Webdesk: Last month, numerous Western governments backed Islamabad’s claim that the proscribed terrorist group was operating from Afghanistan at a Paris gathering of a new Afghanistan group.
On February 20, Afghanistan special envoys from different countries and the US met in Paris.
After two weeks of secrecy, the US State Department published a joint statement on Tuesday. The statement expressed severe concerns regarding terrorist groups, including the TTP, in Afghanistan.
The conference was arranged on the night of the first anniversary of the Ukraine war. As suggests that the West was engaged in its own conflict but had not forgotten Afghanistan.
The US and its Western partners expressed serious worries in the joint statement about the growing threat of terrorist groups. These groups include Islamic State–Khorasan Province (ISKP), Al Qaeda, TTP, and others in Afghanistan.
Joint Statement
Significantly, the joint statement underlined that these groups, including TTP, “deeply damage security and stability inside the nation, in the region and beyond”. It called on the Taliban to maintain Afghanistan’s commitment to deny these groups safe haven.
Pakistan hailed the first Western bloc to call TTP a security danger. After the 9/11 attacks, these major Western countries, which formed the basis of the US coalition, became concerned about Afghanistan.
The joint statement noted with “grave concern the increased threat to security and stability in Afghanistan’. It also noted the deterioration of the humanitarian and economic situation,” with more than 28 million Afghans. Half of victims were women and children, and six million just one step from famine.
According to the statement, Since August 2021, the Taliban has violated human rights. The statement also showed concerns about the fundamental freedoms of Afghans. Especially women and girls, ethnic and religious minorities, and other marginalized groups.
Ban on Women’s Education
They denounced the Taliban’s December 2022 ban on Afghan women attending universities and working in NGOs (NGOs).
They said these policies violate Afghan women’s rights and freedoms and imperil the country’s much-needed social and economic development, which would suffer if half the population was excluded from meaningful participation.
The group stressed that discrimination hindered humanitarian aid. These unjustifiable limitations hindered humanitarian aid from reaching Afghans in need, thus they demanded their immediate reversal.
They reminded the Taliban of their role in the economic and humanitarian crisis and urged them to focus on nation-building, economic growth, and Afghan needs.
They stressed that peace and security in Afghanistan required a credible and inclusive national discourse leading to a constitutional order with a representative and inclusive political structure.
Group recommended that the international community maintain and strengthen coordination in light of future events in Afghanistan and in the benefit of the Afghan people.
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