Taliban

The country wants to diversify its trade routes with the region, reducing its dependence on Pakistan. This trend has strengthened after recent hostilities with its neighbour. In the last month, Afghan traders have lost 200 million dollars. The trade balance with the five Central Asian countries has reached 1.7 billion.

The border closure has triggered a spike in the cost of basic items. The price of tomatoes jumped fivefold since the start of the month. An official admits: "We have no information” about when the border will reopen. A meeting between the two sides on Sunday is eagerly awaited.

Islamabad has resumed forced repatriations, setting 1 September as the deadline for the departure of 1.4 million Afghans. The decision was taken despite the humanitarian disaster in their homeland, where, according to a recent US State Department report, the Taliban are imposing an ‘institutionalised system of repression’.

The directive applies to both Card holders and those without documents. From 1st April they will be forcibly expelled, but the advice is to ‘leave voluntarily’ before the deadline. Human rights groups are concerned. Meanwhile, at the Torkham crossing, tribal leaders from both sides have signed a truce.

The young son of a bishop of the (Protestant) Church of North India died and two women were raped in a crime committed at a well-known tourist site. The Catholic bishop of Bellary, Mgr D'Souza, calls for “culture of safety and security for all women".

A Taliban minister and the Iranian ambassador met in Kabul to discuss the return of Afghans to their country of origin, with an Afghan delegation set to travel to the Iranian capital. An NGO reported the recent killing by Iranian border guards of Afghan migrants (260 dead and wounded, according to some sources).

Enforcement is overseen by the Ministry of Morality. Over the past year more than 13,000 people detained, half of them held for 24 hours. Specific rules are also provided for the media, such as a ban on showing images of living beings. Sanctions include counseling, warnings of divine punishment, verbal threats, confiscation of property, and detention.

Women in administrative positions who do not work regularly will see their salaries reduced to 5,000 Afghanis (US$ 70). Yet it is the Taliban regime that prevents women from leaving their home. Despite several rounds of talks, the international community has not yet found a solution to resolve the political and economic stalemate in Afghanistan.

According to a survey by Save the Children, 250,000 children are not in school. About 99 per cent of repatriated families face a food crisis, 40 per cent have had to borrow money, one in six lives in tents. Many were born across the border, and Afghanistan "is not the place they call home.”

In Tajikistan, the embassy in Kabul is still active with the representative appointed by the previous Ghani executive, before the rise of the Koranic students. There are doubts about the management of the structure and the coverage of operating expenses. The shadows on political and economic relations between the two countries.

A Taleban spokesman rejects Pakistan’s claim. Although Taleban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has called cross-border attacks "haram", prohibited, Pakistani security forces are still targeted. Meanwhile, the Islamic State-Khorasan continues to strike, creating a situation that appears to have gone out of control.

The Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has been operating for years along the Durand Line with the goal of creating a new Islamic Emirate. But tens of thousands of refugees, mostly ethnic Pashtuns, also live on the border. In 2022 there was an increase in attack casualties of nearly 15 percent in Pakistan.