Connect with us
हिंदी اردو
Sunday,23-February-2025
Breaking News

International News

Stubborn Taliban (Opinion)

Published

3 years ago

on

The manner in which the Taliban have been able to retain power in Afghanistan and their latest decisions show that to save millions of Afghanis from impoverishment and death, international community will have to adopt a new approach.

While the nearly one-year old Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) government trundles on in the absence of international recognition, financial support and faces international backlash on its mostly anti-women and minorities decisions, reminding one of its earlier harsh tenure, the IEA government has not given up on efforts to cajole the international community whilst trying to engage with its neighbours and regional powers at an equal level.

Afghan Loya Jirga

Last week, a three-day assembly of Islamic clerics and tribal elders, called Loya Jirga, was held in Kabul. The assembly pledged support for the Taliban and called on the international community to recognise the country’s Taliban-led government and freeze its assets.

It is reported that some 70 personalities representing Afghan refugees in Pakistan and 30 others from Iran participated in the Jirga. According to the state-run Bakhtar news agency, about 3,500 religious scholars and elders from across Afghanistan were invited to attend the grand assembly.

Participants of the Jirga were expected to discuss a series of issues, including reopening schools for girls from 7th grade to 12th grade, the type of government, national flag and national anthem.

However, the indications are that the overwhelming majority of attendees were Taliban officials and supporters, mostly Islamic clerics. Women were not allowed to attend, a practice that started during the US-backed government in the past.

The Jirga issued an 11-point statement at the conclusion, urging countries in the region and the world, the UN, Islamic organisations and others to recognise theIEA, remove all sanctions imposed since the Taliban takeover and unfreeze Afghan assets abroad.

The US has frozen nearly $9 billion of Afghanistan’s funds. Reportedly US officials and Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Mutaqqi held talks in Qatar last week to explore ways for unfreezing the money.

It also called for mutual respect and coexistence with neighbouring countries, in the region and the world at large, stressing that “the Afghan soil won’t be used against any country and Afghanistan also won’t allow anyone to interfere in its internal affairs”.

It also supported the administration’s ban on poppy plantation and drug production and its smuggling, noting that poppy cultivation, drug production and its trafficking are against Islamic teachings.

The participants also described the Islamic State terror group as “insurgent, terrorist”, noting cooperation with the group is against Islamic laws. The statement further described them as “Kharijite group of this age that spreads corruption in our Islamic country. Any help or association with them is illegal. And that any armed opposition against the Islamic establishment is a breach of Islamic laws and regarded as rebellion”.

In a surprise development, the reclusive supreme leader and spiritual chief of the Taliban, Haibatullah Akhundzada reached Kabul from his base in southern Kandahar province and addressed the gathering on July 1.

His appearance added symbolic heft to the gathering. In his hour-long speech carried by state radio, Akhundzada called the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan a “victory for the Muslim world”.

The battle for coal

Meanwhile, there are reports that the Taliban have increased the price of Afghan coal from $90 per tonne to $200 per tonne, and set custom duties at 30 per cent, hours after Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced import plans for the same. The move is also aimed at rejecting allegations that it’s becoming a “puppet” of Pakistan.

But now, members of the regime are seeking to alter the image of the Taliban’s relationship with the Pakistani government. On June 29, the spokesperson for Afghanistan’s Ministry of Petroleum and Minerals, Mufti Ismatullah Burhan, told The Independent Urdu that no coal trade agreement exists between the two countries, and that the Taliban will use coal as a “pressure point” for Pakistan.

Afghan newspaper Daily Hasht-e Subh also quoted warnings from expert Mirahmad Shakib that the real damage of any accelerated coal imports would not be to either country’s economies but to the environment in Afghanistan. “Pakistan is plundering Afghanistan’s resources in the absence of a responsible national government.” Shakib said.

Since it took over Afghanistan last year and the subsequent economic crisis, the Taliban government has been attempting to rely on natural resources for revenue as an answer to the country’s economic crisis.

The way forward

The Jirga opened in the absence of women representatives and concluded without hinting at reopening schools for girls above grade six and women’s right to work outside home.

In its reaction to the Jirga, Human Rights Watch has said that a decision-making body, such as a Jirga that excludes women and other groups is not legitimate. While human rights advocates claim they do not anticipate and expect significant improvements from the Taliban Jirga in Kabul, Heather Barr, co-director of the Women’s Rights Division at Human Rights Watch, said no one in the Taliban’s Jirga could speak up and that the assembly did not reflected ethnic diversity.

Reportedly, the Taliban elders have been able to keep a complete lock on decision-making since taking over the country last August, and they touted the Jirga as a forum to hear a range of voices on issues facing Afghanistan.

Overall, it appears that Taliban are desperate for the international community to recognise the new Islamic Emirate at the earliest and unfreeze its assets, enabling it to plan for the future.

In its first budget presented in May earlier this year, the IEA government announced a deficit of 44 billion Afghanis ($501 million), the authorities didn’t elaborate or clarified how the gap between expected revenues and planned spending will be met.

The Taliban are under international pressure to be more inclusive as they struggle with Afghanistan’s humanitarian crises. The international community is determined to set its terms while the Taliban are adamant to dictate their own terms for any compromise, as they have been able to control the country for almost a year.

It remains to be seen how it all will pan out as the Taliban are a very stubborn lot and instead of pressure, to find a common ground cajoling and being empathetic will be in favour of both the Afghan people and international community.

(Asad Mirza is a political commentator based in New Delhi. He writes on Muslims, educational, international affairs, interfaith and current affairs)

Post Views: 42
Related Tags:

International News

Arab leaders meet in Saudi Arabia to discuss Palestinian issue, Gaza developments

Published

1 day ago

on

February 22, 2025

By

Riyadh, Feb 22: Leaders of Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain met in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh to discuss the Palestinian issue and the developments in the Gaza Strip, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

While the report described the gathering as a “consultative brotherly meeting” without providing details, media reports suggested that the discussions held on Friday were meant to focus on Gaza’s post-war reconstruction to counter a recent proposal by US President Donald Trump to relocate Palestinians from the enclave and turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East,” a plan widely rejected by Arab nations.

Umer Karim, an expert on Saudi foreign policy, called the summit the “most consequential” in decades for the wider Arab world and the Palestinian issue.

Trump triggered global outrage when he proposed the United States “take over the Gaza Strip” and relocate its 2.4 million people to neighbouring Egypt and Jordan.

According to SPA, the meeting is at the invitation of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, and attended by Jordanian King Abdullah II, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Bahraini Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, and Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

During the meeting, the leaders also expressed their support for the upcoming emergency Arab League summit, scheduled to take place in Cairo on March 4, to address the latest Palestinian developments.

The Gaza Strip is largely in ruins after more than a year of war between Israel and Hamas, with the United Nations recently estimating that rebuilding would cost more than $53 billion.

Post Views: 49,062
Continue Reading

International News

China hails India’s powerful, rising influence in Asia

Published

3 days ago

on

February 20, 2025

By

New Delhi, Feb 20: In yet another sign of thawing ties between the two countries, a Chinese diplomat on Thursday hailed India’s ascent in the Asia Power Index that was released last year.

“India has become the 3rd most powerful and influential country in Asia, after the US and China,” Yu Jing, spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in India, posted on X citing the 2024 Asia Power Index by Australia’s Sydney-based Lowy Institute.

The report released in September 2024 had placed India as the third-most powerful nation in Asia, behind only the United States and China, highlighting India’s remarkable improvement in various categories, particularly in Diplomatic Influence, which surged due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s increased international engagements.

As India overtook Japan to grab the third spot in the Asia Power Index, several leaders attributed the country’s ascent to PM Modi’s visionary leadership and global strategy.

“India’s rise is no accident. This is the direct result of Prime Minister Modi’s aggressive diplomatic strategy and his bold ambitions to reshape India’s place in the world. Without his leadership, India would still be languishing behind, but today, we see a nation on the verge of superpower status,” stressed Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri.

According to the Lowy Institute, the Asia Power Index consisted of eight measures of power, 30 thematic sub-measures and 131 indicators. The Index ranked 27 countries and territories in terms of their capacity to shape their external environment — its scope reaching as far west as Pakistan, as far north as Russia, and as far into the Pacific as Australia, New Zealand, and the United States.

The government listed three major factors behind India’s rise in the index, including economic growth, future prospects and diplomatic influence.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership has gained greater international recognition. India’s non-aligned strategic position has made it possible for New Delhi to effectively navigate complex international waters. India ranked sixth in terms of diplomatic interactions in 2023, reflecting its active participation in multilateral forums,” the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said, last year.

The strained relations between India and China are showing some improvement following the meeting between PM Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held in Kazan in October 2024.

Last month, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri visited Beijing for a meeting of the Foreign Secretary-Vice Foreign Minister mechanism between India and China on January 27.

The two sides not only decided to resume the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra in the summer of 2025 but also agreed, in principle, to resume direct air services between the two countries.

Analysts reckon that the Chinese diplomat’s post on Thursday could be part of both countries deciding to utilise 2025 – the 75th anniversary of the establishment of India-China diplomatic relations – to redouble public diplomacy efforts, create better awareness about each other and restore mutual trust and confidence among the public, as it was agreed during Foreign Secretary Misri’s visit to Beijing, last month.

Post Views: 48,971
Continue Reading

International News

Iran’s supreme leader says US ‘foolish’ plans for Gaza to lead nowhere

Published

4 days ago

on

February 19, 2025

By

Tehran, Feb 19: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said that US “foolish” plans for Gaza and Palestine “will lead nowhere.”

“Those who claimed that they would destroy resistance in a short period of time are now receiving their prisoners from the resistance fighters in small groups and releasing a large number of Palestinian captives in return,” Khamenei said when meeting with visiting Secretary-General of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement Ziad al-Nakhalah, Xinhua news agency reported quoting a statement by Khamenei’s website.

As “global public opinion is now in favour of Palestine,” no plan will succeed without the consent of the resistance and people of Gaza, he said.

For his part, al-Nakhalah thanked Iran’s constant support for the resistance in Gaza, which he said managed to achieve “great victories” over the United States and the West despite the unequal balance of power.

US President Donald Trump proposed recently to transfer Gaza’s Palestinian population to neighboring countries, stating that Gazans who left will not be allowed to return.

The proposal, strongly supported by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has met continuous regional and international outcry.

Earlier on February 10, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel is discussing US President Donald Trump’s “revolutionary, creative vision” on the Gaza Strip, the one that Trump is “very determined to implement.”

Trump’s plan “opens up many possibilities for us,” Netanyahu told a cabinet meeting after his return from Washington to Israel, according to a statement released by Netanyahu’s office.

“For an entire year, we have been told that the ‘day after’ (in Gaza) must involve the PLO (the Palestine Liberation Organization), the Palestinian Authority … President Trump has presented a completely different vision, one that is much better for the State of Israel,” Netanyahu said.

Post Views: 49,206
Continue Reading

Trending