Afghan Delegates At Antalya Process Criticise UN’s Mosaic Plan For Excluding Civil Society

The violence erupted over the Taliban’s ongoing efforts to eradicate poppy fields in the area.

According to sources, villagers attempted to carry the body of a man reportedly killed by Taliban forces during the initial confrontation in a protest march demanding justice. In response, Taliban military officials deployed reinforcements to the area on Monday.

Several residents and poppy field owners allegedly supported by local Taliban members have since taken to the surrounding mountains, establishing defensive positions against the advancing Taliban units.

Eyewitnesses reported that both sides fired warning shots into the air, raising fears of an imminent escalation. A source from the village said the deceased was later buried following mediation by Fasihuddin Fitrat, the Taliban’s Chief of Army Staff. The villagers had initially planned to carry the body to the Taliban governor’s office in Faizabad as part of a protest.

The unrest began on Sunday when a Taliban unit dispatched to destroy poppy fields reportedly clashed with armed locals. Witnesses said that poppy field owners, backed by sympathetic Taliban affiliates, exchanged gunfire with the enforcement team. At least one person was killed and four others injured during the confrontation.

Ahmad Jawid Mojaddedi, a former member of the Badakhshan Provincial Council, criticised the Taliban’s “double standards” in implementing the poppy ban. Speaking to Afghanistan International, he said, “While the Taliban enforce the ban harshly in Badakhshan, poppy cultivation continues unchecked in many other provinces.”

This latest episode mirrors similar confrontations from the previous year, underscoring growing discontent in Badakhshan over the Taliban’s eradication campaigns. Farmers in the region have repeatedly voiced frustration, arguing that poverty and unemployment leave them no choice but to cultivate poppies as a means of survival.

According to the report, the families were repatriated through several key border crossings, including Torkham, Spin Boldak, Angoor Ada, Bahramcha, Pul-e-Abrisham, and Islam Qala.

Both the Islamic Republic of Iran and Pakistan have been detaining and deporting undocumented Afghan migrants for several months, a process that continues despite diplomatic engagements.

Mihyung Park, head of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Afghanistan, previously warned that the country is now experiencing a second wave of mass returns from Iran and Pakistan.

In an earlier statement, the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that during a meeting between Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, the two sides discussed bilateral relations and the ongoing situation of Afghan migrants. Similar discussions have reportedly taken place with Mohammad Sadiq, Pakistan’s special envoy for Afghanistan.

However, the Taliban’s continued reporting of daily deportations suggests that these diplomatic efforts have had minimal impact on the ongoing expulsions of Afghan nationals by both neighbouring countries.

The call comes as clashes intensify between Taliban forces and local farmers over the destruction of poppy fields in the province.

Yaftali strongly criticised the Taliban’s “highly ethnocentric leadership” and accused the group of deepening ethnic divisions across Afghanistan. He claimed this discriminatory approach was a key reason for the population to stand up against Taliban rule.

Local sources told Afghanistan International on Sunday that armed confrontations erupted in Farghamanch village, Jurm district of Badakhshan, as Taliban forces attempted to eradicate poppy fields. According to the sources, owners of the fields allegedly supported by local Taliban members engaged in a gunfight with Taliban officials tasked with enforcement.

Although Yaftali did not directly comment on the recent clashes, he denounced the Taliban for widespread ethnic discrimination and accused the group of betraying Islamic principles.

“The Taliban came to power under the pretext of defending religion, but they neither had nor have any connection to the true values of Islam,” he said. “Justice is a pillar of Islam, yet the Taliban have oppressed other ethnic groups and shown no mercy even to free-minded Pashtuns.”

Yaftali also condemned the Taliban for “plundering Badakhshan’s mines,” illegal land seizures, and sidelining local professionals in provincial administration.

“All of their actions are aimed at creating deep ethnic divisions, which will have disastrous long-term consequences for the people of Afghanistan,” he warned.

The Taliban have officially banned poppy cultivation across Afghanistan, but enforcement has led to repeated violent incidents especially in Badakhshan, where resistance from farmers has been particularly fierce. In contrast, poppy cultivation reportedly continues with less interference in provinces such as Helmand.

Badakhshan holds strategic importance for the Taliban, not only as one of the few northern provinces where the group maintains a substantial presence, but also as the home province of Qari Fasihuddin, the Taliban’s Chief of Army Staff. Its rich mining resources are also critical to the Taliban’s efforts to reduce reliance on foreign aid through resource extraction.

Addressing former members of the Afghan security forces, Yaftali called on them to prepare for resistance. He also issued an appeal to Badakhshani Taliban members, urging them to surrender and promising no retribution if they abandon the “tyrannical regime of the Taliban.”

“Do not remain as human shields,” he said, calling on local fighters to reject the leadership’s divisive agenda.

Posting on X, Khurram likened the country’s current impasse to a “time bomb” ready to explode.

“The 21st century is the century of US-China rivalry, just as the 20th century saw US-Soviet competition, and the 19th century witnessed British-Russian contest,” he wrote on 25 May. He argued that China now stands as America’s principal challenger and that successive US administrations from Obama through Trump to Biden have pursued a consistent strategic stance towards Beijing, differing only in tone.

Khurram recalled President Obama’s observation that the US-China relationship would define the century. He said that Afghanistan, buffeted by great-power conflicts in previous centuries, again faces a similar fate owing to its strategic location and that Afghans have historically been pawns, not players, in those rivalries.

He contended that if Afghanistan had maintained active international engagement and preserved its legitimacy, it might have leveraged today’s global competition to its advantage. Instead, suspension from global institutions and severe domestic disunity have left the country vulnerable.

Khurram cautioned that growing isolation among citizens threatens to detonate the “time bomb” he described. He identified the nation’s lack of scientific capacity, economic weakness and absence of a credible defence as critical barriers preventing Afghanistan from asserting itself in 21st-century geopolitics.

In its April report, released on Sunday, 25 May, OCHA recorded 60 access-related incidents across central, southern and western regions, an 11 percent increase over March. Eighteen percent of these incidents involved gender-based restrictions.

The obstacles documented included direct meddling in operational planning, diversion of aid, delays in document approval, interference in logistics and recruitment, and explicit curbs on women’s participation. As a result, 35 humanitarian activities were temporarily suspended during the month.

OCHA noted that 73 percent of all the 44 cases of access incidents were attributable to Taliban authorities. Violence against aid personnel also rose, with seven arrests, 29 threats or verbal assaults, and four outright movement bans. Restrictions on women’s roles in aid delivery jumped by 38 percent compared to March.

The Taliban have further demanded sensitive data, including beneficiary lists, undermining humanitarian neutrality. OCHA continues to publish monthly updates detailing these challenges, underscoring the urgent need for unfettered access to protect vulnerable populations.