Category: Afghanistan

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‘Taliban to announce govt after technical issues are resolved’

The new government of the Taliban is said to be an interim and replacement that will be responsible for the arrangement of grand gathering…reports Asian Lite News

The Taliban is set to announce an interim government in Afghanistan after technical issues are resolved, officials of the Islamic Emirate said.

The officials said that the Taliban has finalised negotiations over the new inclusive government, Khaama News reported on Monday.

Acting minister of information and culture and spokesperson of the Taliban Zabiullah Mujahid said that they are fully prepared for the announcement and are working harder to secure the arrival of foreigners to the ceremony.

“I cannot disclose the exact date of announcing the incoming government but it will be very soon. For the time being, we are busy solving some technical issues of the process,” he added.

The new government of the Taliban is said to be an interim and replacement that will be responsible for the arrangement of grand gathering, Loya Jirga, and other measures for the establishment of a permanent government.

(Image Source ANI)

Meanwhile, Anaamullah Samangani, a member of the Taliban’s cultural commission, said: “Now we live in a completely independent Afghanistan. The new government will be announced very soon,” TOLO News said.

Meanwhile, political analysts say the Taliban should consider merit-based appointments in the future government. “Dozens of our ministries are technical ministries and for them we need technical people,” said Sayed Eshaq Gilani, a political analyst.

A number of residents of the country meanwhile urge the Taliban to form an inclusive government and open the public institutions. “To any department that people go, it is closed. This has created problems for the people,” said Habibullah, a Kabul resident.

“The Taliban should form an inclusive government that everyone should be included in,” Abdul Ali Nazari, a resident of Kunduz province said.

Baradar meets top UN official

Taliban’s deputy head Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar met UN under-secretary-general Martin Griffiths, urging the UN’s humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan on Sunday, reported local media.

Baradar met Martin Griffiths at the country’s foreign ministry in Kabul. Griffiths said that the UN will continue its support and cooperation to Afghanistan, TOLOnews reported on Sunday.

Earlier, the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) termed the Afghanistan situation a “humanitarian emergency of internal displacement” as more than half a million Afghan civilians have been displaced from the war-ravaged country.

“More than half a million Afghan civilians have already been displaced. The full impact of the evolving political situation isn’t clear. What is clear is that we are witnessing large-scale displacement amid what is now a humanitarian emergency of internal displacement,” UNHRC tweeted.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that he will convene a high-level humanitarian conference for Afghanistan on September 13.

Secretary-General Guterres, in a statement on Tuesday, expressed his deep concern about the humanitarian and economic crisis in Afghanistan and the threat of a total collapse in basic services.

ALSO READ: Pakistan in dilemma as Taliban victory revives TTP

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Taliban claims capture of Panjshir province

This comes hours after Panjshir resistance spokesperson Fahim Dashti was reported dead in a clash with the Taliban on Sunday….reports Asian Lite News

The Taliban has claimed the capture of the Afghan province of Panjshir, the last resistance stronghold in the country, TOLO News reported on Monday.

“Recent efforts to ensure complete security in the country have also brought results, and the Panjshir province has come under the full control of the Islamic Emirate (the name used by the Taliban),” said Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid, as quoted by Sputnik.

This comes hours after Panjshir resistance spokesperson Fahim Dashti was reported dead in a clash with the Taliban on Sunday.

But the National Resistance Front (NRF) of Afghanistan has denied Taliban claims and said that the resistance forces are present at all strategic positions across the valley to continue the fight.

They further assured the people of Afghanistan that the struggle against the Taliban and their partners will continue until justice and freedom prevails.

The information was shared through the unverified Twitter account of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan.

“Taliban’s claim of occupying Panjshir is false. The NRF forces are present in all strategic positions across the valley to continue the fight. We assure the people of Afghanistan that the struggle against the Taliban & their partners will continue until justice & freedom prevails,” tweeted the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan.

After the fall of Kabul on August 15, Panjshir province remained the only defiant holdout where resistance forces led by Ahamd Masoud, the son of late former Afghan guerrilla commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, were fighting the Taliban. The geography has witnessed heavy conflict between the warring sides in the past four days and both parties are claiming to have inflicted heavy casualties.

Panjshir has been the stronghold of the National Resistance Front, led by Ahmad Massoud and former Vice President Amrullah Saleh, who declared himself caretaker president. On Sunday, Massoud said that he was ready to cease fighting and start negotiations if the Taliban abandoned the province.

Panjshir was the last Afghan province holding out against the armed group that swept to power last month. Taliban has been facing stiff resistance after pushing deep into the country’s holdout in Panjshir Valley.

Both sides claimed to have the upper hand in Panjshir but neither could produce conclusive evidence to prove it.

ALSO READ: Pakistan in dilemma as Taliban victory revives TTP

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Everyone got it wrong on Afghanistan: Gen Carter

The last British and US troops left Afghanistan a week ago, bringing their 20-year military campaign in the country to an end…reports Asian Lite News.

Chief of the Defence Staff Gen Sir Nick Carter on Sunday said that “everybody got it wrong” on how quickly the Taliban would take over Afghanistan.

Talking to BBC, Gen Sir Nick Carter said: “It was the pace of it that surprised us and I don’t think we realised quite what the Taliban were up to.”

Asked whether military intelligence was wrong, he said the government received intelligence from a variety of sources. “It’s not purely about military intelligence,” he said.

The last British and US troops left Afghanistan a week ago, bringing their 20-year military campaign in the country to an end.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told MPs last week the intelligence assessment had been that there would be a “steady deterioration” in the security situation in August but it was “unlikely Kabul would fall this year”. However, the Taliban took over Kabul in mid-August.

Speaking to the BBC’s Andrew Marr show on Sunday, Sir Nick was asked how the predictions had been wrong.

“I think everybody got it wrong is the straight answer,” he said. “Even the Taliban didn’t expect things to change as quickly as they did.”

Raab has earlier confirmed that UK will not recognise the Taliban as the new government in Afghanistan but said it wants to engage with the group.

Speaking during a visit to Pakistan, the Foreign Secretary said, “Britain will not recognise the Taliban as the new government in Kabul”, reported Al Jazeera.

Raab further stated, “new realities in Afghanistan” must be dealt with and also said that the UK does not want to see the “social and economic fabric of the country broken.”

Meanwhile, stressing the importance of talks with the Taliban, he said that the evacuation process could not have been possible without some degree of cooperation with the group, reported Al Jazeera.

He said it would not have been possible to evacuate some 15,000 people from Kabul without some degree of cooperation with the Taliban, who seized Kabul on August 15.

“We do see the importance of being able to engage and having a direct line of communication,” he said.

In the run-up to government formation, the Taliban is holding talks with several countries around the world in a bid to gain legitimacy.

ALSO READ-UN urged to protect Baloch refugees in Afghanistan

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‘Refugee crisis could pave way for common EU migration policy’

Foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told a press conference on Friday after an informal meeting of the Foreign Ministers that this task was conditional on whether security conditions are met for talks with the new government in Afghanistan…reports Asian Lite News.

The situation in Afghanistan and the events associated with it could pave the way for the formation of a common migration policy, according to European Commissioner Margaritis Schinas.

Speaking to an Austrian daily Wiener Zeitung, Schinas said, “It is true that we are now in a major crisis, but the European Union (EU) did not cause the situation, yet we are once again called upon to be part of a solution.”

He further said that he wanted to “avoid a reflex” that takes Europe back to the crisis year 2015 “before it is even clear how the situation will develop.”

After Taliban takeover, several thousands of Afghans have been flown out of their homeland either to neighbouring Asian countries or to the US and Europe. The UN’s refugee agency (UNHCR) has said that up to 500,000 Afghans could escape by the year-end, media reported.

Last week, Foreign Ministers of the European Union had agreed to re-establish a joint presence in Kabul to ensure the safe departure of the bloc’s nationals and Afghans who are considered at risk and who could be received by member states.

Foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told a press conference on Friday after an informal meeting of the Foreign Ministers that this task was conditional on whether security conditions are met for talks with the new government in Afghanistan.

“We have been tasked by the Council on coordinating the contacts with the Taliban, the new government in Afghanistan, including with a joint European Union presence in Kabul if the security conditions allow for it,” he said.

“From there, we should support the departure of European nationals that are still there and Afghans at risk that could be received by EU member states… All member states still have quite an important number of either nationals or Afghans that have been cooperating with them or that have been identified as people at risk,” he added.

The second task that the Ministers agreed on was the engagement with regional and relevant international partners to create a regional political platform of cooperation with Afghanistan’s neighbours to face together the challenges created by the new situation.

Addressing an earlier press conference preceding the ministerial meeting, Borrell said the EU was ready to engage but the Taliban must respect human rights, including those of women, and not allow Afghanistan to become a breeding ground for militants.

ALSO READ-Turkey comes down heavily on refugees

READ MORE-US wants Pakistan to keep border open for Afghan refugees

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Afghan resistance ready for talks with Taliban

Earlier, reports suggested the Taliban had rapidly gained ground in Panjshir, the most prominent example of resistance to Taliban rule….reports Asian Lite News

The leader of the Afghan resistance group waging an intense battle against the Taliban in the Panjshir Valley has said he is open to enter peace talks. Ahmad Massoud said he supported a plan, put forward by religious clerics, for a negotiated settlement, and called on the Taliban to end their offensive.

Earlier, reports suggested the Taliban had rapidly gained ground in Panjshir. The province, north of the capital Kabul, is the most prominent example of resistance to Taliban rule.

In a post on Facebook, Massoud said the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF), which includes former Afghan security force members and local militias, would be prepared to stop fighting if the Taliban ceased their attacks, the BBC reported on Monday.

There was no immediate response from the Taliban.

The Islamist group took control of the rest of Afghanistan three weeks ago, taking power in Kabul on August 15 following the collapse of the Western-backed government.



Panjshir, a rugged mountain valley, is home to between 150,000 and 200,000 people. It was a centre of resistance when Afghanistan was under Soviet occupation in the 1980s and during the Taliban’s previous period of rule, between 1996 and 2001.

The NRF said its spokesman Fahim Dashti and a commander, Gen Abdul Wudod Zara, had been killed in the conflict, while a prominent Taliban general and 13 bodyguards had also died.

Earlier, the Taliban said their forces were now in the provincial capital, Bazarak, where they inflicted “numerous casualties”, though this was disputed by the NRF.

Meanwhile in Kabul, UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths met Taliban leaders and urged them to protect all civilians, especially women, girls and minorities. He was pictured with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, one of the founders of the Taliban movement.

A UN spokesman said the Taliban leaders had given a commitment to allow humanitarian access to all people in need and to guarantee freedom of movement for all humanitarian workers, both men and women.

According to the UN, 18 million Afghans, nearly half of the population, are in need of humanitarian assistance.

ALSO READ: ISI chief assures Taliban of support during Afghanistan visit

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ISI chief assures Taliban of support during Afghanistan visit

Pakistan journalist Hamza Azhar Salam said that Hameed visited Afghanistan at the invitation of the Taliban to discuss the future of the two countries…reports Asian Lite News

Pakistan ISI chief Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed flew to Kabul on an unannounced visit for what reports said was to discuss government formation in Afghanistan even as the Taliban deferred the announcement for a second time since taking over. Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid said on Saturday that the announcement about the new government and cabinet members will be made next week.

As Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) director general Hameed arrived in Kabul to meet the Taliban along with a delegation of senior Pakistani officials, Britain’s Channel 4 News correspondent Lindsey Hilsum posed several questions to him. In a short video tweeted by Channel 4 News, Hameed is seen trying to respond to Hilsum’s questions. “Will you be meeting senior people in the Taliban?” she asked him. “No, I’m not clear…” the ISI chief said as he looked towards Pakistan ambassador to Kabul, Mansour Ahmad Khan, standing by his side, to respond to the question.

Hilsum then posed another question. “What do you hope is going to happen now in Afghanistan?” he was asked. “I have just landed…,” Hameed said and once again looked towards Khan who said: “We are working for peace and stability in Afghanistan.” “Don’t worry, everything will be okay,” Hameed said as others accompanying him laughed.

(Image Source ANI)

Pakistan Observer newspaper reported that the ISI chief was expected to meet the Taliban leaders and commanders. “Issues relating to Pak-Afghan security, economy, and other matters will be taken up with the Taliban leadership,” the report said citing people familiar with the matter.

Pakistan journalist Hamza Azhar Salam said that Hameed visited Afghanistan at the invitation of the Taliban to discuss the future of the two countries. “DG ISI, Lt Gen Faiz Hameed has arrived in #Kabul leading a delegation of Pakistani officials on the invitation of the Taliban to discuss the future of #Pakistan and #Afghanistan ties under the new Taliban government,” Salam tweeted.

A senior official in Pakistan said earlier in the week that Hameed, who heads the powerful Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency, could help the Taliban reorganise the Afghan military.

Afghan security force members set on a military vehicle during a military operation in Jawzjan province, Afghanistan (XinhuaMohammad Jan AriaIANS)

One of Afghanistan’s politicians Mariam Solaimankhil tweeted on Saturday that the ISI chief was to ensure that Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar does not lead the new Afghanistan government. “From what I am hearing DG of ISI has come into Kabul to make sure Baradar doesn’t lead this government and Haqqani does,” Solaimankhil, a member of Afghanistan’s parliament representing the Kuchis, wrote on Twitter.

She also said the Taliban factions and co-founder Mullah Baradar do not agree on several issues. “There are a lot of disagreements amongst the Taliban factions and Baradar has called all his men off of attacking Panjshir,” tweeted Solaimankhil.

Pakistan and ISI have been accused of supporting the Taliban in taking over Afghanistan. The US has said Pakistan and the ISI backed the Taliban in the group’s two-decade fight against the government in Kabul, although Islamabad has denied the charges.

According to the Express Tribune, Hameed will also meet Pakistan’s envoy in Kabul to discuss the matter of repatriation and transit through Pakistan of foreign nationals and Afghans fleeing Taliban rule.

“The issue of pending requests from countries and international organisations for the repatriation/transit through Pakistan and the need to determine the mechanism through which Pakistan could allow these, in coordination with the ground authorities in Afghanistan will be discussed during the meeting with the Taliban officials,” it reported.

Hameed’s visit to Kabul came as army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa met with British foreign secretary Dominic Raab on Saturday and said that Pakistan will assist in the formation of an inclusive administration in Afghanistan.

ALSO READ: Taliban declare China as its main partner

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Taliban declare China as its main partner

The Taliban also announced that it will be joining Chinese president Xi Jinping’s ambitious project Belt and Road Initiative to revive the Ancient Silk route….reports Mrityunjoy Kumar Jha

Cash strapped Taliban says China will be its closest ally, and key partner in the “reconstruction” of the war-torn country.

The Taliban also announced that it will be joining Chinese president Xi Jinping’s ambitious project Belt and Road Initiative to revive the Ancient Silk route. In return, China will be allowed to fully tap Afghanistan’s mineral resources, copper, lithium and rare earth minerals–the feedstock of the electric-car revolution.

“China will be our main partner and represents a great opportunity for us because it is ready to invest in our country and support reconstruction,” group’s spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid told the Italian newspaper La Repubblica. He said the New Silk Road, with which China wants to increase its global influence by opening up trade routes, was held in high regard by the Taliban leadership.

The spokesperson’s comments are part of mind-games targeting the west, which has expressed deep reservations on drawing Afghanistan into the global economic mainstream.

There are “rich copper mines in the country, which, thanks to the Chinese, can be put back into operation and modernised. In addition, China is our pass to markets all over the world.”



After the Doha agreement for the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, Taliban leaders have been expanding their diplomacy from their base in Doha. Among the dozens of bilateral and multilateral meetings with officials from the US, Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Russia, the group’s engagement with China stands out the most.

The Taliban and China are not exactly new partners. They have a working relationship that stretches back at least a decade. In 2016, for instance, the militant group gave Beijing the green light to mine in Afghanistan’s Mes Aynak copper mine and assured the Chinese that it was committed to safeguarding “national projects that are in higher interest of Islam and the country.”

During the July meeting, amid the Taliban’s fight with the then Afghan government, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s hosted Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Tianjin. While China shows an inclination to recognise the Taliban, it is also seeking iron-clad guarantees from the group to prevent use of the Afghan soil by Uyghur insurgents to target China.

(Image Source ANI)

The Chinese have acknowledged that the Taliban would play “an important role in the process of peaceful reconciliation and reconstruction” of Afghanistan. Sharing a narrow border of 47 miles along the Wakhan corridor, China views Afghanistan as a strategically important neighbour on at least three fronts: minerals and rare-earth materials, trade routes and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and the Uyghur minority group. Meanwhile, Chinese foreign direct investment (FDI) into the country could provide Beijing an additional source of geopolitical leverage.

Nevertheless, the Chinese have serious reservations about Taliban’s close links with many terror groups such as Al-Qaeda and China’s banned organisation, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM).

After the Taliban’s takeover of the country, the Chinese ambassador to Afghanistan Wang Yu was the first foreign representative to meet Mullah Baradar in Kandahar. During the meeting, he reminded Baradar to fulfil his promises– break off with all terrorist organizations, firmly crack down on ETIM, and address obstacles that hinder regional security and development cooperation.

Despite all the attractions of being in the driver’s seat in the Afghan geopolitical cockpit, the Chinese also certainly don’t want to be listed as a country to be consumed by Afghanistan — the Graveyard of Empires.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)

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ISI Chief in Kabul to Push For Haqqani Network?

Not only is the dreaded ISI chief patron of the Haqqani Network, a proscribed terror organisation, the ISI boss equally wants to resolve the widening differences between Mullah Yaqub of Quetta Shura and Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, and the Haqqani Network, reports Asian Lite News

In a significant geopolitical development and revealing its hand, ISI chief Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed arrived in Kabul with a high-level delegation from Islamabad on Saturday.

TOLO News reported that the Pakistan spymaster and his team were invited by the Taliban. The timing of this visit is very important for speculation has been rife that it is the ISI which has major influence over the Taliban.

Not only is the dreaded ISI chief patron of the Haqqani Network, a proscribed terror organisation, the ISI boss equally wants to resolve the widening differences between Mullah Yaqub of Quetta Shura and Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, and the Haqqani Network.

The Pakistan spymaster is playing mediator at a time when vital hectic negotiations are underway between the Taliban top deck leadership and the Haqqani Network over the formation of government in Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, the US has, as per leaked documents, urged Pakistan to fight the terror groups as the crisis in Afghanistan spirals.

As per a set of leaked documents and diplomatic cables to a prominent US media outlet, President Joe Biden’s administration is quietly pressing Islamabad to cooperate on combating dreaded terrorist groups such as the ISIS-K and Al Qaeda following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

The Dawn newspaper on Saturday carried a report quoting a news published on Friday by the Politico on a slew of diplomatic messages exchanged between Washington and Islamabad recently, after the Taliban insurgents seized power in Afghanistan.

Late Taliban founder Mullah Omar’s son Mohammad Yaqoob and Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, who served as the deputy foreign minister when the insurgents last controlled power between 1996 and 2001 in Afghanistan, will reportedly have prominent roles in the new government.

‘To push for Haqqanis’

Former woman Afghan MP, Mariam Solaimankhil said on Saturday that Pakistan intelligence chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed had arrived in Kabul to make sure that Abdul Ghani Baradar does not lead the new Afghanistan government.

“From what I am hearing DG of ISI has come into Kabul to make sure Baradar doesn’t lead this government and Haqqani does,” tweeted Mariam Solaimankhil, Member of Afghanistan’s Parliament representing the Kuchis.

She also informed that there were a lot of disagreements amongst the Taliban factions and the Talian co-founder Mullah Baradar.

“There are a lot of disagreements amongst the Taliban factions and Baradar has called all his men off of attacking Panjshir. #SanctionPakistan #FreeAfghanistan” tweeted Solaimankhil.

Earlier, there were reports that Mullah Baradar would lead the upcoming government in Afghanistan where the group seized control last control following months of offensives.

Pakistan journalist Hamza Azhar Salam said that Hameed is visiting Afghanistan at the invitation of the Taliban to discuss the future of the two countries.

“DG ISI, Lt Gen Faiz Hameed has arrived in #Kabul leading a delegation of Pakistani officials on the invitation of the Taliban to discuss the future of #Pakistan and #Afghanistan ties under the new Taliban government,” he tweeted.

(Image Source ANI)

Taliban meet Pak officials in Doha

A senior Taliban delegation led by Sher Muhammad Abbas Stanekzai met with the Pakistani Embassy officials in Qatar on Friday where the two delegations discussed issues concerning the current developments in Afghanistan.

Taking to Twitter, Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen said the two sides held talks over humanitarian aid to Afghanistan and issues related to facilitating people’s movement at Torkhan and Spinboldak.

“Sher M. Abbas Stanikzai, Deputy Director of the Political Office and his delegation met Pakistan Ambassador to Qatar and his delegation. Both sides discussed the current Afghan situation, humanitarian assistance, bilateral relations based on mutual interest and respect, reconstruction of Afghanistan and issues related to facilitating people’s movement at Torkhan and Spinboldak,” Shaheen tweeted.

This meet comes following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan and subsequent refugees crises caused due to the weeks-long intense violence. Earlier this week, Pakistan closed its Chaman border with Afghanistan citing security concerns.

“We want peace and stability in Afghanistan. We have put up a fence on the border,” the Pakistan Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid said, as quoted by The Express Tribune.

Rashid added that “due to some concerns” the border at Chaman was being closed temporarily. “However, we will not allow chaos to spread. There are no Americans left in Pakistan. Those who came have left”, he said.

Pedestrian traffic through Pakistan’s south-western Chaman border crossing has swiftly increased after the Taliban’s hostile takeover of Afghanistan over the last few weeks.

The situation on the Afghan-Pakistani border has remained tense due to the influx of refugees from Afghanistan. Multiple reports said that the Pakistani forces had opened fire at the Afghan refugees at the Torkham border crossing. (IANS/ANI)

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ALSO READ: Pak ISI chief in Kabul as Taliban set to announce govt

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Pak ISI chief in Kabul as Taliban set to announce govt

Director-General of Inter-Services Intelligence Faiz Hameed.

Pakistan and its notorious intelligence agency, ISI have been accused of supporting the Taliban in taking over Afghanistan, reports Asian Lite News

Pakistan intelligence chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed has arrived in Kabul leading a delegation of Pakistani officials as heavy fighting is underway in Panjshir valley and the Taliban is set to announce the formation of a new government.

Pakistan journalist Hamza Azhar Salam said that Hameed is visiting Afghanistan at the invitation of the Taliban to discuss the future of the two countries.

“DG ISI, Lt Gen Faiz Hameed has arrived in #Kabul leading a delegation of Pakistani officials on the invitation of the Taliban to discuss the future of #Pakistan and #Afghanistan ties under the new Taliban government,” he tweeted.

ISI
Ambassador Syed Ahsan Raza Shah welcomed 7 member high level TPC delegation headed by Sher Muhammad Abbas Stanakzai at Embassy of Pakistan, Doha. (Photo Pakistan Embassy Qatar)

Pakistan and its notorious intelligence agency have been accused of supporting the Taliban in taking over Afghanistan.

Speaking to reporters in Washington, India’s Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla on Friday said that Pakistan has “supported and nurtured” the Taliban that replaced the elected government.

Speaking to a group of reporters in Washington, Shringla said, “Pakistan is a neighbour of Afghanistan, they have supported and nurtured the Taliban. There are various elements that are supported by Pakistan — so its role has to be seen in that context.”

Experts believe that Pakistan has been a key player in removing the elected Afghan government from power and establishing Taliban as a decisive power in Afghanistan.

(Image source ANI)

Recently, a UN Monitoring report has said that a significant part of the leadership of Al-Qaida resides in the Afghanistan and Pakistan border region.

Almost all foreign members of ISIL-K and al-Qaida have entered Afghanistan via Pakistan and the leaders of these outfits along with those of the Taliban have been living in Pakistan, the UN report said. (ANI)

ALSO READ – Afghan women stage rally demanding inclusion in govt

ALSO READ – Taliban meet Pak officials in Doha

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Afghan women stage rally demanding inclusion in govt

The Taliban, who are yet to decide on female leadership roles, have already said that women can work in government institutions but not in higher-ranking positions, reports Asian Lite News

A group of Afghan women staged a rally in Kabul demanding the inclusion of females in the country’s new government headed by the Taliban, according to a media report.

Friday’s rally came a day after a similar one was staged in Herat amid the Taliban trying to form a new government following their complete takeover of the country last month, said the TOLO News report.

The Taliban, who are yet to decide on female leadership roles, have already said that women can work in government institutions but not in higher-ranking positions.

Women

During the rally in Kabul, the participants demanded the Taliban and the international community to preserve women’s achievements in Afghanistan in the last two decades and respect their political, social, and economic rights.

“No society will make progress without women’s active role. Therefore, women’s political participation in the future government and its cabinet should be considered,” TOLO News quoted civil society activist Tarannom Saeedi as saying.

Another activist, Razia said that “we want to work like men under the Islamic law”.

The participants urged women across the country to go back to work despite the Taliban coming back to power.

After the fall of Kabul on August 15, the Taliban turned away several female presenters working at RTA (the national radio and television facilitates in Afghanistan) and did not let them continue working at the station.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has also said that women can work under Islamic principles, without providing further details.

ALSO READ – Taliban meet Pak officials in Doha