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Afghanistan, Turkey, Pakistan, call on Taliban to commit to Afghan peace talks

Afghanistan, Turkey, and Pakistan on Friday called on the Taliban to reaffirm their commitment to achieving an inclusive negotiated settlement leading to lasting peace in Afghanistan.
The Foreign Ministers of these countries held a trilateral meeting in Istanbul, Turkey, and discussed the Afghan peace process.
Foreign Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar, who was tested positive for COVID-19, virtually attended the conference.
“Regretfully I tested positive for Covid-19 and had to attend the Afghanistan-Turkey-Pakistan Meeting virtually,” Atmar tweeted.
“Grateful to my brothers Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and Shah Mahmood Qureshi for supporting a peaceful, sovereign, united and democratic Afghanistan.”
“Deploring violence, we called on Taliban for an immediate ceasefire and return to negotiation,” Atmar said.
In a joint statement issued after talks in Istanbul, the three diplomats stated that a sustainable peace can be achieved only through an inclusive Afghan-led and Afghan-owned political process that aims a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire along with an inclusive political settlement to end the conflict in the country.
The diplomats emphasized the urgent need for an immediate ceasefire both to end the existing high level of violence and to provide a conducive atmosphere for the peace talks.
A U.S.-backed Afghan peace conference to be hosted in Istanbul hosted by Turkey, Qatar, and the United Nations on Saturday was postponed over the Taliban’s non-participation.
Ankara has said the talks will be held after the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan but no new date has been set.
The foreign ministers of Turkey, Afghanistan, and Pakistan on Friday discussed the planned conference, aimed at fast-tracking an agreement between the Afghan government and the Taliban following Washington’s announcement that foreign troops will leave Afghanistan by Sept. 11.
The ministers “called on all parties, in particular, the Taliban to reaffirm their commitment for achieving an inclusive negotiated settlement leading to lasting peace in Afghanistan desired by the Afghan people, the region and the international community”, according to the joint statement.
They also “deplored the continuing high level of violence in Afghanistan.”
Speaking at a joint news conference after the talks, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Ankara’s support for the Afghan peace process and efforts to organize the conference in Istanbul would continue.
“As the co-organizers, we are continuing talks on this with all sides,” he said, alongside Pakistani Foreign Minister Shan Mahmood Qureshi.
Afghan Foreign Minister Hanif Atmar joined the meeting via video link for health reasons, Cavusoglu said.
The Taliban had earlier refused to attend any summits until all foreign forces were pulled out of Afghanistan. The Taliban and the United States last year agreed that all foreign forces would be withdrawn from Afghanistan by May 1, a date that was pushed back last week by U.S. President Joe Biden.
The Islamist Taliban ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, when they were ousted by U.S.-led forces. Since then, they have waged a long-running insurgency and still control wide swathes of territory.
Reporter: Bais Hayat
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Pakistani PM urges IEA to rein in terrorist groups

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that it’s a sad reality that the soil of neighbouring Afghanistan is being used for terrorist attacks inside Pakistan.
“Afghanistan is our brotherly country and the two countries are neighbours by nature. We have to live as good neighbours. It’s up to us how we live cordially and in a friendly way. We have asked the Afghan interim government several times that the Afghan soil should not be used as per the Doha agreement against Pakistan and its interests,” Shehbaz told the media during his visit to London, Geo News reported on Sunday.
“Sadly, terror groups such as Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) and other terror groups are operating from Afghanistan. They have killed innocent people inside Pakistan. These sacrifices of Pakistanis will not go in vain. My advice to Afghanistan is to rein in these terrorist groups.”
Pakistani officials have repeatedly claimed that Afghan soil is being used in attacks against Pakistan.
The Islamic Emirate, however, has denied the allegations, saying Afghanistan is not responsible for Pakistan’s “security failure”.
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Pakistan’s Punjab CM calls for ‘human response’ to Afghan girls’ education ban

Maryam Nawaz, the chief minister of Pakistan’s Punjab province, on Saturday expressed regret over the educational restrictions on girls in Afghanistan, calling on the international community to address the issue.
Speaking at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey, Maryam stressed that no society progresses without investing in the welfare of women and children.
“Innocent children lie under the rubble in Palestine. Girls in Afghanistan are denied access to schools. The children of Kashmir are victims of oppression. In Sudan, they walk miles for food. These are not isolated issues—they demand collective human response,” she said.
The Islamic Emirate has suspended education of girls beyond sixth grade.
This policy has been widely criticised internationally.
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IEA Supreme Leader defends public executions, says its as ‘part of Islam’

The Supreme Leader of the islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) Hibatullah Akhundzada has defended public executions and said these are an integral part of Islam.
In a voice clip reportedly taped during a speech at a seminar for Hajj instructors in Kandahar on Saturday, Akhundzada said: “We must carry out disciplinary measures, perform prayers and acts of worship. We must enter Islam completely. Islam is not just limited to a few rituals; it is a comprehensive system of all divine commands.”
Not a single command of Islam should be left unfulfilled, he is heard saying on the voice clip, which was posted to X by the IEA’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.
God had commanded people to pray and to enforce his punishments, said Akhundzada, adding that the IEA did not wage war for power or wealth but rather to “implement Islamic law”. He rejected criticism of the executions.
This comes after widespread condemnation following the execution by firing squad on Friday of four men convicted of murder.
Akhundzada has previously rejected the need for Western laws in Afghanistan.
He said Saturday: “Yesterday, executions were carried out. You saw how much protest was raised in the world, and said that they [IEA] kill people, that they are oppressors, that they terrorize people. They call this terror; they call this against Sharia; but this is a Sharia order to take revenge. One order is to implement the orders of Allah. One order is to impose punishments,” said Akhundzada.
He added that the Islamic Emirate is facing a great test but they will not bargain with the world over Islam, religion, and the Prophet (PBUH).
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