UN Secretary-General António Guterres says journalists around the world continue to pay a heavy price for telling the truth, calling for justice and accountability for crimes committed against media workers.

In a message marking the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists on November 2, Guterres warned that targeting journalists and silencing their reporting deprives the public of access to information and makes everyone a victim.

“When journalists are targeted and their reporting is extinguished, it makes victims of us all,” he said, stressing the need for justice.

Pakistan has welcomed a US offer to facilitate dialogue between Islamabad and Kabul, expressing readiness to support diplomatic efforts by Washington and other friendly countries to ease tensions between the two neighbouring nations.

According to Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry, meaningful negotiations with Afghanistan would require clear commitments and practical, verifiable action by the Islamic Emirate authorities against militant groups allegedly operating from Afghan territory.

The Pakistani official specifically referred to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and other armed groups, describing action against them as a key condition for progress in bilateral talks.

However, the Islamic Emirate has rejected Pakistan’s allegations, maintaining that no armed groups are present in Afghanistan and that Afghan territory is not being used against any country, particularly neighbouring states.

The developments follow remarks by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who expressed Washington’s willingness to play a constructive role in reducing tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Pakistan says it remains committed to constructive engagement with Kabul but insists that dialogue must address Islamabad’s security concerns.

Meanwhile, the Islamic Emirate maintains that Pakistan’s security challenges are internal matters and that responsibility for resolving them should not be placed on Afghanistan.

Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, prime minister of the Islamic Emirate, has received the credentials of Aleksandr Ogorodnikov, Belarus’ non-resident ambassador and special envoy to Afghanistan, during a ceremony at the Arg in Kabul.

Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and Mullah Abdul Wasi, director general of the Office of the Prime Minister, also attended the ceremony. The two sides discussed expanding political, economic and transit relations between Afghanistan and Belarus.

Akhund described the start of the ambassador’s mission as a sign of a new chapter in relations between the two countries and expressed hope that his appointment would further strengthen political, economic and transit cooperation between Kabul and Minsk. He said Afghanistan was ready for comprehensive cooperation in these areas.

For his part, Ogorodnikov expressed satisfaction with the start of his mission in Afghanistan and said Belarus planned to increase trade with Afghanistan in the fields of agriculture, food products and pharmaceuticals.

He also said recent visits by various Islamic Emirate delegations to Belarus had helped strengthen trust and expand bilateral relations.