Archive

The Purple Saturdays Movement has sounded the alarm over the worsening plight of Afghan women and girls, decrying the Taliban’s ongoing violations of their rights and freedoms.

Faisal Khamoosh, spokesperson for the Taliban’s Ministry of Martyrs and Disabled Affairs, announced that since the group’s return to power in August 2021, around 650,000 differently-abled individuals, orphans, and widowed women in need have been registered.

Pakistani officials confirmed on Tuesday that 90 Afghan migrants were arrested in Islamabad and Rawalpindi and deported via the Torkham border. Of those expelled, 77 held Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC), while 13 lacked legal residency documents.

Iranian media report that President Masoud Pezeshkian has engaged with leaders of 11 neighbouring and Muslim countries in the first 12 days of the Hijri solar year 1404 (March–April 2025) to mark Nowruz and Eid al-Fitr.

Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s spokesperson, hailed Russia’s proposal to suspend its terrorist designation as a “necessary and important step” towards bolstering Afghanistan-Russia ties.

Iran and the Taliban plan to establish consulates in Farah and Birjand to boost trade and economic ties, according to Mohammad Reza Hashemi, Governor of South Khorasan, as reported by IRNA.

Approximately 12,000 Afghan citizens are currently imprisoned in Pakistan, Iran, and Türkiye, according to Abdul Motalib Haqqani, spokesperson for the Taliban’s Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation.

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has reiterated his government’s strategic and pragmatic approach towards Afghanistan, reaffirming Uzbekistan’s policy of engagement with the Taliban as both necessary and forward-looking.

The US-based organisation Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) has raised serious concerns over the safety of Afghan nationals deported from the United States to Panama, stating that they face the risk of death if returned to Afghanistan.

The United States Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, has revealed that the US Institute of Peace (USIP) spent approximately $13 million on personal expenses over the past decade.

Rana Sanaullah, Senior Adviser to Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, has declared that military operations are the only viable solution to combating terrorism in the country.

The deportation of undocumented Afghan migrants from Pakistan is set to begin today, Tuesday, 1 April, according to a report by Geo News, which cited sources within the Interior Ministry of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Despite the Taliban’s recent efforts to improve ties with Washington, the US State Department has publicly described the group as part of a terrorist network supported by the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Russia’s Prosecutor General has formally requested the country’s Supreme Court to suspend the Taliban’s designation as a terrorist organisation, state news agency Interfax reported on Monday.

The Taliban deployed heavy weaponry at Kandahar’s Eidgah Mosque on the first day of Eid al-Fitr to secure the presence of their reclusive leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, according to images obtained by Afghanistan International.

The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) has reopened its international cooperation office in Kabul to provide humanitarian assistance, more than three years after it was closed following the Taliban’s takeover in August 2021.

In a quiet but clear act of defiance, the predominantly Hazara and Shia residents of West Kabul celebrated Eid al-Fitr on Monday, diverging from the Taliban’s official announcement marking the holiday on Sunday.

Transit trade between Afghanistan and Pakistan has plunged by 66 percent, amounting to a loss of over $1.49 billion between July 2024 and February 2025, according to a report by The Nation, citing official sources.

Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon and Kyrgyzstan’s President Sadyr Japarov have officially inaugurated a key section of the CASA-1000 regional power transmission project.

Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has warned that Afghanistan could descend into war if members of the group do not obey his authority.

Amid a recent surge in terrorist activity and insecurity, the Pakistani government has announced plans to address the issue of “terrorism” more directly with the Taliban through diplomatic channels.