Most UN Security Council Members Demand Taliban Rescind Decrees Seriously Oppressing Women and Girls

Most UN Security Council Members Demand Taliban Rescind Decrees Seriously Oppressing Women and Girls

More than two-thirds of the U.N. Security Council’s members demanded Monday that the Taliban rescind all policies and decrees oppressing and discriminating against women and girls, including banning girls’ education above the sixth grade and women’s right to work and move freely. A statement by 11 of the 15 council members condemned the Taliban’s repression … Read more

A Reality Check on Afghanistan’s Isolation Under the Taliban

A Reality Check on Afghanistan’s Isolation Under the Taliban

The two-day meeting of regional and national special envoys for Afghanistan convened by the U.N. Secretary General António Guterres in Doha ended on February 19 with consensus among the participants over “what needs to happen.” But there was almost no unanimity about how the international community should engage with the Taliban. The Taliban continue to … Read more

Hamid Karzai Fast Facts | TheStarsHub

Hamid Karzai Fast Facts | CNN

TheStarsHub  —  Here is a look at the life of Hamid Karzai, the former president of Afghanistan. Birth date: December 24, 1957 Birth place: Kandahar, Afghanistan Father: Abdul Ahad Karzai, politician Mother: Mother’s name unavailable publicly Marriage: Zinat Quraishi Karzai (1999-present) Children: daughter’s name unavailable publicly, 2016; Howsi, 2014; Malalai, 2012; Mirwais, 2007 Education: Himachal … Read more

Impasse at Torkham: Pakistan’s Border Closure a Pressure Tactic on the Taliban

Impasse at Torkham: Pakistan’s Border Closure a Pressure Tactic on the Taliban

For decades, the Pushtun Ahmadzai Wazir tribe living on both sides of the Durand Line could wave their national identity documents to the guards to cross the Torkham border, the main point of transit for travelers and goods between Pakistan and landlocked Afghanistan. That is no longer possible, with Islamabad on January 13 reimposing the … Read more

It’s Time to Confront the Taliban’s Corruption

The West Can Support the People of Afghanistan via Central Asia

The United States cannot afford to neglect the intense suffering and exploitation of the population of Afghanistan since the Taliban seized the state over two years ago.  The Taliban’s extremism, misogyny, and brutality are actively undermining Afghanistan’s prospects for peace and stability. Fundamental to this vicious pursuit of power is the strategic use of corruption … Read more

The Plight of Deported Afghans 

The Plight of Deported Afghans 

The unrelenting season of forced homecoming continues for Afghans who had sought refuge in neighboring countries in the past. Thousands of Afghan refugees have been forcefully relocated from countries like Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, and Tajikistan, back into Afghanistan. In a country where the current set of rulers has had little to offer other than regressive … Read more

Alarm Over Hijab Enforcement Exposes Afghanistan’s Dire Need for Direct Engagement

Alarm Over Hijab Enforcement Exposes Afghanistan’s Dire Need for Direct Engagement

In the complex tapestry of Afghanistan’s unfolding existence, a poignant new chapter emerged on January 11, as the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) expressed deep concern over the arbitrary arrests and detentions of women and girls for alleged non-compliance with the Islamic dress code. In its statement, UNAMA said that since the beginning … Read more

Tajikistan and the Taliban: A Lone Voice in Central Asia

Tajikistan and the Taliban: A Lone Voice in Central Asia

On September 2, 2023, on the orders of President Emomali Rahmon, border markets in Khorog, Darvaz, Vanj, and Ishkashim districts of Tajikistan’s Gorno-Badakhshan region opened for business with Afghanistan. Movement across the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border had been officially suspended since August 2021 and the markets were closed. The sudden decision to re-open them has been seen … Read more

Managing Dissent Within: The Taliban Way

Managing Dissent Within: The Taliban Way

The chronic failure of governance and unyielding attachment to regressive values notwithstanding, the Taliban’s hold over Afghanistan appears to be consolidated. Initial hopes that the Taliban 2.0 would be a different species have been belied. Even the anticipation that a contestation between the moderates or dissenters and the hardliners within the group would weaken it … Read more

Russia Hosts Taliban for Talks on Regional Threats and Says It Will Keep Funding Afghanistan

Russia Hosts Taliban for Talks on Regional Threats and Says It Will Keep Funding Afghanistan

The Pulse | Security | South Asia The talks in the Russian city of Kazan came as Moscow is trying to maintain its influence in Central Asia even as it wages war on Ukraine. Advertisement Moscow will keep helping Afghanistan on its own and through the U.N. food agency, Russian officials said Friday as they hosted Taliban representatives for … Read more