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Mujahid Rejects Claims of Foreign Groups’ Presence in Afghanistan

July 13, 2024
TOLOnews
TV Network
14 July 2024

Mujahid told TOLOnews that no foreign groups are present in the country and the threat posed by the Daesh group is minimal. 

Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, has rejected the United Nations Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team’s report concerning the presence of Al-Qaeda, Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and other groups in Afghanistan.

Mujahid told TOLOnews that no foreign groups are present in the country and the threat posed by the Daesh group is minimal.

According to Mujahid, the Islamic Emirate, based on its strategy, does not permit any individual or group to use Afghan territory for activities against other countries.

The spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate said: “This part of the United Nations report, suggesting that Daesh is a threat in Afghanistan or mentioning other groups, is not correct. First, the threat of Daesh has significantly diminished due to precise operations, and everyone is aware of this. Furthermore, no foreign groups exist in Afghanistan.”

Previously, the United Nations Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team claimed that some terrorist organizations are active in Afghanistan. The report also alleged that these organizations and groups have personnel and shelters in Afghanistan.

Sayed Qaribullah Sadat, a political analyst, said: “This report is political and intelligence-based; it is not a report intended to be sincere, benefit Afghanistan, bring positive changes, or make the Afghan people happy. These are the kinds of reports that create scenarios for a dark future.”

Yusuf Amin Zazi, another political analyst, stated: “Global and regional competitions have led to the creation of terrorism. Russia funds one group, the USA another, and Arabs, Pakistan, and Iran fund other groups.”

The United Nations Sanctions Monitoring Team also stated that 61 senior officials of the interim government of Afghanistan are on the global sanctions list, of which 35 are members of the cabinet and leadership of the Islamic Emirate.

Mujahid Rejects Claims of Foreign Groups’ Presence in Afghanistan
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As Taliban limits options for Afghan women, many lead secret lives online

July 13, 2024

By

The Washington Post
Afghan women and girls are taking online courses, learning foreign languages with the help of AI, working out with fitness videos and trading cryptocurrencies.

KABUL — Three years into Taliban rule, Afghan women and girls are finding ways online to take back some of what was taken from them in 2021.

Banned from secondary and higher education, they attend online classes, learn foreign languages with the help of AI chatbots and e-books, and trade cryptocurrencies in the hope of becoming financially independent. They have tried to make up for the closing of movie theaters, the shuttering of gyms for women and the banning of music by turning to YouTube’s copious offerings of comedy shows, fitness classes and music videos.

But more than a dozen women and girls interviewed in Kabul said they worry that these havens might be short-lived. Many say they have to hide their Instagram and Facebook profiles from their families or that they self-censor their posts for fear of being discovered by the Taliban government.

“The internet is our last hope,” said Beheshta, 24. “But nothing can replace real freedom.” Like other women interviewed, she spoke on the condition that only her first name be used out of concern that her comments could draw the ire of government officials.

The Taliban would be hard-pressed to ban social media platforms outright, and adopting Chinese-style controls over the internet would be expensive. Though the regime has banned TikTok for “un-Islamic content,” the Taliban is itself a heavy user of platforms such as YouTube and X, and government officials communicate via WhatsApp.

“Of course we want filters that reflect our Islamic values, but it’s expensive — and right now money is tight,” Zabihullah Mujahid, the chief government spokesman, said in an interview in the southern city of Kandahar. He added that the regime wants to stop users from “wasting their time.”

Finding a safe space

When the Taliban captured Kabul in August 2021, Efat, then 18, had just graduated from high school and been accepted into the psychology department at Kabul University. Her family wanted to flee the country but was deterred by the chaos at Kabul’s airport.

In the years since, she said, the internet has been a lifeline for her. Efat starts most of her days with fitness routines, watching workout videos on YouTube. During the day, she browses the internet, chats with former classmates and sells her paintings — she has made $200 so far — on an Instagram page she manages with her sister.

With women banned from public parks, Efat primarily finds inspiration for her paintings online. Her latest work shows a tiger. “Women can be just as powerful as them,” she said.

“Without the internet, we’d all be shells of ourselves,” she said. “Half of my life now happens online.”

Many girls use the internet late in the evening and at night, when their friends are also online. When there is nobody to chat with, some turn to artificial intelligence.

Standing in a dimly lit basement shopping mall where she sells women’s clothing, Sediqa, 23, said her new best friend is Gipi, a messaging bot that acts like a friend or language tutor. During long hours spent alone behind her shop counter, Sediqa often turns to the AI bot to chat. “It’s like a friend that’s always there for you,” she said. Another benefit, she said, is that her AI friend never makes fun of her.

Earning and learning online

Eager to boost their household finances, some women have turned to cryptocurrency apps. Heela, 27, said she became a daily user of a crypto mining app after colleagues at work encouraged her.

Every 24 hours, she presses a button on an application called Pi Network and then lets her phone engage in crypto mining in the background for the rest of the day. (This process adds online transactions to a digital ledger called a blockchain and can create value.) The application is popular in Afghanistan because it works on ordinary mobile phones and is free, apart from the cost of the electricity it consumes.

But Pi Network’s monetary value is unproven because its currency, Pi, is not officially listed on major exchanges, where it could be traded for other cryptocurrencies or sold for U.S. dollars. Heela said she has yet to make money with it.

Sadia, 27, earns money by selling dresses online. But she said she increasingly struggles to find models who let themselves be photographed. When she posts photos of models wearing her dresses, the online criticism is often immediate. In an apparent warning that she is being watched, she said, male critics add her WhatsApp account to groups that promote how to become a devout Muslim.

Digital businesses such as art sales and delivery services are largely tolerated by the government. The number of female-run online businesses in the country remains limited. While the United Nations Development Program says that efforts to expand digital payment systems show early signs of promise, their use is still rare. 

Most of the women and girls interviewed in Kabul said they had signed up for at least one online education course since the Taliban took power.

Twice a week, Faryal, 22, sits in front of her smartphone and connects to the digital classroom where she teaches two courses, on media rights and criminal law, to dozens of female Afghan students. Such online classes are held on Google Meet and run by Afghan volunteers, often living abroad.

Faryal says the courses are an escape from boredom and resignation. “But there’s something about eye contact that’s difficult to replace,” she said.

The Taliban government has not explicitly banned online educational courses and could struggle to enforce such an order, given that many providers are headquartered abroad. But teachers and students worry that they might still be at risk.

Sajia, 23, who takes an English course online, said half of her class recently dropped out over concerns of a crackdown. “I don’t think they’ll return,” said Sajia, who decided to continue participating. “It’s so sad.”

Fears for the future

The government has signaled it plans to step up scrutiny of internet use. Anyone who buys a SIM card for a cellphone can no longer remain anonymous and must provide an identity card and the contact details of five family members.

Anayatullah Alokozay, spokesman for the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, said efforts to gather more data on Afghan internet users are meant to prevent abuse and fraud. But the changes to SIM card purchases have triggered widespread concerns about government surveillance.

Aria, 20, said she worries about the day the Taliban cracks down on online activity. “If the Taliban restricts the internet, we won’t have a choice but to flee for good.”

Lutfullah Qasimyar in Islamabad, Pakistan, contributed to this report.

Rick Noack is The Washington Post’s Afghanistan bureau chief. Previously at The Post, he was the Paris correspondent, covering France and Europe, and an international affairs reporter based in Berlin, London and Washington
As Taliban limits options for Afghan women, many lead secret lives online
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No music, no Western-style haircuts: UN report details life in Afghanistan under Taliban’s moral enforcers

July 12, 2024

By Lex Harvey

CNN

Wed July 10, 2024

CNN — 

Listening to music, smoking hookah, and getting a Western-style haircut are all punishable acts under the suffocating rule of the Taliban in Afghanistan, according to a new UN report.

The Taliban’s so-called morality police have curtailed human rights – disproportionately targeting women and girls – creating a “climate of fear and intimidation,” said the report by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) published Tuesday.

The Ministry of the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (MPVPV), established by the Taliban when it seized power in 2021, is charged with legislating and enforcing the Taliban’s strict interpretations of Islamic law.

Those interpretations include a ban on activities deemed to be “un-Islamic” including displaying images of humans and animals and celebrating Valentine’s Day. Moreover, the report said, the Taliban’s instructions are issued in a variety of formats – often only verbally – and are inconsistently and unpredictably enforced.

When the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in August 2021 in a lightning takeover following the chaotic withdrawal of US-led troops after two decades of war, the radical Islamist group appeared keen to distance itself from its earlier period of rule in the 1990s, presenting itself as more moderate.

However, this report found many of the same rules of that era have been revived, despite the Taliban’s earlier pledge to honor women’s rights within the norms of “Islamic law.”

Between August 15, 2021, and March 31, 2024, the UN documented at least 1,033 instances where Taliban officers had used violence to enforce their rules.

“The de facto MPVPV reportedly has a broad mandate and various enforcement methods have been used, including verbal intimidation, arrests and detentions, ill treatment and public lashing,” said the report, which was compiled using public announcements and documented reports of human rights violations.

The Taliban’s violations against women and girls are so severe that one senior UN official recently said they could amount to “crimes against humanity.” This report details how the MPVPV is enforcing rules on the way women dress and access public places.

The Taliban has arbitrarily shuttered women-owned businesses, made it illegal for women to appear in movies, closed women’s beauty salons and restricted access to birth control, the UN report said.

Women in Afghanistan are not allowed to access parks, gyms and public baths – sometimes the only way to get hot water in the winter – and must be accompanied by a male guardian (a mahram) when traveling more than 78 kilometers (48.5 miles) from their homes, according to the report.

While women must wear a hijab, men must also follow rules about beard length and hairstyles.

In December 2023, the morality police closed 20 barbershops for one night after barbers allegedly shaved and trimmed beards, as well as Western-style haircuts, the report said. The Taliban denied claims two barbers were detained for two nights. The report said they were only released after promising not to give those haircuts again.

UN says Taliban is legally obligated to protect human rights

Afghanistan is party to seven international human rights instruments and as a result is legally obliged to protect and promote the human rights of its citizens, the UN report pointed out.

These rules violate a slew of human rights, from the right to work and attain a living, to the rights of freedom of movement and expression, to sexual and reproductive rights, the report added.

In a statement, the Taliban called the UN’s criticism “unfounded” and said the report’s authors were “attempting to evaluate Afghanistan from a Western perspective, which is incorrect.”

“Afghanistan should be assessed as a Muslim society, where the vast majority of the population are Muslims who have made significant sacrifices for the establishment of a Sharia system,” the statement said.

However, reports from Afghanistan suggest the Taliban’s repressive control over women has led to a sharp rise in suicide attempts.

CNN interviewed a 16-year-old girl who drank battery acid to escape life under the Taliban, saying she was “overwhelmed by hopelessness” after spending months at home due to a ban on girls in secondary education.

Among the Taliban’s list of prohibitions, according to the report, is the public display of human and animal images, which it deems “un-Islamic.”

This law has resulted in the removal of advertising signage and the covering of shop mannequins, the report said. The UN reported some cases where NGOs were told to remove human images from materials meant to alert children or other people with limited literacy about the risk of unexploded artillery and other public health issues.

Media is heavily restricted, and residents live in a surveillance state, the report added.

“People’s right to privacy is violated through searches for prohibited items in their phone or cars, having their attendance at mosques recorded, or being required to show proof of family relationship in public places.”

The Taliban met with top UN officials and global envoys in Qatar in June in a two-day conference that excluded Afghan women, sparking outcry from human rights groups.

In a press conference after the meeting, Rosemary DiCarlo, the UN’s under-secretary-general for political and peacebuilding affairs, called the discussions “frank” and “useful,” and said that the “concerns and views of Afghan women and civil society were front and center.”

This was the third UN meeting about Afghanistan in Doha, but the first the Taliban has attended.

 

No music, no Western-style haircuts: UN report details life in Afghanistan under Taliban’s moral enforcers
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UK should restore diplomatic presence to help Afghan women, says aid chief

July 12, 2024

 

Diplomatic editor

The Guardian

Wed 10 Jul 2024

Hugh Bayley, who visited Kabul in May, said he believed Afghan women and NGOs would welcome more western diplomats to represent the opinions of women to the Taliban as he released a report by the Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) on the effectiveness of the UK programme, which is the second largest operated by Britain.

The UK pulled all diplomatic representation out of Afghanistan as the Taliban took over in 2021, and since then Afghan bank assets held overseas have been frozen, and the economy has nosedived. Yet as much as $2.9bn (£2.3bn) of aid has been sent to the country, largely to NGOs rather than to Taliban-directed ministries.

No state recognises the Taliban as the Afghan government, although countries including Russia, China, Iran, Turkey and India have opened diplomatic missions in Kabul.

Bayley said the benefits of a British presence had been put to him by NGOs, on top of the regular visits to Kabul from the UK mission in Doha.

“The UK’s £150m programme in Afghanistan is currently our second biggest bilateral programme anywhere in the world, second after Ukraine, and ICAI’s view is that if you are dispensing that amount of British taxpayer’s money, you need eyes on the ground to see how it has been spent,” he said.

“If western countries don’t have a presence on the ground and don’t engage with both Afghan civil society and the Taliban, then the western aid funded approach will achieve less,” he said, pointing out that although the UK government has a target for 50% of its aid to reach women, “it is impossible in the case of Afghanistan without a presence on the ground to know if the target is being met”.

Bayley added that he had been told the absence of diplomatic missions made it harder for international NGOs because they were identified as the voices of the western world. A senior UN official had told him: “If we do not engage with Afghan citizens including the Taliban we will burn one bridge after another.”

He said although women were genuinely beneficiaries of aid, Afghanistan could be “heading for a catastrophe since gender restrictions imposed by the Taliban means the number of trained midwives is rapidly declining, storing up trouble in the future.

“Multiple power struggles are going on between the Taliban, Afghan citizens and especially women. Women in local NGOs are actively and bravely resisting pushing back against the Taliban in meetings, and it was clear that despite the effort to marginalise women, some are still going to work, including midwives that say to men, “If you want babies to die, stop me from going to work.’”

Bayley also said he heard that many hospital counsellors were reporting deep distress bordering on the suicidal among girls of school age, who the Taliban had removed from education. “I was told these women of secondary school age are in the depths of despair,” he said.

He said he had been told women found it more difficult to access food aid because they cannot use public transport and taxis were expensive.

“You’re bound to have an emotional reaction to the intense cruelty and marginalisation of women and girls,” Bayley said, but at the same time he hailed the “tremendous courage” with which so many were resisting. He also praised the UK for diverting a lot of its reduced Afghan aid budget to NGOs.

More broadly he urged the world not to allow Afghanistan to become a forgotten humanitarian crisis, or for aid to become exclusively humanitarian. “Over the next two to five years we have to transition to development, humanitarian assistance without development is not sustainable,” Bayley said.

The numbers in Afghanistan classified as in humanitarian need had dropped to 23.7 million last year, down from 28.3 million. This was partly due to an improved harvest and the appreciation of the local currency.

But Bayley said UN humanitarian aid appeals for Afghanistan were not being backed. The 2024 UN humanitarian needs overview for the county, released last December, appeals for $3.06bn. Less than a quarter (23%) of this has been funded as of 9 May this year.

The ICAI aid report said Afghanistan’s mean annual temperature had increased by almost twice the global average since 1951. It added that climate-crisis models predicted future temperatures would continue to rise faster than the global average. Annual droughts are predicted to become the norm in many parts of the country by 2030.

“It’s necessary for the international community to move beyond a crisis response to a response that builds capacity and resilience within Afghanistan,” Bayley said. “Unless these problems are addressed, the humanitarian crisis is going to continue for years and decades, and the plight of ordinary Afghan people will get worse and worse.”

UK should restore diplomatic presence to help Afghan women, says aid chief
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Pakistan will consider expelling hundreds of thousands more Afghans in a continued clampdown

July 12, 2024

BY  MUNIR AHMED

Associated Press

July 11, 2024

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan will consider a plan to expel hundreds of thousands more Afghans who have been living in the country for years, the foreign ministry said Thursday, the latest in a monthslong government clampdown on undocumented migrants.

The plan is still in the works, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch told reporters — and the government may ultimately reject it.

It would mark the “second phase” of the “Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan” and it would involve persons who had been given identification documents known as “Afghan citizen cards” to legalize their stay in Pakistan for a limited time.

“At this stage, I do not have a date to share with you,” she said at a weekly news briefing in the capital, Islamabad, adding that an announcement about the action would be made “at an appropriate time.”

Pakistan’s crackdown on undocumented migrants has drawn sweeping criticism from the United Nations, aid agencies and human rights groups.

Since the deportations started, an estimated 600,000 Afghans have gone back to Afghanistan. After forcing thousands back daily, the deportations slowed down and appeared to halt in recent months.

On Wednesday, following a visit by the U.N. refugee agency chief, Filippo Grandi, Islamabad announced it has extended the stay of 1.45 million Afghan refugees residing in the country.

During his visit, Grandi welcomed what he described as the Pakistan government ’s suspension of the deportations.

However, Baloch denied that was the case and said there has been no suspension in the anti-migrant crackdown that targets those without valid papers. The deportations only involve those in Pakistan illegally — and they are being carried out in a “humane manner,” Baloch said.

She insisted Afghan refugees living here need not worry as their stay has now been expended.

Amnesty International said Thursday it welcomed Islamabad’s decision to extend one-year stays. Thyagi Ruwanpathirana, the group’s regional researcher for South Asia, urged Pakistan to “extend this lifeline to all Afghan refugees in Pakistan.”

She also urged Pakistan to formally suspend the “Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan” and top all forcible returns of Afghans in the country.

Pakistan has long hosted an estimated 1.7 million Afghans, most of whom fled during the 1979-1989 Soviet occupation of their country. More than half a million others escaped Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover in 2021, with thousands waiting in Pakistan for resettlement in the United States and elsewhere.

Baloch also urged the international community to expedite the process for the relocation of thousands of Afghans who fled the Taliban takeover, most of who are still in Pakistan, she said.

These Afghans have been desperately waiting for their visa applications to be processed so they could leave for the United States, Canada, United Kington, Germany, Australia, Italy and several other countries.

The delay in the resettlement has left these Afghans in a vulnerable position, contending with economic hardship and lack of access to health, education and other services in Pakistan.

Baloch’s remarks appeared to catch Afghanistan’s Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation off guard.

Abdul Mutalib Haqqani, a spokesperson with the refugee ministry, said they had heard through official channels that the deportations have stopped. He said no Afghan refugees have been forcibly deported from Pakistan — whether they had proper papers or not — and that there were no reports of arrests in the neighboring country in the past 24 hours.

Haqqani appealed on the Islamabad government to give Afghans enough time to leave Pakistan in an orderly fashion and that there be no forced deportations.

“Our second request is for our Afghan brothers to return to their country voluntarily,” he said. “Now there is peace in the country … the refugees should return to their country.”

Pakistan will consider expelling hundreds of thousands more Afghans in a continued clampdown
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OCHA appeals for urgent funding to address Afghanistan’s worsening economic crisis

July 12, 2024
Khaama Press
July 12, 2024

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has warned about Afghanistan’s worsening economic crisis.

According to OCHA, critical services like healthcare, shelter, food, and education are threatened due to severe funding shortages.

In a statement released on Wednesday, OCHA highlighted that six million people could lose access to essential health services without adequate funds.

Additionally, 4.5 million individuals may be deprived of protective services, further exacerbating the humanitarian situation.

OCHA’s concerns extend to nearly five million children at heightened risk of infectious diseases due to inadequate access to clean water.

The organization emphasized that 300,000 children currently enrolled in educational programs may lose their opportunity for primary education.

Earlier assessments by OCHA revealed that following the Taliban’s assumption of power, over 23.7 million Afghans, which constitute more than half the population, require urgent humanitarian assistance.

To address these urgent needs, OCHA has appealed for $3 billion to support humanitarian efforts across Afghanistan.

The situation remains critical, with OCHA stressing the immediate necessity of sufficient funding to prevent further deterioration in the lives of millions of vulnerable Afghans.

OCHA appeals for urgent funding to address Afghanistan’s worsening economic crisis
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Shia protesters in Herat march in response to Taliban restrictions

July 12, 2024
Khaama Press

Groups of Shia protesters in Herat marched through the city’s 12th, 9th, and 13th districts, waving Ashura flags and chanting “Labbaik Ya Hussain” as they expressed their religious devotion and voiced dissent against recent statements made by the Taliban.

Caravans of Shia protesters in Herat marched through the city’s 12th, 9th, and 13th districts, waving flags of Ashura and chanting “Labbaik Ya Hussain.”

This protest movement was sparked by statements from Ahmadullah Muttaqi, the Taliban’s cultural chief, who deemed Ashura a “bid’ah” (innovation).

Earlier, Ahmadullah Muttaqi, Taliban’s head of information and culture, on Wednesday, labelled Ashura ceremonies as “bid’ah” during a meeting with local officials and Shia representatives, emphasizing the need to combat “political and foreign innovation-bid’ahs.”

The protestors in Herat expressed their “disgust” towards Muttaqi’s remarks with the midnight protests on Thursday, July 11.

Shia protesters in midnight-Herat, Afghanistan.

With the arrival of the Islamic month of Muharram and the days of Ashura, the Taliban launched a widespread campaign in various cities, including  Kabul and Herat, to remove Shia religious symbols such as mourning flags.

Recently, the Taliban have taken down Ashura flags from Jibrail district and other Shia-populated areas of Herat.

Taliban intelligence reportedly detained seven protesters on Wednesday who had protested against the Taliban’s obstruction of Ashura ceremonies.

Some residents of Herat suggest that tensions between Ashura mourners and local Taliban authorities have escalated, resulting in a heightened military presence in the city. These residents fear potential clashes between the populace and Taliban forces due to the Taliban’s interference in mourning ceremonies.

Meanwhile, the situation in Herat remains tense as Shia protesters continue to demonstrate against Taliban restrictions on religious observances, particularly during the holy month of Muharram and the commemoration of Ashura.

The crackdown on Ashura symbols by Taliban forces has exacerbated tensions, raising concerns about potential confrontations between civilians and Taliban authorities in the city.

Shia protesters in Herat march in response to Taliban restrictions
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US President Biden: No one can unite Afghanistan

July 12, 2024
Khaama Press
In his recent speech, President Joe Biden of the United States unequivocally opposed America’s “occupation” of Afghanistan. He stressed that after the killing of Osama bin Laden, the U.S. should have withdrawn from Afghanistan, arguing that no entity could effectively unify the country.

Biden added, “I’ve traveled throughout Afghanistan, from poppy fields to the north of that country.”

Mr. Biden cautioned Israel against repeating the “mistake” that America made in Afghanistan in Gaza. He stated, “After Hamas attacked Israel, I went to Israel and told Israeli officials, including Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet: Don’t make the mistake we made in Afghanistan after Osama bin Laden. You don’t have to occupy the place. You need to go after the folks who were harmed. Even though you may get criticized for it.”

Meanwhile, Biden said that I won’t step aside from electoral competition.

Despite calls from some within his party to step aside from candidacy in the elections, President Joe Biden defended his decision during a press conference. Facing numerous questions about elections and global issues during the Thursday press briefing, he emphasized, “I am determined to continue in the competition, but I think it’s important that I dispel fears by allowing my record to speak for itself.”

In addition, President Biden’s statements underscore his firm stance against prolonged military engagements and his commitment to navigating electoral challenges head-on. His remarks reflect a strategic approach to international relations while addressing domestic concerns, emphasizing the importance of national security and leadership continuity.

US President Biden: No one can unite Afghanistan
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Amnesty Intl Comments on UNAMA Report Criticizing Vice and Virtue Ministry

July 12, 2024
Hadia Ziaei
Tolo News
12 July 2024

Political analysts and women’s rights activists have various views on the publication of the UNAMA report and Amnesty International’s statement.

Amnesty International said that the report from the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) highlights the role of the Ministry of Vice and Virtue of the Islamic Emirate in human rights violations and fundamental freedoms in Afghanistan.

Amnesty International has also called on the United Nations to establish an independent international accountability mechanism to investigate crimes under international law and other serious violations in Afghanistan.

In a statement, Amnesty International wrote: “They must also ensure that gender justice is prioritized, and the involvement of women human rights defenders and civil society stakeholders remains central in all engagements with the Taliban on the future of Afghanistan. To fail to do so would be to turn our backs on the victims and their rights to truth, justice and reparation.”

Zaman Sultani, regional researcher for South Asia at Amnesty International, told TOLOnews: “What the so-called Ministry of Vice and Virtue of the Taliban is doing is widespread and systematic human rights violations.”

Earlier, in response to the UNAMA report, the Islamic Emirate said that the reporters of this institution are trying to examine Afghanistan from a Western perspective, which is not correct.

Abdul Ghafar Farooq, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Vice and Virtue, has also previously dismissed the claims made in the UNAMA report, stating that the Sharia rights of women and men in the country are upheld and everyone is treated according to Sharia.

Abdul Ghafar Farooq said: “With the rule of the Islamic Emirate in Afghanistan, the Sharia rights of all citizens, both men and women, are upheld, and everyone is treated according to Sharia.”

Additionally, Mohammad Sadiq Akif, a member of the Islamic Emirate, in a TOLOnews program in response to the UNAMA report on the Ministry of Vice and Virtue, added that the rights of all individuals in society are upheld according to Sharia, and the Islamic Emirate is obliged to implement Sharia rulings, not the demands of the world.

Mohammad Sadiq Akif said: “We are bound to Sharia. We are not bound to their [the world] demands that they impose on us. They should pay attention to themselves.”

At the same time, some political analysts and women’s rights activists have various views on the publication of the UNAMA report and Amnesty International’s statement.

“We do not want the world to stand by us in mere slogans, but to the extent that we see at least one result for the people of Afghanistan, especially women,” said Tafsir Siyahposh, a women’s rights activist.

“The esteemed Ministry of Vice and Virtue should clearly state its position regarding this report through a press conference and should explain and clarify its stance,” said Fazl Rahman Oria, a political analyst.

This comes as UNAMA, in a report, criticized the activities of the Ministry of Vice and Virtue, adding that this ministry has violated some of the rights of Afghan citizens.

Amnesty Intl Comments on UNAMA Report Criticizing Vice and Virtue Ministry
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haheen: Sanctions on Islamic Emirate Officials Should Be Lifted

July 12, 2024
TOLOnews
TV Network

12 July 2024

Head of the political office of the Islamic Emirate in Qatar told TOLOnews that the sanctions have not been effective and should be lifted as soon as possible.

Suhail Shaheen, head of the political office of the Islamic Emirate in Qatar, has called for the lifting of UN Security Council sanctions on the officials of the Islamic Emirate following the imposition of these sanctions.

The head of the political office of the Islamic Emirate in Qatar told TOLOnews that the sanctions have not been effective and should be lifted as soon as possible.

Shaheen told TOLOnews: “All these restrictions that hinder interaction between the international community and the Islamic Emirate must be lifted to pave the way for positive interaction.”

Recently, the UN sanctions monitoring team said that 61 senior “Taliban” officials are on the global sanctions list, of which 35 are members of the cabinet and leadership of the Islamic Emirate.

The list includes senior officials of the Islamic Emirate, including Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, Prime Minister of the Islamic Emirate; Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, deputy prime minister for economic affairs; Abdul Salam Hanafi, Deputy Prime Minister for Administrative Affairs; Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, political deputy of the Prime Minister; Amir Khan Muttaqi, acting Foreign Minister; Sirajuddin Haqqani, Acting Interior Minister; Abdul Haq Wasiq, Director of the General Directorate of Intelligence; and several other members of the Islamic Emirate.

Moreover, some political analysts believe that the imposition of these sanctions will negatively affect the relationship between the Islamic Emirate and the international community.

“The imposition of sanctions on senior members of the Islamic Emirate creates a lack of coordination between Afghanistan and the United Nations, and the more these sanctions persist, the greater the distance between Afghanistan and the UN General Assembly,” Jannat Faheem Chakari, a political analyst, told TOLOnews.

“In this case, we need to see what reforms should be introduced in Afghanistan to release these individuals from sanctions, which would also benefit Afghanistan’s economy,” said Tariq Farhadi, an analyst.

Earlier, Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, told TOLOnews that the names of 24 Islamic Emirate officials are still on the UN and EU blacklist. Mujahid described the failure to remove the names of Islamic Emirate officials from the blacklist as contrary to the Doha agreement.

haheen: Sanctions on Islamic Emirate Officials Should Be Lifted
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