This secret meeting between the Qatari Prime Minister Muhammad bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani and the Emir of Afghanistan Hibatullah Akhonzada took place on May 12 in Kandahar, on which the United States was briefed.
Sheikh Mohammad al-Thani also urged the Afghan leader on the need to end the Taliban's ban on girls' education and women's employment (AFP).
Sources have said that in order to resolve the tension with the international community, the Prime Minister of Qatar, Mohammad bin Abdul Rahman Al-Thani, held secret talks with the head of the Taliban, Hibatullah Akhunzada, this month.
The British news agency Reuters has reported with reference to sources that the meeting with the Qatari prime minister is an indication of the willingness of Afghanistan's rulers to negotiate to end international isolation.
According to Reuters, the meeting between Sheikh Mohammad bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani and Mullah Hibatullah Akhonzada took place on May 12 in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar, which is said to be the first meeting of the Taliban leader with any foreign leader. was
Sources said that US President Joe Biden was briefed about these talks and that the Biden administration is discussing "all aspects" of the Afghan leadership's talks with the Qatari prime minister, including advancing talks with the Taliban . Is.
The sources told Reuters on condition of anonymity that Sheikh Mohammad al-Thani stressed the need to end the Taliban's ban on girls' education and women's employment, among other issues raised with Hibatullah.
The meeting is a diplomatic success for Qatar, which has used its long-standing ties to the movement to criticize the Taliban's restrictions on women to push for deeper ties with Kabul from the international community.
The United States has called on the Taliban to end bans on girls' education and women working, including restoring freedom of movement for women working in UN agencies and human rights organizations, and allowing women in government. Steps to add include:
According to the sources, Washington supports any level of negotiations with the Taliban to end the extraordinary sanctions and ease the dire humanitarian and financial crises that have left millions of Afghans suffering from hunger and unemployment.
However, the White House has refused to comment on the talks.
The State Department and Qatar's embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment.
The Taliban also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Restrictions on women's education and employment have hampered humanitarian aid and have been a major reason why no country has recognized the Taliban government since the Taliban seized power in August 2021.
Discussions regarding the ban on women
According to a UN report presented in March to the Human Rights Council in Geneva, the treatment of women and girls by the Taliban may amount to a crime against humanity.
However, the Taliban say they respect women's rights according to their interpretation of Islamic law and Afghan customs.
Mullah Hibatullah has shown little willingness to compromise his rulings in the past.
However, his meeting with Sheikh Mohammad al-Thani shows that he is willing to find ways to end Afghanistan's international isolation and promote aid programs as the country is mired in hunger and poverty.
The source said: 'It was a very positive meeting. Hibatullah is very interested in continuing the dialogue with the international community.'
But the reason why other countries do not finally recognize the Taliban regime is because of their poor human rights and treatment of women.
Sources said Sheikh Mohammad al-Thani stressed with Hibatullah the need to lift restrictions on women's education and employment, including bans on women working for UN agencies and other humanitarian groups.
The Taliban administration has been promising since January that it is developing written guidelines to allow female staff of aid groups to work.
The Taliban banned girls from attending high schools in March 2022 and extended the ban to universities in December.
They say they will reopen secondary schools for girls once the 'conditions' are met, including formulating an Islamic curriculum.
A solution to the humanitarian crisis
Sources said that Sheikh Mohammad Al-Thani and Hibatullah also discussed efforts to resolve the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
The United Nations says that nearly three-quarters of Afghanistan's 40 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance. The world body has also warned that they are running out of funding.
Sources said Sheikh Mohammad Al-Thani also discussed counter-terrorism efforts by the Taliban with Hibatullah. It was a discussion about the Taliban's campaign to crush ISIS-affiliated group Daesh Khorasan.
The group is mostly present in eastern Afghanistan but has targeted minorities and embassies in Kabul.
The United States and its allies say that the Taliban harbor members of Al-Qaeda and the Pakistani Taliban. However, the Afghan Taliban denies these allegations.
Sheikh Muhammad al-Thani had a public meeting with Taliban Prime Minister Mullah Hasan Akhund in Kandahar on May 12.
However, neither party disclosed the conversation with Hibatullah.
Qatar allowed the militants to open a political office in Doha in 2013 and facilitated their talks with Washington that led to an agreement for the withdrawal of the US-led international force in 2020.
Although Doha has no formal diplomatic relations with Afghanistan, it has an embassy in Kabul and the United States is represented there.
Qatar has long pressed the international community to agree on a "roadmap" of steps to recognize the Taliban, arguing that isolating Afghanistan could undermine regional security.
Pakistan's first eco-friendly blue road constructed in Lahore : Kalma Chowk
Blue Road manufacturer says that this road is not only good for the human eye but also environment friendly.
The 'Kalma Chowk' underpass was under construction in Lahore , the capital of Punjab province , for some time. When its construction was completed, a new thing was seen there and that was a blue road .
The developer of the road, Punjab Central Business District Development Authority (PCBDDA), also known as Central Business District Punjab (CBD Punjab), claims that it is Asia's first eco-friendly Blue Road .
Initially, this 700 meter long road will be used for entry into CBD Punjab, Quaid District. Later additional Blue Roads will be constructed within CBD Punjab.
According to BDDA Punjab CEO Imran Amin, this is an untouched idea of urban regeneration and sustainable development.
In a conversation with Independent Urdu, he said that saplings were also planted in Kalma Chowk under this project. "We have planted 10,000 to 12,000 saplings there. Apart from this, we will collect the water with the help of rain harvesting tanks and use it.'
Imran said that the purpose of this whole strategy was to collect enough points to get the entire project lead certification.
There are different standards of this certification like silver, gold and platinum. We are currently trying for silver, but we will try hard for gold.'
He said that on a normal road, black asphalt absorbs the intense heat of the sun, but when a blue color coating is applied on it, the road becomes environment friendly.
Lahore_Blue_Road
According to BDDA Punjab CEO Imran Amin, this is an untouchable idea of urban regeneration and sustainable development (screen grab).
'The blue coating uses a special anti-skid material and comes with a five-year guarantee.'
Imran said that this coating has to be done repeatedly in the first six months. "A new type of road appears that looks good to the human eye, but has a negative impact on the environment."
He further informed that the rest of the road included in the project will be completed in six months. "This road will start from Kalma Underpass and end at Walton Road."
Imran said that he has planned a cycle lane on the road, which will be covered with solar panels from start to finish. 'This will provide clean energy and shade for cyclists.'
He said that he got the idea of such a cycle lane from South Korea.
Imran also said that such blue roads are mostly built in hot countries while 'Pakistan is the first country in our region where this road was built.'
He said that the blue road costs only two or two and a half percent more per kilometer than the normal road, but in the long run, it saves up to 25 percent.
Imran wants the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) to take up the responsibility of turning the rest of the city's roads blue and implement it.
PTI does not need electables: Chairman Imran Khan
In an exclusive interview given to Independent news Imran Khan said that 'Our biggest vote bank is. When the vote bank is so much, it doesn't matter if people come and go.'
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman and former Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that his party no longer needs electables to win elections. 'We have the biggest vote bank. When the vote bank is so much, it doesn't matter if people come and go.'
Imran Khan, while giving an exclusive interview to Independent news at his residence in Zaman Park area of Lahore, said that his party will be cornered only when its vote bank, which is still intact, is exhausted. PDM's vote bank has fallen. Whenever elections are held, PTI will win.'
70-year-old Imran Khan insisted that the government has arrested only 15 or 20 ticket holders in Punjab. We have given tickets to more than 300 people. The rest are hidden.'
In response to a question in the wake of the government's crackdown on his party after the May 9 incidents, whether he feels trapped in a narrow street? Imran Khan insisted that this is not the case.
'A decision has to be made whether there will be an election or martial law'
Imran Khan said about the government's refusal to listen to the offer of talks, that 'the talks have been going on but there is no response from the other side. Negotiations are what those who want a solution want and the solution is elections. They don't want it. Running away from it.'
In a tweet yesterday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that when political leaders sit at the table to create a consensus, many political and constitutional developments take place, but there is a difference between anarchists and agitators who are politicians. Attack the symbols of the country in the guise of, they cannot be negotiated with.
The political tug-of-war between Imran Khan and the coalition government of PDM continues. After the events of May 9, there has been some change in its nature, but neither Imran Khan nor the government is giving any indication of any relaxation in their stance. As a result, there is a possibility of further political tension in the country.
When Imran Khan was asked that he has used every political strategy or trick to hold early elections in the last one year but the success has not been achieved so far because of his politics, weakness of narrative or any defect in his personality. Is? On which he said that his aim or vision was only to end political and economic instability in the country by holding early elections.
Elections were needed in Pakistan. The country is in default and has the highest inflation in history. Everyone is afraid of PTI.'
Regarding his demand for an investigation into the violent incidents of May 9, on the question of whether there has ever been an impartial inquiry in this country, the results of which have been made public? So Imran Khan said that the fire broke out in four or five places in which there were places like the Corps Commander's House and Radio Pakistan Peshawar. 'This inquiry is very straightforward.'
He added: 'The constitution and the law allow us to protest peacefully. It is our right to protest in front of GHQ. Our party did not go inside, but our people were stopping them.'
Imran Khan doubts that the preparations for this rally had already been made. He claimed that the government has made a list of his 23,000 workers, out of which 10,000 have been arrested.
When he was asked where this data was collected from? So they said: 'Our own people have told this. This is complete fascism. Our lawyers are not even being allowed to meet them (arrested workers).'
Regarding apparently not doing anything for the release of the arrested workers, he said that his lawyers have been assigned duty in this regard in every district.
"FIR has not even been registered against many of the arrested workers, they have been put in the list of unknown persons. They are planning to crush PTI.'
On the question whether they do not think that calling their arrest a red line led to this violent protest? Imran Khan said that he himself never said that. 'My workers used to say this because once they (the government) tried to arrest me illegally from Bani Gala.
"Later, when the shots rang out, there was a fear within the party that they would try to kill me again. That meant it was a red line for them. They (the government) themselves say that Imran Khan should not be allowed to hold elections.
Regarding the arrested leaders, he said that there was severe pressure on those who left the party, but he did not say what kind of pressure there was. He specially mentioned Shireen Mazari in this regard that she was under a lot of pressure from her family, daughter and then her health was also very bad. He admitted that he was saddened when some leaders left the party.
How likely is the party to be banned or tried in a military court? In response to this question, Imran Khan said that he cannot say anything because according to him there is no such thing as law. Judges' decisions are not being implemented. They post bail, the government then arrests them.
Elections did not take place despite the Supreme Court 's May 14 order . The country is going strong.'
He said that if cases against civilians will be tried in military courts, then democracy has ended. Semi-martial law has been imposed. Their first goal is to eliminate PTI and restore Nawaz Sharif.
Was it a good decision to dissolve the Assemblies of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa? In response to this question, Imran Khan said that he had taken the decision keeping the constitution in front of him. "The elections should have been held again in 90 days."
Regarding the future Chief Justice Qazi Faiz Isa, he said that whatever happens according to the constitution, he will have to go with him. "The reference against him was not presented by the then law minister and legal experts as it should have been.
'Then the game was made as if I had done something against the judiciary or the judges. I had submitted the reference before the Judicial Commission. We shouldn't have gotten into this.'
He said that in the Tosha Khana case, he did not do anything wrong either legally or morally and this case will also be thrown out like the foreign funding case.
Will they recognize the Taliban government in Afghanistan if they come to power? He said that Pakistan should maintain good relations with the neighboring country. The women of Afghanistan will take their own rights. We should not interfere in their affairs.'
He insisted that no country has ever damaged relations with India because of the Modi government's anti-Muslim policies. 'We should make our decisions in the national interest.'
Manipur (India) : Home Minister Amit Shah landed on the ground to restore peace in Manipur, agreed on 5 things
To control the deteriorating situation in Manipur, Home Minister Amit Shah is camping there these days. Shah is constantly meeting people from different sections of the society. In NDTV's special report, see how efforts are being made to restore peace during Amit Shah's visit to Manipur:-
New Delhi : Union Home Minister Amit Shah is on a tour of Manipur violence these days. He is reviewing the violence going on here for the last one month. Amit Shah (Amit Shah Manipur Visit) In addition to the all-party meeting on the situation in Manipur in Imphal, held a meeting with senior officers of Manipur Police, CRPF and Indian Army. Also visited Moreh and Kangpokpi areas on the Indo-Myanmar border. Shah's three-day visit is considered very important in the direction of restoring peace and building trust in the state.
Consensus was made on these for the restoration of peace: -
- Law and order will be rectified.
Relief works will be expedited in the affected areas.
10 lakh compensation to the families of the deceased, a job for one member.
Assured a political solution to the Chin-Kuki-Mizo community in 15 days.
To dispel the rumour, BSNL's telephone line will be restored.
Moreh town violence more affected
In this visit on Wednesday, Amit Shah went to Moreh town, where the current unrest in the state has had an impact. During this visit, Shah met the representatives of the Kuki civic group. The Union Minister understood his side regarding the present situation. When Shah reached here, thousands of people came out to meet him at both the places.
One of the oldest centers of trade is Moreh
Moreh is 110 kms from Imphal. This town situated on the Myanmar border is one of the oldest centers of international trade. On the other side of the border is the city of Tamu. The Mitra Setu built on the Indo-Myanmar border connects the two countries. People of many communities from different states of India live here. People of Meitei and Kuki communities have also lived here for decades.
Thousands of people displaced from Moreh
However, thousands of people from all communities have left Moreh since the violence started on 3 May. He had taken shelter in the surrounding areas. It is one of the most affected areas by violence. During his visit, Amit Shah met the affected families and also participated in peace talks.
Shah also went on Kangpokpi tour,
similarly Kangpokpi district was also a major stop of his visit on Wednesday. Kuki community is in large numbers in this district but there are also many Meitai villages. This district is in those areas, where the current conflict had the worst effect. Many religious buildings and buildings of both the communities were targeted here.
After reaching back to Imphal on Wednesday evening, Home Minister Amit Shah once again reviewed the security situation . This presence of Home Minister Shah along with senior officials of Home Ministry and security forces at Ground Zero is telling a lot about his intentions for peace efforts.
A high-level meeting was also held on the situation in the state.
Let us tell you that Amit Shah had reached Imphal on Monday night. As soon as he reached Imphal, he held a high-level meeting on the situation in the state. He also met Manipur Governor Anusuiya Uikey. He had a busy schedule on Tuesday as well. He discussed with the women of Meitei community. After this, Shah held a meeting with the Civil Society Organization of the state. Then in Imphal itself he met prominent people of the Meitei community.
After meeting the representatives of civil society organizations, Amit Shah reached Churachandpur. There he had a discussion with the people of the Kuki community. Shah also met representatives of civil society organizations in Churachandpur itself. After completing the tour of Churachandpur, Home Minister Shah returned to Imphal in the afternoon. Shah held an all-party meeting with leaders of various political parties in Imphal in connection with efforts to restore peace.
Announcement of aid amount of Rs 10 lakh each
On reaching Manipur's capital Imphal on May 29, Amit Shah first held a meeting with Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, ministers and officials. Shah has announced an assistance of Rs 10 lakh each to the families of those killed in the violence and a job to a family member. He has given instructions to improve the supply of essential things like ration and oil in the state. Chief Minister N Biren Singh, Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla and Intelligence Bureau Chief Tapan Deka were present in this meeting.
So far 80 people have lost their lives.
Violence continues in Manipur since May 3. Violent clashes took place on Sunday in Serau and Sugnu areas adjacent to the capital Imphal. In this, 5 people including 1 policeman were killed, while 12 were injured. Due to the violence in the state, about 80 people have lost their lives so far.
Army rescues 2,000 villagers
Following fresh violence in Manipur, the Army and the Assam Rifles launched a massive rescue operation on 28 May. During this, the villagers of the Kuki tribe and Meitei community were helped in taking them to safe places.
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