Taliban Begin Exporting Afghan Agricultural Goods Via Uzbekistan Air Routes

The announcement came a day after Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the deputy prime minister for economic affairs told medicine importers to settle all commercial dealings with Pakistan within that period and to use alternative routes for imports.

In a statement issued Thursday, the ministry said the decision was intended to prevent the import of low-quality medicines and that, after the three-month deadline, “medicines imported from Pakistan will not be processed for customs duties.”

The ministry said it planned to provide additional facilities for importing higher-quality medicines through alternative routes.

Baradar told Afghan traders and industrialists on Wednesday that they must settle their accounts with Pakistan within three months. He added that, because of what he described as the poor quality of Pakistani imports, exports and imports “should be carried out through alternative routes.”

With rising tensions along the border, Pakistan has closed all crossings with Afghanistan. Baradar told Afghan traders that Pakistan had previously closed trade routes, particularly during the fruit season, and said that if Pakistan wished to reopen the crossings now, it would need to provide guarantees ensuring the routes would not be shut again. He emphasised that Afghanistan’s exports and imports “must be conducted through alternative routes.”

Economic analysts say Afghanistan is able to conduct trade independently through other corridors in line with international law.

Anwar ul-Haq Ahadi, a former Afghan finance minister, told Afghanistan International that Afghanistan could use the Iran route and the Lapis Lazuli Corridor as long-term alternatives for exports and imports.

Another former finance minister, Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal, said transit for a landlocked country was “neither a gift nor a privilege,” but a legal right under international law and bilateral agreements. He said no country could revoke another’s transit access because of political tensions or disputes.

He had earlier said the militants involved in the attack on the Wana Military College had been in contact with their organisers in Afghanistan.

The interior minister did not provide further details about the identities of those involved in the recent suicide bombings.

On Monday, militants attacked the Wana Military College in South Waziristan, resulting in at least three deaths.

On Tuesday, a suicide bombing near the Islamabad Judicial Complex killed at least 12 people and wounded 27 others. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a splinter faction of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed responsibility for that attack.

Although no group has claimed responsibility for the Wana attack, Pakistan’s army attributed it to TTP.

The Rawalpindi Counter Terrorism Department on Thursday arrested seven suspects who officials said had facilitated the suicide bombing at the Islamabad Judicial Complex.

A day after the attack in Islamabad, Pakistan’s prime minister told Parliament that India and the Afghan Taliban had been involved in the terrorist attack in Pakistan.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif also warned that Pakistan might take military action inside Afghanistan. He rejected the Afghan Taliban’s condemnation of the attack, describing it as not genuine.

Asif said Pakistan would present evidence of Afghan Taliban involvement in recent incidents to mediating countries such as Qatar and Turkiye.

In an interview with Geo News, he said Pakistan would not leave what he called aggression unanswered and would deliver a decisive response.

Asif said Pakistan was ready and equipped to face challenges on both its eastern border with India and its western border with Afghanistan. He told the television channel Hum News that he viewed the Afghan Taliban as acting as a proxy force for India.

He said Pakistan had defeated India in the first round of conflict and believed it would do so again, adding that the country had no choice but to fight on both fronts.

When asked whether this situation would make Pakistan’s borders more vulnerable referencing a comment by India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, who had said Delhi should engage Pakistan through proxies, Asif responded that Pakistan was indeed facing a two-front threat from India and Afghanistan and reiterated his claim that Afghanistan was acting on India’s behalf.

The minister said Pakistan was ready to face both borders and believed divine support had helped the country previously and would do so again.

He said he supported negotiations with the Taliban and backed dialogue, but argued that talks required sincerity and genuine intent. He said this did not mean Pakistan would accept being pushed to the outskirts of Islamabad and then be asked to negotiate under such circumstances.

After the suicide attack in Islamabad, Asif said hope for successful negotiations with the Taliban was misplaced, given the environment. He said the authorities in Kabul were capable of preventing attacks in Pakistan and argued that bringing the conflict to Islamabad amounted to a message from Kabul, one that he believed Pakistan was capable of answering.

Three rounds of talks between Pakistan and the Taliban have taken place in recent weeks. The first round in Doha resulted in agreement on a temporary ceasefire, while the second and third rounds in Istanbul ended without progress.

Pakistan accuses the Afghan Taliban of harbouring Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and allowing the group to launch attacks from Afghan territory. The Taliban denies the allegation.

The agreement, signed on Wednesday outlines expanded cooperation between the two countries. Article 10 of the document, published on the Kremlin’s website, said both sides welcomed the creation of the UN Regional Centre for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Kazakhstan, viewing it as a promising platform for advancing long-term, mutually beneficial regional development projects.

Tokayev announced earlier this year that the SDG centre had opened in Almaty with the support of the UN Secretary-General and partner countries.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres travelled to Kazakhstan, where he signed an agreement with Kazakh officials finalising the centre’s establishment. The United Nations confirmed the centre’s opening shortly afterwards.

During the ceremony, Tokayev said Kazakhstan remained committed to supporting the people of Afghanistan through humanitarian assistance, educational initiatives, trade development and food-security programmes.

Guterres said at the centre’s launch that Afghanistan formed an integral part of the future of Central Asia.

HRW added that the sanctions could be imposed others involved in serious human rights abuses in Afghanistan.

In a statement, the organisation described the reforms as an important step toward ensuring accountability for Taliban officials and other individuals implicated in rights violations.

The Australian government announced on 30 October that it had completed consultations on the proposed changes, which are intended to introduce new criteria for creating an Afghanistan-specific sanctions list. The amendments also outline an arms embargo on Afghanistan and a ban on providing weapons-related services to the country.

HRW said the proposed changes would allow Australia to sanction individuals and entities responsible for, complicit in, or involved in the repression of women, girls and minorities, as well as broader forms of political and social repression. The amendments would also permit sanctions against anyone deemed to be undermining governance and the rule of law in Afghanistan.

Daniela Gavshon, HRW’s Australia director, said it was important for the Australian government to act against Taliban leaders believed to be responsible for severe restrictions on women and girls and other grave abuses. She said the revised sanctions framework would allow Australia to align with countries that have already taken steps to confront what HRW described as the Taliban’s widespread and systematic repression.

HRW reiterated that the Taliban intensified their restrictions on women and girls after returning to power in August 2021. UN experts have assessed that these actions amount to crimes against humanity in the form of gender persecution.

The organisation also cited the shrinking civic space under Taliban rule, including extensive censorship and the arrest and torture of activists and journalists.

HRW added that LGBTQ+ people and other minorities in Afghanistan face dire conditions and serious threats under Taliban rule. It said hundreds of Shia Hazara civilians and other Afghans have been killed or wounded in attacks carried out by Islamic State–affiliated groups.