Taliban Systematically Restricts Minorities’ Rights & Services, Says Rights Group

Peerzada is accused of using his position to target women, with reports suggesting he drugged and raped one victim.

Three European newspapers—The Daily Telegraph, El País, and Die Welt—reported that Peerzada allegedly used a sedative in one assault. A Madrid court had previously ruled in September that he could not be prosecuted due to his diplomatic immunity.

Peerzada assumed control of the Afghan embassy in Madrid after the Taliban seized power in Kabul in 2021. He later aligned the embassy’s operations with the Taliban’s Foreign Ministry. In October 2023, the embassy announced it was officially coordinating with the Taliban and processing documents through Kabul. Despite this, Spain does not recognise the Taliban government or maintain an embassy in Afghanistan.

After complaints from Afghan residents, the Spanish government withdrew Peerzada’s diplomatic privileges. Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs told The Telegraph: “This person does not represent any official delegation, is not accredited in Spain, and does not enjoy diplomatic immunity in our country.”

Drugging and Sexual Assault Allegations

On Wednesday, The Telegraph reported that an Afghan woman, identified as Anis, filed a complaint against Peerzada with the Madrid Public Prosecutor’s Office last summer. She accused him of sexual assault.

According to her account, Peerzada met her at an embassy event on International Women’s Day in March 2022 and offered her a job. He later invited her to a bar to discuss the opportunity. She alleged that he spiked her Coca-Cola with an unknown substance, after which her last memory was being taken to a hotel before being dropped off at a train station.

Speaking to Die Welt, she described feeling weak, with blurred vision and an urgent need to sleep. Peerzada has denied the allegations. It remains unclear whether Madrid’s courts will reopen the case or if new charges will be filed.

Attempted Rape Allegations

Die Welt interviewed multiple women who claimed to have been harassed or assaulted by Peerzada. According to El País, another Afghan woman in Spain alleged that Peerzada attempted to rape her.

She said she had initially met him at a restaurant to discuss the situation of 4,000 Afghan refugees in Spain. Later, at his apartment, she claimed he pushed her onto his bed and tried to assault her. Speaking under the alias Simin, she told the Spanish newspaper: “I thought he was going to rape me. I was terrified but tried not to show it. I pushed him away and said, ‘I didn’t come here to have sex with you’.”

According to her, despite rejecting his advances, Peerzada persisted.

Embassy Response: Denial and Threats

Afghanistan International contacted Peerzada for a response, but he did not reply. Hours later, the Afghan embassy in Madrid issued a statement dismissing the allegations as baseless conspiracies.

Without directly addressing the accusations, the statement claimed the women should take their cases to Spanish authorities so the embassy could be held accountable under the law. However, in a threatening tone, it warned that the embassy “reserves the right to restore its reputation” and would pursue legal action against those behind the allegations.

On 7 March, the Pakistani government ordered all undocumented Afghan migrants, including those holding Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC), to leave the country by 31 March. Authorities warned that forced deportations would begin after the deadline. However, arrests and expulsions had already started in cities like Islamabad and Rawalpindi nearly two months ago.

Officials from the Afghan refugee council in Balochistan told Afghanistan International that a group of Afghan representatives, elders, and community leaders filed the lawsuit on 18 March.

Zahir Pashtun, one of the representatives, criticised Pakistan’s decision, calling it an unfair move targeting Afghan migrants during a time of crisis. He emphasised that Afghan refugees are not involved in criminal or terrorist activities.

“Afghan migrants have lived in Pakistan for nearly four decades. We cannot relocate our 40 years of life back to our homeland in just a few days,” he said.

Babrak, another Afghan refugee representative in Balochistan, stressed that many refugees have built businesses, farms, and homes in Pakistan. He noted that the short timeframe does not allow them to liquidate their assets and relocate. He also urged Pakistan to grant citizenship to Afghan refugees born in the country over the past 40 years.

The petitioners are calling for a comprehensive repatriation mechanism involving Pakistan, Afghanistan, the United Nations, and Afghan refugee representatives.

The Pakistani government estimates that around 800,000 Afghan refugees currently hold ACCs. Additionally, authorities have warned that Afghan migrants with Proof of Registration (PoR) cards will also face deportation after June this year.

With decades of life in Pakistan and inadequate facilities in Afghanistan, Afghan migrants now face an uncertain future.

Peter Reynolds, 79, and his wife, Barbie, 75, who have been involved in education projects in Afghanistan, were arrested last month from their home in Bamiyan province.

Barbie Reynolds managed to contact her family from Pul-e-Charkhi prison in Kabul, informing them that a court date had been scheduled for her and her husband.

“We don’t even know what the charges are against us. We will hear the charges for the first time then,” she said in a voicemail to her family.

The couple has worked on education initiatives in Afghan schools for 18 years and chose to remain in the country after the Taliban regained power. One of their key projects focused on providing education for mothers and children in Bamiyan.

Despite the Taliban’s restrictions on women’s employment and girls’ education beyond the sixth grade, their work had reportedly been approved by local authorities in Bamiyan.

Sarah Entwistle, the couple’s daughter, told The Guardian she fears they may not receive a fair trial. Their translator, Juya, who was arrested alongside them, is also scheduled to appear in court on Thursday but will not be permitted to translate during the proceedings.

The couple was arrested on 1 February, along with Juya and an American-Chinese friend, Faye Hall, who had chartered a plane for their trip.

Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, and the Netherlands follow in second to fifth place, securing their spots among the world’s happiest nations.

At the bottom of the list, Afghanistan remains the world’s saddest country, ranking 147th. It is followed by Sierra Leone (146th), Lebanon (145th), Malawi (144th), and Zimbabwe (143rd), which complete the five least happy nations.

The report also highlights a slight decline in the United States’ ranking, dropping one place to 24th compared to last year. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom has fallen to 23rd place, marking its lowest happiness ranking since 2018.

Canada, however, has retained its position among the top 20 happiest countries, securing 18th place.

Taliban and Pakistani officials stated that passenger movement would resume within the next two days. Videos obtained by Afghanistan International show cargo trucks entering both countries following the reopening. Pakistani authorities confirmed that the crossing would be fully operational for pedestrians by Friday.

The Taliban governor’s spokesperson in Nangarhar said Pakistani officials were working to activate their systems for passenger movement by the end of the week. Earlier, sources confirmed that Taliban and Pakistani border officials had reached an agreement to reopen the crossing.

Security sources said the meeting took place on Wednesday, with the Pakistani delegation led by Asim Kayani, commander of the Pakistan Army in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and the Taliban delegation headed by Abdul Jabbar Hikmat, the group’s commissioner at Torkham. This meeting followed two unsuccessful jirgas [tribal councils] aimed at resolving the border closure.

Participants of both jirgas said the Taliban’s refusal to halt checkpoint construction was the primary obstacle to reopening. Pakistan initially closed the Torkham border on February 21, citing the Taliban’s attempt to build a checkpoint on Pakistani soil.

Syed Jawad Hussain Kazemi, head of Pakistan’s jirga delegation, stated that the Taliban had now agreed to halt construction activities that could escalate border tensions. Both sides also agreed to prevent future conflicts at Torkham until the Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) convenes.

Pakistani media reported that the border would first reopen for passenger movement, followed by commercial goods. Officials from both sides plan to meet soon to facilitate smoother transit at the crossing.

Pakistani customs officials estimate that the Torkham crossing handles approximately $3 million in daily trade and sees around 10,000 crossings per day.

The border was originally shut down on February 21 after clashes between Taliban and Pakistani border forces. The dispute was triggered by Taliban checkpoint construction and Pakistan’s installation of a road sign at the zero-point. The closure stranded thousands of passengers and caused significant financial losses.

A Pakistani official told Express Tribune that the shutdown had cost Pakistan around $72 million. Meanwhile, the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce reported that Afghan traders had suffered losses of approximately $66 million due to the prolonged closure.