In a report, Tolonews indicated that the Taliban and the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan held a meeting in Doha on Sunday, the second meeting since stalled peace efforts after May 13. The meeting was about the resumption of peace negotiations and talks.
According to Tolonews, Abdul Hakim Haqqani Taliban’s negotiating lead member also returned to Doha from Pakistan, Islamabad after consultations with Taliban leaders.
The meeting was deemed to be a positive sign for towards peace process, as people in the country continue to suffer.
Besides efforts for peace efforts are also underway to attack Pakistan’s support to the Afghan peace process.
President Hamid Karzai in an interview with Der Spiegel confirmed that Afghans are being used against one another by external influence and that Pakistan wants to apply strategic influence through the Taliban in Afghanistan.
In regards to the US he cleared that “the U.S. confirmed this independently, telling us: Yes, the violence is coming from Pakistan, and yes, the Taliban’s sanctuaries are there. But instead of investigating the root cause of the violence and going after it, Washington started to fund Pakistan’s military,” he said.
According to Karizai United States was supporting both sides of the conflict at the same time.
“It was dropping bombs on Afghan villages in order to fight the Taliban, while at the same time, funding the very country (Pakistan) accused of organizing Taliban terror campaigns”, He said
“Former U.S. President Donald Trump once announced that America had paid $35 billion to Pakistan over these past 19 years. This contradictory policy cost thousands of Afghan lives – troops and civilians, alike. Tell me, how was Afghanistan supposed to come to peace?” Karzai asked.
The former Afghan president hinted that President Ashraf Ghani has plans to meet Taliban leader Mullah Hebatullah soon for the first time, he added “we would welcome such a proposal with the utmost interest”.
Karzai at the same time expressed his high hopes for the Troika summit which will include the participation of many countries.
Russia’s Foreign Minister also announced that monopolization of power by the Taliban in the Afghan region is not acceptable for his nation.
Meanwhile, Ariana News (ATN) in a report claimed US forces have already begun constructing a large military base across the “Durand Line” in the Shalozan Kurram Agency area of Zazai Aryub district in Pakistan the area borders Paktia province in Afghanistan.
Paktia’s provincial council told the media outlet that “the base is under construction 8km from the Durand Line inside Pakistan and “supplies are being delivered via air and ground every day”.
So far both US and Afghan officials have not commented on this matter.
The report appeared amid Biden’s withdrawal announcement and efforts to base the US military close to Afghanistan in case US troops’ service is required back in Afghanistan.
On the other hand, Amnesty International said Monday that along with the completion of the US withdrawal process Afghan women’s and girls decades of gains are at serious risk of being twisted
Amnesty international’s statement mentioned that “the limited involvement of women in the peace talks” and the major gains and strides of women are currently under serious threat.
Amnesty’s statement of women at critical juncture amid impasse Afghan government and Taliban talks appear as violence escalates across the country.
Yamini Mishra, Director of Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific said “Afghanistan is at a tipping point. As peace talks falter, the conflict continues to take the lives of civilians on an almost daily basis. Taken alongside the forthcoming withdrawal of international troops, Afghanistan is drifting towards an outcome that threatens to undo more than twenty years of progress for women and girls,”.
Mishra stated that these negotiations will shape the future for women and girls in Afghanistan and their voices must be heard.
She added that peace negotiations will decide future of Afghan women and girls and that they must be heard.
“Now is the time for the Afghan government and its international partners to unequivocally commit and work to ensure that women’s rights and two decades of achievement are not traded off in the peace talks with the Taliban,” Mishra added.
Recalling the past and Taliban rule on Afghanistan the Amnesty International statement reiterated that “women and girls were further denied access to education and had limited access to healthcare. These restrictions still invariably apply to women in areas currently controlled by the Taliban,”.
“While much work remains to be done, women’s rights have improved significantly since 2001. There are now 3.3 million girls in education, and women more actively participate in the political, economic, and social life of the country.
“Despite the ongoing conflict, Afghan women have become lawyers, doctors, judges, teachers, engineers, athletes, activists, politicians, journalists, bureaucrats, business owners, police officers, and members of the military”, read the statement.
Major barriers, obstacle and challenges are still being faced by the Afghan women to fully achieve their rights.
Mishra said: “Violence against women is rife, the participation of women at all levels of government remains limited and, according to UNICEF, 2.2 million Afghan girls still do not attend school.”
“In the current peace talks, which began in September 2020, the 21-member Afghan government negotiation team included only four women, with no women represented in the Taliban delegation. In the March peace conference on Afghanistan in Moscow, only one woman was included in the 16-member government delegation”, she added.
“The significant under-representation and frequent side-lining of women throughout these talks are indicative of how far there is still to go. These negotiations will shape the future for women and girls in Afghanistan and their voices must be heard. The Afghan government must ensure inclusive and meaningful participation of women in the talks,” Mishra noted.
