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Afghan gov’t refuses to release “dangerous” Taliban prisoners
The Afghan government has refused to release the Taliban prisoners who are accused of involvement in deadly attacks, a released demand by the Taliban as a pre-condition to starting the intra-Afghan negotiations, Reuters reported citing five sources.
Based on five European, Asian and Afghan officials Reuters reported that the Afghan government had opposed the release of hundreds of Taliban prisoners and now western powers are backing the government’s refusal.
These prisoners are accused of involvement in large-scale terrorist attacks including the 2017 car bomb attack at the Zanbaq square, the report said.
Meanwhile, the NATO Secretary-General said that the release of prisoners is a part of the US-Taliban agreement and a precondition for the start of negotiations, and NATO expects progress to be made in this area.”
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said: “One part of this agreement, the US-Taliban agreement is… the release of prisoners on both sides. That’s part of the agreement. That’s the way to create the conditions for intra-Afghan negotiations. And I’m absolutely certain that the only way to reach a political, sustainable, peaceful solution to the conflict in Afghanistan is to have an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned process. Therefore, intra-Afghan negotiations are so important.”
Meanwhile, the Taliban has set the release of the remaining 2,000 prisoners as a precondition for the start of intra-Afghan talks.
“It will certainly not be possible to start Intra-Afghan talks in Afghanistan unless 2,000 prisoners are released from prison,” said Jalaluddin Shinwari, the Taliban’s attorney general.
Hurdles on the way of prisoner release are said to be unsolved. Reuters has said that if the obstacles to the release of prisoners are removed, the ground will be prepared for the start of negotiations.
The Office of the National Security Council says that the release of Taliban prisoners is based on the President’s decree, taking into account the age, health status, and time of detention and that prisoners are not subject to the release process under any other circumstances.
So far, more than 3,000 Taliban prisoners have been released. In the new phase, hundreds of other Taliban prisoners were released in the following days. Intra-Afghan Talks are said to begin by the end of this month, with the release of 5,000 prisoners.
Noor Mohammad Saqib, Afghanistan’s Minister of Hajj and Religious Affairs, has traveled to Saudi Arabia to directly supervise the affairs of Afghan pilgrims and lead this year’s hajj operations after the successful arrival of all 30,000 Afghan pilgrims in the kingdom.
According to the ministry, the visit is aimed at strengthening coordination, improving the management of hajj affairs, and closely monitoring the services being provided to Afghan pilgrims throughout the pilgrimage season.
During his trip, the minister is expected to inspect accommodation facilities, transportation arrangements, food distribution, healthcare services, and religious guidance programs for Afghan pilgrims in Makkah, Medina, and other holy sites. He will also evaluate measures taken to ensure the smooth and organized transfer of pilgrims to the sacred rituals areas.
The ministry said Saqib will hold meetings with officials of various hajj committees and provide recommendations aimed at improving organization, coordination, and the effective delivery of services to pilgrims.
As part of his visit, the minister is also scheduled to attend official conferences and meetings organized by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah of Saudi Arabia, where he is expected to meet representatives from Islamic countries, hajj authorities, and contracting companies to discuss ways to further improve hajj services, expand facilities for pilgrims, and strengthen joint cooperation.
The Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs stated that members of the Afghan hajj mission, alongside hundreds of employees from contracted service companies, are actively working in committees responsible for transportation, food services, religious rituals, missing persons, and other operational matters.
The ministry added that all necessary measures are being taken to ensure Afghan pilgrims can perform their hajj rituals in a safe, organized, and peaceful environment.
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, met on Thursday in Balkh province with the head of Uzbekistan’s Railway Administration.
According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, Uzbek officials said during the meeting that they plan to build a new 1.5-kilometer railway line at Nayebabad Station along the Hairatan–Mazar-e-Sharif railway route. They also intend to construct several warehouses along the line for loading and unloading goods.
Baradar welcomed the initiative and instructed officials of the Ministry of Public Works to jointly carry out the technical and construction work with the Uzbek side.
The construction of the new railway line and warehouses is expected to increase the capacity of Hairatan Port and provide greater facilities for traders.
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IEA says marriage separation regulation aligns with Sharia
The spokesman added that only in the past year, thousands of cases of forced marriages involving girls were addressed in the courts.
Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Islamic Emirate, said during an interview that criticism by some circles regarding the marriage separation regulation is not new and should not be given importance by those opposing Islamic principles.
Mujahid said those who accept Islamic laws should have no concerns in this regard, adding that there is no law within the Islamic Emirate that contradicts Islamic Sharia.
The spokesman also stated that under Islamic Sharia and Hanafi jurisprudence, fathers and grandfathers have guardianship and authority over their minor children, provided that they are kind, have no history of cruelty, are free from mental disorders, are not addicted to narcotics, and do not make decisions regarding their children because of poverty.
Mujahid further said that the ruling does not mean granting unrestricted permission to people, but was issued to create ease for the country’s courts so judges can make decisions more easily in such cases.
He stressed that the Supreme Leader has separately ordered that marrying off a girl without her consent is prohibited.
Mujahid added that only in the past year, thousands of cases of forced marriages involving girls were addressed in the courts of the Islamic Emirate and through the complaint-hearing department of the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, which he said shows the Islamic Emirate’s attention to women’s rights.
The remarks come after the Ministry of Justice recently published the marriage separation regulation. Some circles criticized the regulation, claiming that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan had allowed or facilitated the marriage of underage girls.
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