistan’s Balochistan province.

Earlier, a spokesperson for the Pakistani military accused the Taliban and India of planning the Jaffar Express attack from Afghan soil. The Taliban, however, rejected these claims and urged Pakistan to stop “blaming Afghanistan for its own failures.”

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Minister of Railways, Hanif Abbasi, warned on Saturday that those responsible for terrorist acts, whether inside Pakistan or fleeing to Afghanistan and other countries, would not be spared.

Speaking at a press conference in Lahore, Abbasi stressed the need to investigate the resurgence of terrorism in Pakistan. He also warned that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was being targeted by international forces seeking to weaken Pakistan’s growing economic strength.

Peter Reynolds, 79, and his wife Barbie, 75, were arrested by the Taliban on 2 February while returning to their home in Bamiyan.

Entwistle has expressed deep concern over her parents' health condition and described their detention as "cruel." She told The Sunday Times that the Taliban has informed her mother that she cannot see her husband. She added that her father has been taken to an undisclosed location in a heavily guarded prison, and his health has "deteriorated significantly."

She fears that her father suffers from a chest infection, an eye infection, and severe digestive issues due to poor nutrition. Without immediate access to essential medication, she believes his life is in grave danger.

Entwistle claimed that her father has been beaten and shackled during his detention. She called for the immediate release of her parents, saying, "Our desperate appeal to the Taliban is that they release them to their home, where they have the medication he needs to survive."

She added that her family, including her three brothers, has learned that male prisoners in Taliban custody receive three meals a day, while female inmates are given only one.

The Daily Mail previously reported that the couple was arrested for "teaching parenting skills to Afghan mothers." However, the Taliban claimed they were detained due to a "misunderstanding" over allegedly holding fake Afghan passports. The Sunday Times also suggested they were arrested for conducting a course that trained women in maternal skills.

Entwistle refuted the allegations, stating that her parents had official permission for their programme. She also noted that her mother was the first woman to receive a certificate of appreciation from the Taliban.

Earlier, The Telegraph quoted sources suggesting that the Haqqani network detained the British couple as a "political move" to exert international pressure on Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.

The Taliban’s Ministry of Interior confirmed the arrest on 26 February. Abdul Mateen Qani, the ministry's spokesperson, said authorities were investigating the case and would work to release the British nationals "as soon as possible."

The couple has been running Rebuild, an organisation in Afghanistan that provides educational training for businesses, schools, and non-governmental groups.

The Daily Mail previously reported that the Taliban had searched their home to determine whether Peter and Barbie were involved in religious proselytisation.

Their children stated that their parents married in Kabul in 1970 and have lived in Afghanistan for 18 years.