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Government releases another 100 Taliban prisoners
The Office of National Security Council (ONSC) confirmed that the Afghan government on Thursday released another 100 Taliban prisoners, bringing the total freed individuals to 200 in the last two days.
The inmates were released from Bagram prison, based on their age, prison sentence time, and health status after giving a guarantee that they would not return to the battlefield.
The office of NSC said that the prisoner release will continue daily, but the number of released prisoners in a day can go up or down.
The Taliban, however, didn’t accept the current process of releasing the prisoners and denied the release of 200 of their prisoners.
The Taliban Spokesperson told Ariana News that the Taliban technical team has left Kabul, and the release process is not done according to the US-Taliban deal.
The Taliban initially wanted 15 of their senior commanders to be released which was denied by the government. This caused the prisoner release to face some challenges. The government, however, started releasing the prisoners of the Taliban, which on the other hand, the Taliban hasn’t started yet.
The Taliban said that they will release the government’s prisoners if the prisoner release is done according to the US-Taliban deal.
Based on the US-Taliban deal, 5,000 Taliban prisoners and 1,000 government prisoners were supposed to be released at one time before the Intra-Afghan talks which the Afghan government doesn’t agree with.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US special representative for Afghanistan, has questioned Pakistan’s commitment to the welfare of the Afghan people, citing Islamabad’s policies over the past three decades.
Khalilzad said in a post on X that Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif advocated for the rights of Afghan women during his speech at the UN General Assembly on Friday.
Sharif said: “Fundamental rights of the Afghan people — especially women and girls — must be respected.”
Responding to the remarks, Khalilzad said Pakistan’s policies over the past 30 years raise questions about Sharif’s commitment to Afghan welfare.
He cited Pakistan’s support for militant groups against US forces and what he described as the poor treatment of Afghan refugees as examples.
Khalilzad also said Afghanistan and Pakistan need and should have much better relations, adding that “a reset is necessary.”
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met with the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Rabab Fatima, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X that Misri underscored the need to keep addressing the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people as a priority.
Misri also appreciated the role of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and reaffirmed India’s continued cooperation with the United Nations on Afghanistan.
The meeting comes as Afghanistan continues to face humanitarian and economic challenges, with international agencies warning of significant needs among the Afghan population.
Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi has called for pragmatic and coordinated international engagement with Afghanistan, saying the country’s long-term stability is closely linked to the security and sustainable development of Central Asia.
Speaking during the general debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday, Tileuberdi said humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan remains essential but alone cannot break the cycle of poverty, displacement and dependency.
He said Kazakhstan supports a “pragmatic, coordinated and step-by-step” approach to international engagement with Afghanistan, with the United Nations playing a central role.
Tileuberdi also said Kazakhstan is working with the UN to operationalize the United Nations Regional Centre for the Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty.
He said the success of the centre should be measured by the results and assistance it delivers to the region.
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