Afghanistan Archives - Read Selective

Pakistan evictions of Afghan migrants ‘unacceptable’, says Kabul

Legions of Afghans have migrated to neighbouring Pakistan over decades of conflict during the Soviet invasion, the following civil war and the U.S.-led occupation

And 600,000 have arrived since the Taliban seized power in Kabul in August 2021 and imposed their austere version of Islamic law. Image for representation purpose only. File | Photo Credit: AP

Pakistan’s plan to evict hundreds of thousands of Afghan migrants is “unacceptable”, Taliban authorities said Wednesday, denying allegations by Islamabad its citizens were responsible for a string of suicide attacks there.

Around 1.3 million Afghans are registered refugees in Pakistan and 880,000 more have legal status to remain, according to the latest United Nations figures.

But caretaker Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti said Tuesday a further 1.7 million Afghans were in Pakistan illegally, giving a November 1 deadline to return home or face deportation.

The order comes as Pakistan grapples with a rise in attacks the government blames on militants operating from Afghanistan, a charge Kabul routinely denies.

“The behaviour of Pakistan against Afghan refugees is unacceptable,” Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid wrote on social media site X.

“Afghan refugees are not involved in Pakistan’s security problems. As long as they leave Pakistan voluntarily, that country should tolerate them.”

Bugti claimed Afghan nationals were responsible for 14 of 24 suicide attacks in Pakistan since January.

“We deny all these claims because Afghans have migrated to other countries for their safety, their security,” said Abdul Mutalib Haqqani, spokesman for the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation.

“It’s natural when someone migrates to another country for his safety, he would never want insecurity there,” he told AFP.

Legions of Afghans have migrated to neighbouring Pakistan over decades of conflict during the Soviet invasion, the following civil war and the U.S.-led occupation.

And 600,000 have arrived since the Taliban seized power in Kabul in August 2021 and imposed their austere version of Islamic law.

Source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/pakistan-evictions-of-afghan-migrants-unacceptable-says-kabul/article67380504.ece

Donald Trump reportedly disparaged disabled vet who was severely wounded in Afghanistan that sang ‘God Bless America’

Former President Donald Trump made disparaging comments about a wounded US Army veteran after he sang “God Bless America” during his presidency, according to a new report.

Trump allegedly made the nasty remarks at a welcome ceremony of Gen. Mark Milley at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in 2019, after Army captain Luis Avila, who was severely wounded in Afghanistan, sang “God Bless America,” The Atlantic reported.

“Why do you bring people like that here? No one wants to see that, the wounded,” Trump allegedly said to Milley in front of several witnesses as he walked over to congratulate Avila after the performance.

Avila, who was handpicked to perform by Milley, had completed five combat tours and lost a leg in an IED attack in Afghanistan, according to the Atlantic.

As a result of his injuries, he subsequently suffered two heart attacks, two strokes, and brain damage.

Trump greets disabled Army captain Luis Avila after he sang “God Bless America”

When Avila’s wheelchair almost tipped over due to the soft, wet ground, Milley’s wife, Hollyanne, ran over to help, as did then-Vice President Mike Pence.

Video of the ceremony shows Trump greeting Avila afterward.

Trump told Milley, who considered Avila and his wife, Claudia, to be symbols of American heroism and sacrifice, to never let the wounded vet appear in public again.

Trump reportedly made the vile comments at Milley’s 2019 welcome ceremony.

The general, who’d lost 242 soldiers under his command fighting in the Middle East, was deeply disturbed by the comments, the Atlantic reported.

“Milley’s family venerated the military, and Trump’s attitude toward the uniformed services seemed superficial, callous, and, at the deepest human level, repugnant,” The Atlantic report says.

Milley recently invited Avila to sing at his retirement ceremony, the outlet noted.

Trump has a history of making disparaging comments about US troops, including allegedly referring to the fallen soldiers at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in France as “losers” and “suckers” after he balked at attending a memorial service in 2018, according to a report from the Atlantic at the time.

Source: https://nypost.com/2023/09/23/donald-trump-made-vile-comments-about-disabled-army-veteran-who-sang-god-bless-america-report/

China Becomes First Country to Name New Ambassador for Taliban-Ruled Afghanistan

China has officially become the first country to name a new ambassador to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. The new envoy, Zhao Xing, presented his credentials at a ceremony in the capital.

China has officially become the first country to name a new ambassador to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. The new envoy, Zhao Xing, presented his credentials at a ceremony in the capital. This move from China comes two years after the Taliban took over.

The majority of countries across the globe have still not recognised the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan. However, it remains unclear if Beijing sending an ambassador means they are legitimising the extremist rule.

As per a Reuters report, the Chinese foreign ministry has stated that this is “a normal rotation of China’s ambassador to Afghanistan.”

“This is intended to continue advancing dialogue and cooperation between China and Afghanistan. China’s policy towards Afghanistan is clear and consistent,” the foreign ministry added further.

Speaking to Reuters, Taliban officials from the Afghan foreign ministry have stated that China is the first country to send an ambassador since August 2021. On August 15, 2021, the Taliban overthrew the government and took control of the country. After their takeover, US-led forces withdrew from the country after 20 years.

Source: https://www.timesnownews.com/world/china-becomes-first-country-to-name-new-ambassador-for-taliban-ruled-afghanistan-article-103647608

Afghanistan: Taliban ban women from visiting popular national park

Band-e-Amir, seen here in May this year, was Afghanistan’s first national park

The Taliban government have banned women from visiting the Band-e-Amir national park in Bamiyan province.

Afghanistan’s acting minister of virtue and vice, Mohammad Khaled Hanafi, said women had not been observing hijab inside the park.

He called on religious clerics and security agencies to forbid women from entering until a solution was found.

Band-e-Amir is a significant tourist attraction, becoming Afghanistan’s first national park in 2009.

It is a popular destination for families and the ban on women attending will prevent many from being able to enjoy the park.

Unesco describes the park as a “naturally created group of lakes with special geological formations and structure, as well as natural and unique beauty”.

However, Mr Hanafi said going to the park to sightsee “was not obligatory”, Afghan agency Tolo News reported.

Religious clerics in Bamiyan said the women who were visiting the park and not following the rules were visitors to the area.

“There are complaints about lack of hijab or bad hijab, these are not Bamiyan residents. They come here from other places,” Sayed Nasrullah Waezi, head of the Bamiyan Shia Ulema Council told Tolo news.

Afghan former MP Mariam Solaimankhil shared a poem she had written on X, formerly known as Twitter, about the ban and wrote “we’ll return, I’m sure of it”.

Fereshta Abbasi, of Human Rights Watch, noted women had been banned from visiting the park on Women’s Equality Day and wrote it was a “total disrespect to the women of Afghanistan”.

Band-e-Amir, seen here last year, was popular with female visitors, who have been banned from most education and work

Meanwhile Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, asked why stopping women from visiting Band-e-Amir “is necessary to comply with Sharia and Afghan culture?”.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-66633178

Taliban celebrate return to power 2 years on amid erosion of Afghan women’s rights

It’s been two years since the Taliban took over Afghanistan. Afghanistan is enjoying peace not seen in decades but the UN says there have been dozens of attacks on civilians, some claimed by Islamic State rivals of the Taliban.

Taliban members rejoice on the second anniversary of the fall of Ashraf Ghani government near the US embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan (Reuters)

Afghanistan’s Taliban marked the second anniversary of their return to power on Tuesday, celebrating their takeover of Kabul and the establishment of what they said was security throughout the country under an Islamic system.

After a lightning offensive as US-led foreign forces were withdrawing after 20 years of inconclusive war, the Taliban entered the capital on Aug. 15, 2021, as the Afghan security forces, set up with years of Western support, disintegrated and US-backed President Ashraf Ghani fled.

“On the second anniversary of the conquest of Kabul, we would like to congratulate the mujahid (holy warrior) nation of Afghanistan and ask them to thank Almighty Allah for this great victory,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement.

Afghanistan is enjoying peace not seen in decades but the UN says there have been dozens of attacks on civilians, some claimed by Islamic State rivals of the Taliban.

For many women, who enjoyed extensive rights and freedoms during the two decades of rule by Western-backed governments, their plight has become dire since the return of the Taliban.

“It’s been two years since the Taliban took over in Afghanistan. Two years that upturned the lives of Afghan women and girls, their rights and futures,” Amina Mohammed, deputy secretary-general of the UN, said in a statement.

Security was tight in the capital on Tuesday, which was declared a holiday. Taliban fighters, supporters and some Kabul residents gathered on streets and vehicles drove slowly in informal parades carrying soldiers and children waving black and white flags.

“Today I’ve come here to see the commemoration of the second anniversary of the Taliban. It was the day that the enemy of Afghanistan was expelled from our country, that’s why I came here to celebrate,” said resident Sayed Hashmatullah Sadat.

Several departments, including the education ministry, also held gatherings to celebrate.

“Now that overall security is ensured in the country, the entire territory of the country is managed under a single leadership, an Islamic system is in place and everything is explained from the angle of sharia,” Mujahid, the spokesman, said.

In a Kabul tailoring workshop, 27-year-old Maryam, who set up the business after losing a job first in an international project, and then as a teacher, said she dreaded the anniversary.

“The day … reminds me of two years ago and I have the same feeling I had two years ago, which was a really terrible feeling,” she said.

Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/taliban-celebrate-return-to-power-two-years-on-amid-erosion-of-afghan-womens-rights-2421681-2023-08-16

Afghanistan: Taliban burn ‘immoral’ musical instruments

The Taliban has taken aim at instruments after beauty salons

The Taliban have burned musical instruments in Afghanistan, claiming music “causes moral corruption”.

Thousands of dollars worth of musical equipment went up in smoke on a bonfire on Saturday in western Herat province.

Since taking power in 2021, the Taliban have imposed numerous restrictions, including on playing music in public.

Ahmad Sarmast, Afghanistan National Institute of Music founder, likened their actions to “cultural genocide and musical vandalism”.

“The people of Afghanistan have been denied artistic freedom… The burning of musical instruments in Herat is just a small example of the cultural genocide that is taking place in Afghanistan under the leadership of the Taliban,” Dr Sarmast, who is now based in Portugal, told the BBC.

Afghan music school falls silent under Taliban rule

Some of the items set ablaze in Herat included a guitar, a harmonium and a tabla – a kind of drum – as well as amplifiers and speakers, according to images online. Many of these had been seized from wedding venues in the city.

An official at the Taliban’s Vice and Virtue Ministry said playing music would “cause the youth to go astray”.

A similar bonfire of instruments was organised by the Taliban on 19 July. Its government posted photos of the blaze on Twitter at the time but did not say which part of the country it had taken place in.

All forms of music were banned from social gatherings, TV, and radio while the Taliban were in power in Afghanistan from the mid-90s until 2001.

A music scene flourished in the two decades that followed, but the Taliban’s return in August 2021 prompted many musicians to flee the country. Singers and musicians still in the country are reported to have been subjected to beatings and discrimination.

In the past two years, the Taliban have imposed other severe restrictions under their strict interpretation of Islamic law.

Women have borne the brunt of these harsh measures. The Taliban have decreed they should be dressed in a way that only reveals their eyes, and must be accompanied by a male relative if they are travelling more than 72km (45 miles).

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-66357611

Afghanistan beats Pakistan for first time in T20 cricket

Afghanistan edge out an inexperienced Pakistan side in Sharjah series opener.

Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan bats during a T20 World Cup cricket in Australia in 2022 [File: James Elsby/AP]

Afghanistan beat Pakistan by six wickets in the series opener on Friday, the Afghan side’s first T20 win over its neighbours.

Pakistan, without five rested front-line players, including captain Babar Azam, struggled on a slow and low pitch at Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after opting to bat first.

Pakistan handed T20I debuts to Saim Ayub, Tayyab Tahir, Ihsanullah and Zaman Khan. But none of the Pakistan batters could accelerate on a two-paced pitch and mostly fell to soft dismissals.

In the absence of formidable openers Azam and Rizwan, replacements Ayub and Mohammad Haris couldn’t gauge the low bounce and fell within the batting power play while attempting extravagant shots.

Abdullah Shafique was pinned by Azmatullah Omarzai without scoring and Tayyab Tahir, one of four making their Pakistan debut, lobbed a return catch to Rashid Khan. When Azam Khan was also out for a duck on debut, Pakistan were 41-5 in the eighth over.

Pakistan was in danger of its lowest T20I total of 74 in 2012 against Australia at Dubai but Imad Wasim top-scored with 18.

Unorthodox spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman took 2-9 and Fazalhaq Farooqi 2-13.

In reply, Afghanistan overcame falling to 45-4 in the 10th over to cruise home at 98-4 and win by six wickets with more than two overs to spare.

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/25/afghanistan-beats-pakistan-for-first-time-in-t20i-cricket-series

Russian diplomat Sergei Lavrov provokes laughter with claim his country is victim in Ukraine war

The veteran foreign minister was ridiculed at an Indian conference for suggesting that the West and Ukraine were the aggressors in the conflict.

Lavrov faced laughter and groans from the audience

Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s longstanding foreign minister, provoked laughter from an audience at an international conference in India when he attempted to portray his country as the victim of the war in Ukraine.

Addressing the Raisina Dialogue, an event in New Delhi that debates the major challenges facing the world in politics and economics and one of few such events globally that still invites Russian politicians to attend, the 72-year-old staked the unlikely claim that Russia was trying to stop the war.

“The war, which we are trying to stop, which was launched against us using Ukrainian people, of course, influenced the policy of Russia, including energy policy,” he said to a chorus of laughs and groans.

“And the blunt way to describe what changed: we would not anymore rely on any partners in the West. We would not allow them to blow the pipelines again,” he continued, apparently referring to the explosions that caused damage to the Nord Stream pipeline in the Baltic Sea in September 2022.

Lavrov with South Africa’s foreign minister Naledi Pandor. Russia has been seeking allies across the world since the war began

It wasn’t all mockery, however, for the veteran politician, who has been in post since 2004. When asked about the “double standard” of Western interventions in sovereign countries, his audience applauded his response.

“Have you been interested in these years [in] what is going on in Iraq, what is going on in Afghanistan?” he asked his interviewer.

Source: https://news.sky.com/story/russian-diplomat-sergei-lavrov-provokes-laughter-with-claim-his-country-is-victim-in-ukraine-war-12825048