Policy Towards Taliban Will Remain Unchanged, Says Pakistan

In a message posted on the social network X, Bennett said that more than 269 civilians had been killed in Pakistan's air strike on the addiction rehabilitation hospital in Kabul on 15 March.

Warning of the legal consequences of the action, the UN Special Rapporteur stressed that " deliberate attacks on civilians or civ objects may amount to war crimes." He also called on the Taliban to ensure the safety of patients at such centres.

On the evening of 15 March, Pakistani fighter jets, as part of an operation known as "Ghazab-Lil -Haq", bombed the drug treatment centre in eastern Kabul. Since 2016, the centre had operated as one of the largest addiction-treatment facilities, with a capacity of close to two thousand patients.

While the United Nations has confirmed the deaths of 269 civilians and the wounding of a further 122 in the incident, Taliban officials have put the death toll at more than 400.

At the same time, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have described the attack as unlawful, disproportionate, and possibly a war crime, and have called for an independent investigation and accountability from Islamabad.

The Taliban have described the bombing as a deliberate massacre of patients and civilians and a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, insisting that the Omid centre was purely a medical facility with no connection to any military sites.

Pakistan, by contrast, has rejected these claims, stating that the operation targeted military facilities, an ammunition depot, and terrorist infrastructure linked to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, and that the medical centre was not directly targeted. Islamabad claims that secondary explosions from ammunition stored at the site caused the destruction of, and damage to, adjacent buildings.

The Taliban Ministry of Public Works also announced on Friday that the Salang Pass highway had been temporarily closed to all traffic due to heavy rainfall and flooding in the northern Salang area.

The ministry urged travellers and drivers not to use the route until further notice.

The spokesman for the Taliban disaster management authority said on Thursday that at least six people had been killed and 11 others injured over the past 24 hours due to lightning, storms and floods in the provinces of Kandahar Province, Herat Province, Ghor Province and Takhar Province.

Afghanistan’s meteorological department has forecast relatively heavy rainfall, thunderstorms and possible flooding in 18 provinces on May 22 and 23.

The Taliban disaster management authority said the affected areas could include Kapisa, Panjshir,Parwan, Bamyan, Maidan Wardak, Balkh, Samangan, Sar-e Pol, Jowzjan, Faryab, Kunduz, Baghlan, Takhar, Badakhshan, Nangarhar, Laghman, Kunar and Nuristan provinces.

The authority urged residents to avoid rivers and flood-prone areas and to follow safety advice carefully.

She said members of the European Parliament oppose any normalisation of relations with the Taliban.

The warning came after the European Commission recently invited Taliban officials for talks on the return of Afghan refugees, a move criticised by several European politicians and human rights organisations.

Earlier, Hannah Neumann, a member of the European Parliament, reacted to reports of a possible Taliban visit to Brussels in the coming weeks by saying there could be no legitimacy and no deals for the Taliban.

In a critical remark, she said: “EU officials rolling out the red carpet for the Taliban in Brussels.”

The European Commission, however, insisted that the contacts do not amount to formal recognition of the Taliban and are being conducted only at a technical and operational level.

The commission also stated that no senior Taliban leaders would take part in the discussions.

Nevertheless, Picierno said on Thursday in a post on X that she had submitted a written question to the European Commission seeking clarification about the invitation extended to Taliban officials.

She asked how the commission could justify such a move while the United Nations considers the forced return of Afghan refugees contrary to international law and the Court of Justice of the European Union has rejected the deportation of Afghan women.

The vice-president of the European Parliament also referred to the parliament’s recently adopted resolution on Afghanistan, saying lawmakers had condemned widespread violations of women’s rights in the country and opposed any normalisation of relations with the Taliban.

She added that the European Parliament’s message was clear and that the institution stands alongside the democratic opposition in exile.

The organisation said the harsh realities of environmental crises in Afghanistan show that women face significantly higher vulnerability than men during natural disasters.

In a post on X on Thursday, the World Health Organization wrote: “Natural disasters do not affect everyone equally.”

According to the organisation’s findings, around 70 to 80 percent of people who urgently require emergency and humanitarian assistance after natural disasters are women and children.

The organisation said pregnant and breastfeeding women face additional health risks during floods and in the aftermath of such disasters.

The World Health Organization stressed the importance of preparedness, protection and recovery efforts, urging international aid agencies to give special attention to the health and livelihoods of women and children in affected areas.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the fifth section of the Hairatan–Mazar-i-Sharif railway line, Baradar said the Taliban attach special importance to expanding relations with Uzbekistan.

He stressed that the Taliban seek to broaden engagement and cooperation with neighbouring countries on the basis of goodwill.

The Taliban deputy prime minister also said a special committee, headed by the Taliban governor of Balkh Province, had been formed to examine and resolve potential issues in relations between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan in order to facilitate greater cooperation and interaction.

Call For Investment

Baradar urged Afghan traders and investors living abroad to return to Afghanistan.

He said Afghans outside the country should be encouraged to come back and invest.

The Taliban deputy prime minister added that the administration guarantees investors can safely invest in any sector they choose.

The fifth section of the Mazar-i-Sharif–Hairatan railway line was inaugurated by the Taliban Ministry of Public Works in the presence of the deputy prime minister for economic affairs, the Taliban public works minister, Uzbek officials, local authorities and residents of Balkh province.

Officials from the Taliban Public Works Directorate in Balkh said the project, including rail and non-rail sections, buildings, lines and infrastructure, cost 6.3 million dollars under a contract with Uzbekistan.

According to the officials, the entire cost of the project is being funded through the budget of the Taliban Ministry of Public Works.