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Taliban issues order forbidding excavation and trade of artifacts
The Taliban said Sunday it has instructed all its members including its “military units” to protect and preserve Afghanistan’s heritage sites and artifacts and to refrain from excavating and selling relics either in the country or internationally.
In a statement published on the group’s website, the Taliban stated it has instructed: “all officials, commissions/departments chiefs, provincial and district governors, military unit and group commanders, the Mujahideen and all compatriots” to adhere to the order.
The group stated: “As Afghanistan is a country replete with ancient artifacts and antiquity, and that such relics form a part of our country’s history, identity and rich culture, therefore all have an obligation to robustly protect, monitor and preserve these artifacts.”
According to the statement, no one may excavate, transport or sell, and all Taliban members “must prevent the excavation of antiquities and preserve all historic sites like old fortresses, minarets, towers and other similar sites so to safeguard them from damage, destruction, and decay.”
The Taliban said its Commission for Cultural Affairs is tasked with the duty of guarding and preserving ancient artifacts, and that all other branches of the group including their “military commission, governors and other Mujahideen must coordinate and cooperate with the Cultural Commission in protecting these artifacts.”
The group stated that all trade, contracts, and transport of artifacts are forbidden with immediate effect.
“No one should try to disturb such sites or think about using them for profit,” the group stated.
The Taliban has however in the past been accused of plundering and destroying ancient collections and heritage sites.
In 1992, the Taliban reportedly looted the National Museum of Afghanistan which experts claim resulted in the loss of up to 70 percent of the 100,000 artifacts stored in the facility.
In August 1998, the Taliban went on to destroy the Puli Khumri Public Library.
The library contained over 55,000 books and old manuscripts and was considered by Afghans as one of the most valuable and beautiful collections of their nation and culture in the country while through 2001 the Taliban was reported to have destroyed at least 2,750 ancient works of art at the National Museum of Afghanistan.
But the most devastating act was carried out in March 2001 when the Taliban obliterated the giant Buddhas of Bamiyan.
The Buddhas were blown up on the apparent orders of the then leader Mullah Mohammed Omar.
The act sent shock waves around the world and today all that remains of the statues that had stood in niches carved into a mountain overlooking the city of Bamiyan is the cavities in which they had stood for over 1,500 years.
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Muttaqi heads to Moscow for 8th Moscow format meeting
Takal added that the Moscow Format meeting is scheduled to begin on Monday, October 5, in Moscow.
Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi has traveled to Moscow to participate in the eighth meeting of the Moscow Format on Afghanistan.
According to Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Muttaqi is expected to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and other senior officials during his visit to discuss issues related to Afghanistan.
Hafiz Zia Ahmad Takal, head of the ministry’s public relations department, said discussions at the eighth consultative meeting will focus on Afghanistan’s current situation and the country’s relations with the region.
Takal added that the Moscow Format meeting is scheduled to begin on Monday, October 5, in Moscow.
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Mansour: Unjustified bloodshed is forbidden, whether Afghan or Pakistani
At the same time, Mansour stressed that the situation should not escalate into indiscriminate bloodshed.
Abdul Latif Mansour, Afghanistan’s Minister of Rural Rehabilitation and Development, says the Islamic Emirate considers the unjustified shedding of Afghan and Pakistani blood forbidden, as both sides are Muslims.
Mansour made the remarks at the inauguration of the Wakhan road in Badakhshan on Sunday, while responding to Pakistan’s recent attacks on Afghanistan.
He said some people become emotional over Pakistani bombings, but stressed that Afghanistan needs to become self-reliant enough to defend its citizens.
“We must build this system to the point where we become self-reliant and can defend every Afghan in such a way that we can neutralize the person causing harm in his own country,” Mansour said.
He acknowledged that the current system has not yet achieved full self-reliance, but said efforts are underway to strengthen Afghanistan’s ability to defend its people.
At the same time, Mansour stressed that the situation should not escalate into indiscriminate bloodshed.
“We consider the unjustified shedding of our own people’s blood forbidden, and we also consider the shedding of Pakistani blood forbidden because they are Muslims,” he said.
Pakistani military officials have repeatedly accused Afghanistan of allowing militant attacks on Pakistan to be planned or carried out from Afghan territory.
The Islamic Emirate has rejected the allegations, saying Afghanistan is not responsible for Pakistan’s security problems.
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Afghanistan inaugurates 121 km Wakhan road to China border
Mansour described the project as politically, strategically and economically important.
A 121-kilometer gravel road from the Sarhad-e Broghil in Wakhan district of Badakhshan to the Chinese border was officially opened today, Sunday, October 4.
Abdul Latif Mansour, Minister of Rural Rehabilitation and Development, said at the inauguration ceremony that the road includes 66 culverts and four major bridges, while a total of 3,100 meters of retaining walls have been built along parts of the route.
According to Mansour, 365 million afghanis from the Islamic Emirate’s development budget were spent on the construction and graveling of the road.
Mansour described the project as politically, strategically and economically important.
Rahmatullah Najib, governor of Badakhshan, also said at the ceremony that security has been ensured across the province and that there are no security problems in any part of Badakhshan.
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