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Some Taliban talks team members ‘still in Pakistan’

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Taliban sources from the peace talks team said on Tuesday not all negotiators from their side have returned to Doha. 

This comes after peace talks officially resumed eight days ago - although the first actual meeting was only held on Saturday. 

According to a source, the team members who are not yet back in Doha are with their families but plan to return within the next two days. 

The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan’s team has not commented about this nor have they disclosed how many Taliban talks team members are back in Doha. 

All they have said is that the Taliban’s working committee, which is made up of seven members, is currently holding discussions with the republic’s team in the Qatari capital. 

However, sources who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban’s political deputy head in Qatar and Abdul Hakim Haqqani, the head of the Taliban’s talks team, along with other members of the group have not returned. 

“We have started working on the issues and we are moving forward. We do not have any problems in this regard and we are ready,” said Mohammd Naeem, Taliban’s spokesman.

A number of Taliban members traveled to Pakistan for the three-week break, which resumed last Tuesday. 

Sources said they went to spend time with their families and will return to Qatar in two days. 

“Some of them [Taliban] may have personal issues that is why they are in Pakistan; but I do not think it is true that Pakistan asked them to come to Pakistan,” said Sayed Akbar Agha, a former Taliban member.

On the other hand, some members of the Afghan republic’s negotiating team say that a general meeting between the representatives of the two sides has not yet been held. Because of this, they say they have no idea who from the Taliban’s team is in Doha and who is not. 

“Work is being done on the agenda and the unification of the agenda, and we hope that this week we will be able to complete the agenda which is finished by us and we hope the other side also finishes, so we can enter the details of the agenda from next week,” said Ghulam Farooq Majroh, a member of the Afghan republic’s team. 

Some believe that the second round of talks could be prolonged if members of the Taliban delegation do not return to Doha soon.

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IEA delegation attends conference for ‘Promoting Mining Cooperation’ in China

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The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum said on Saturday in a statement that its delegation participated in a conference titled "Promoting Mining Cooperation" in China’s Hunan province.

The Ministry stated the conference aims to build a well-equipped laboratory in Afghanistan, increase the capacity of technical and professional employees of the Ministry of Mines, and encourage investors in the mineral resources sector of Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, Chinese investors expressed their interest in Afghanistan’s gold, copper, mica, talc, oil, gas, lithium, lead and zinc mines.

At the conference, the ministry’s deputy minister of finance and administration and head of the delegation Hussamuddin Saberi talked about Afghanistan's natural resources contracts and investment opportunities and considered holding such programs effective for the relations between the two countries.

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Uzbekistan, EU envoys meet to discuss Afghanistan

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Uzbekistan’s special representative for Afghanistan, Ismatulla Irgashev, on Friday met with the EU Special Representative for Central Asia Terhi Hakala.

During the meeting, the parties discussed the current state and prospects of Uzbek-European relations in the Afghan direction, the efforts of the international community to prevent a humanitarian crisis in the country and the possibility of using the international transport and logistics hub in Termez to deliver humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, Uzbekistan’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

Hakala highly appreciated the efforts of Uzbekistan to develop a consolidated regional position on Afghanistan, establish long-term peace and stability in the country, according to the statement.

The parties expressed mutual interest in continuing bilateral consultations on the Afghan issue, the statement added.

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UN expert calls for comprehensive, rights-focused action plan for Afghanistan

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A UN expert on Friday called on the international community to devise and implement a comprehensive, human rights-centered action plan to address the human rights crisis in Afghanistan.

“The absence of a unified, forceful response from the international community has emboldened the Taliban (IEA),” UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, said.

In his latest report to the UN General Assembly, Bennett said that the human rights situation in Afghanistan is worsening, which includes systematic gender oppression, amounting to gender persecution and which many Afghans term “gender apartheid” with intergenerational implications.

Bennett expressed concern about the new “vice and virtue” law, announced in August, which he believes has institutionalized an expanding list of restrictions that “blatantly violate the rights of women and girls.”

He also expressed concern about the “shrinking civic space” in Afghanistan, the situation of minorities, journalists, and former government officials and security personnel.

“Justice, equality, and the rule of law are being systematically undermined,” he said.

The UN expert also called for increased funding and support for Afghan civil society and humanitarian efforts to mitigate the crisis.

Bennett urged the IEA to reverse its “repressive policies” and reinstate basic human rights. He pressed the international community to take a coordinated, multifaceted approach to support the Afghan people.

Bennett urged states not to normalize relations with the IEA until there are demonstrable human rights improvements and pathways to justice and accountability.

This comes as the Islamic Emirate has said that it is committed to ensuring human rights, including the rights of women and girls, according to Sharia, and this is an internal issue of Afghanistan.

The Islamic Emirate has banned Richard Bennett from traveling to Afghanistan, saying that he exaggerates small issues.

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