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Taliban say its committed to peace talks but wants Islamic system
The Taliban said on Sunday it wants a “genuine Islamic system” in Afghanistan and that the group is committed to peace talks and believes in resolving issues through (mutual) understanding.
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the head of the Taliban’s political office in Qatar, said in a statement issued Sunday that now that foreign forces are on the verge of completing their withdrawal process, “efforts should be made – following the obtainment of independence – to form a system that caters to the aspirations of the Afghan people for tranquility and prosperity.”
“Consolidation of an Islamic system in Afghanistan certainly depends on the Afghans’ mutual compromises, hard decisions and accepting each other because positive advancement is not possible in a time of dissension, war, and confrontation,” the statement read.
The statement comes amid slow progress in the Doha peace talks between the Afghan Republic’s team and the Taliban and a rise in violence across the country.
Officials have meanwhile raised concerns over the slow progress around peace talks and have said the Taliban has not yet submitted a written peace proposal that could be used as a starting point for substantive talks.
Baradar said however in the statement: “We understand that the world and Afghans have queries and questions about the form of the system to be established following withdrawal of foreign troops.
“Our very participation in the negotiations and its support on our part indicates openly that we believe in resolving issues through (mutual) understanding,” he said.
He added that women and minorities would be protected and diplomats and NGO workers would be able to work securely.
“We take it on ourselves as a commitment to accommodate all rights of citizens of our country, whether they are male or female, in the light of the rules of the glorious religion of Islam and the noble traditions of the Afghan society,” he said, adding that ‘facilities would be provided’ for women to work and be educated.
But in May US intelligence analysts released an assessment that the Taliban “would roll back much” of the progress made in Afghan women’s rights if the Islamist extremists regained national power.
Before being ousted by the 2001 U.S.-led invasion, the Taliban imposed a harsh version of Islamic rule that included barring girls from school and women from working outside their homes and prohibiting them from being in public without a male relative.Baradar meanwhile also called on the youths of the country not to migrate.
“Youths are like the backbone of a society. We call on the young generation, you have the responsibility to serve your country and people; the Islamic Emirate will provide you this opportunity. Stay with your families and serve your country and people in order to ensure a proud and comfortable life for yourselves and the coming generations, rather than heading for abroad, away from your families and children, in quest of a morsel of bread.”He also said the Taliban wants to assure the international community that no threat will be posed by the group to foreign diplomats, and NGO workers based in Afghanistan.
“Humanitarian NGOs have been carrying out their philanthropic activities in our country in coordination with the Islamic Emirate for a long time now. The Islamic Emirate sees it as its responsibility to provide a safe environment for their constructive works.”
A tripartite meeting between the delegations of Afghanistan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan was held in Kabul with the aim of connecting North Asia to South Asia and reducing transit and transportation costs among these three countries, the Ministry of Trade and Commerce said in a statement.
In this meeting, an agreement was reached on the creation of a joint technical committee to continue the talks.
This tripartite meeting was held under the leadership of Nooruddin Azizi, the Acting Minister of Industry and Commerce, Vice President of Turkmenistan and Srik Zhumangarin, the Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan.
Earlier, a bilateral meeting was held between the delegation of the Islamic Emirate and Turkmenistan. The ministry of commerce said the participants of the meeting discussed the construction of a large joint logistics center in Torghondi, the trilateral transit agreement between the IEA, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan, the expansion of Afghanistan’s railway, solving issues related to Afghan transit and export goods, and a number of other commercial issues.
Acting Minister of National Defense Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid has said that no destructive groups including Daesh have physical presence in Afghanistan, adding the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) will not allow anyone to pose threat to any country in the region from the Afghan soil.
Mujahid made the remarks in a meeting with a delegation from Malaysia in Kabul on Thursday.
According to a statement released by the Ministry of Defense, Mujahid highlighted Malaysia’s “good treatment” of Afghan refugees and its long-standing relations with Afghanistan, and said that Malaysia is a powerful Islamic country and visits should increase.
He added that with the establishment of the Islamic Emirate, occupation and war ended in Afghanistan, and the country is fully secure.
Based on the statement, the Malaysian delegation called Afghanistan a friendly country and while emphasizing on comprehensive cooperation, it assured that what they have seen in Afghanistan will be shared with the authorities of their country.
The European Union signed an agreement worth 17 million euros with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to improve access to basic services, increased economic opportunities and protection for Afghans on the move and their host communities in Afghanistan.
The needs of women and girls are a particular focus of the programme, EU said in a statement released on Thursday.
The statement noted that from January 2023 until April 2024, over 1.5 million Afghans returned from Pakistan and Iran.
“I am deeply moved by the hardship returnees face when being deported to Afghanistan. In a country suffering from poverty and climate change, and in a city that just saw devastating earthquakes, this truly is a crisis within a crisis.”, said Peteris Ustubs, Director for the Middle East, Asia and Pacific of the European Commission’s Department for International Partnerships during the signing ceremony at the IOM transit centre in Herat.
Raffaella Iodice, EU Chargée d’Affaires a.i. to Afghanistan, added “The solidarity of the Afghan people towards their brothers and sisters is an inspiration. We must assure that communities hosting and helping new arrivals are supported. The partnership with IOM ensures access to essential services and provides protection for Afghan returnees and their host communities. As women and girls can be particularly affected, we make sure that all members of society can benefit”.
“IOM’s continued partnership with the EU has been critical in enabling our teams to reach hundreds of thousands of Afghan returnees and other vulnerable communities in the country”, said IOM Afghanistan Chief of Mission, Maria Moita. “Thanks to this renewed commitment, we will be able to focus on addressing the immense challenges in the areas of return and contribute to reintegration, social cohesion, and longer-term solutions for those communities.”
This additional contribution is part of a 5-year programme that is being implemented across Afghanistan and in four countries in the region. It builds on the EU’s previous support to IOM to improve the wellbeing of Afghans forced to return to the country, EU said.
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