Heavy Rain & Flood Leave 6 Dead In Afghanistan

Speaking at the Harvard Law School Negotiation Programme, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate said the situation for women and girls has worsened under renewed Taliban rule, leaving them deprived of their basic rights. She added that the presence of women and girls at the negotiating table must be guaranteed.

“You cannot determine the future of a country when half of the population is held back.,” she said. Yousafzai added that Taliban restrictions on women are often framed as cultural but argued that the group’s mindset has no connection to Islam.

Referring to the visit of Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to India, she said when countries ignore the issue of women’s rights, they effectively contribute to it.

Yousafzai, who met Guhan Subramanian, chair of the Harvard Law School Negotiation Programme, and other officials, also criticised the Taliban’s ban on girls’ and women’s education and the absence of a fair judicial system.

The programme was held in late March 2026, during which the documentary “Bread and Roses”, depicting the struggle of some Afghan women in the early weeks after the Taliban’s return to power, was screened.

Diplomatic sources told Afghanistan International that Pakistan’s deputy foreign minister will attend, while the Taliban have sent representatives from their foreign, interior and intelligence ministries.

According to Pakistani sources, the deputy foreign minister, who had earlier been in Beijing, has travelled to Urumqi for the talks. Pakistan’s delegation also includes officials from the defence and interior ministries, as well as intelligence agencies.

The meeting comes as part of China’s diplomatic efforts to ease tensions between the two sides. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar, travelled to China on Tuesday and met his Chinese counterpart.

A statement from Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said the two sides also discussed the situation in Afghanistan during the meeting. China’s special envoy had earlier visited Islamabad and Kabul.

Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper, citing a foreign ministry official, reported that Beijing had asked Pakistan’s foreign minister to take part in the talks. According to the official, the request came after the Taliban asked China to bring Islamabad to the negotiating table.

Previous rounds of talks between the Taliban and Pakistan were held in Qatar and Türkiye but ended without a clear outcome, and tensions between the two sides have continued.

However, the Taliban have not yet officially commented on their participation, and Pakistan has also not formally confirmed the attendance of its delegation.

The jirga, organised by the Aspire Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the Pakistan’s National Reform Movement, stressed that neither side should allow its territory to be used against the other.

Hosted by Arbab Shehzad Khan, former chief secretary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the gathering brought together representatives of political parties, religious scholars, the business community and media figures.

Participants proposed the creation of a continuous communication mechanism to facilitate ongoing dialogue, enabling the Afghan Taliban and the Pakistani government to better understand each other’s perspectives, challenges and constraints.

In addition to this jirga, another meeting aimed at promoting peace and reducing tensions between the Taliban and Pakistan is being planned in Quetta, although the exact date has yet to be set.

That meeting is also expected to call on Pakistani leaders and the Taliban to implement an immediate ceasefire.

The jirga’s call comes as Afghan Taliban forces and the Pakistani military have been engaged in deadly clashes for about a month. Following the end of a temporary ceasefire during Eid al-Fitr, tensions between the two sides have somewhat decreased.

Mohammad Shafiq Popal, the council’s regional programme manager, said in a video from the Afghanistan-Iran border that many Afghan migrants are returning home with no belongings.

He stressed that hundreds of thousands more Afghans are expected to return. The Norwegian Refugee Council added that partner organisations and the Taliban must be prepared to respond to the situation.

The council had previously warned about the impact of the war on civilians and Afghan migrants in Iran, saying many Afghans live in cities that have been heavily targeted by US and Israeli attacks.

According to recent reports, more than four million Afghans in Iran are among the most vulnerable groups, and many Afghan families have lost their only source of income as a result of the war.

Richard Lindsay said on Tuesday on X, referring to the recent UN Human Rights Council report on Afghanistan, that every Afghan deserves to live free from harassment in a safe and open environment.

The United Nations said in the report that the human rights situation in Afghanistan has significantly deteriorated, warning that life for citizens, especially women and girls, has become markedly more difficult under Taliban rule.

The report, covering August 2025 to January 2026, was presented at a recent Human Rights Council session and contains troubling assessments of the humanitarian crisis, widespread violations of women’s rights, restrictions on freedom of expression and the suppression of civil activities in the country.

The UK representative added: “We urge the Taliban to respect all Afghans’ rights.”