Kabul urges Pakistan to negotiate with protesters over ‘Legitimate Demands’
The Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called on the Pakistani government to engage in negotiations and dialogue with Imran Khan’s supporters regarding their “legitimate demands.”
Despite having suppressed dozens of civil movements in Afghanistan over the past three years, the Taliban have stated that refusing to negotiate will only complicate matters further.
On Sunday, October 6, the Taliban expressed concern over the ongoing tensions between the Pakistani government and its political opposition through a statement.
Abdul Qahar Balkhi, the spokesperson for the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, shared a message on the social platform X, stating that the group is closely monitoring the current situation in Pakistan.
The Taliban have urged the Pakistani government to handle the protesters’ grievances in a “rational” and “realistic” manner, emphasizing the need for peaceful resolution.
The protests led by Imran Khan’s supporters in Islamabad were organized in response to the call from the leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, who has been imprisoned in Rawalpindi for over a year.
Earlier, Pakistan’s Interior Minister, Mohsin Naqvi, claimed that Afghan citizens were involved in the Islamabad protests, stating that 120 Afghans had been arrested. However, PTI officials denied these allegations.
While the Taliban encourages negotiation and dialogue in Pakistan, it is noteworthy that over the past three years, they have violently suppressed numerous peaceful civil movements in various cities of Afghanistan.
The Taliban have imprisoned hundreds of civil activists, journalists, human rights defenders, and political opponents during this period.
Reports from human rights organizations indicate that the Taliban have used violence against their opponents in detention. Multiple reports have emerged in the past three years, showing that some opponents have died under torture in Taliban prisons.
In light of these reports, the situation for women in Afghanistan has worsened significantly. Women have faced severe restrictions on their rights, with bans on education, employment, and public participation. These actions, combined with systemic violence, represent clear violations of human rights.
As the Taliban advises Pakistan to resolve its political crisis through negotiations, the international community remains concerned about the human rights abuses in Afghanistan, particularly those targeting women. The continued suppression of women’s freedoms highlights the hypocrisy in the Taliban’s calls for peaceful negotiations elsewhere.
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