BERLIN:&nbsp;Germany on Thursday deported 20 convicted criminals to Afghanistan under a new agreement reached with the Taliban government to allow direct expulsions, the interior ministry said. Berlin had already resumed deporting criminals to Afghanistan in 2024, using Qatar as an intermediary. But the agreement reached to enable Thursday&#39;s flight &quot;creates a reliable basis for direct and permanent deportations to Afghanistan&quot;, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said. Drug offences&nbsp;Those deported were men who had committed crimes in Germany, including sexual offences, bodily harm and drug offences, according to the interior ministry. &quot;Our society has an interest in ensuring that criminals leave our country. That is why we are acting consistently and expanding deportations step by step,&quot; Dobrindt said. Germany stopped deportations to Afghanistan and closed its embassy in Kabul following the Taliban&#39;s return to power in 2021. But it resumed them as part of efforts to take a tougher line on migration to counter the rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. Two flights&nbsp;Two deportation flights of convicted Afghans have left Germany since 2021: 28 were returned in autumn 2024 and 81 in July last year. Germany&#39;s interior ministry had announced last year that direct discussions were taking place with the Taliban authorities. No recognition&nbsp;But the talks are controversial because Berlin does not recognize the Taliban administration in Kabul. The interior ministry said it had been &quot;working intensively in recent months to enable direct repatriations to Afghanistan without the support of third countries&quot;. A ministry spokesman told AFP the deal was reached &quot;during technical talks held by the government with the de facto government of Afghanistan in autumn 2025&quot;. The EU has also initiated contacts with the Taliban government in Kabul to assess the feasibility of returns as it seeks to counter right-wing electoral gains across the bloc.

Afghanistan

Germany stopped deportations to Afghanistan and closed its embassy in Kabul following the Taliban's return to power in 2021; but it resumed them as part of efforts to take a tougher line on migration.

Germany deports 20 Afghans after deal with Taliban

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Islamic scholars have expressed grave concern over reports that Afghan society is being divided into free and enslaved classes in the name of Sharia, calling such actions contrary to the Qur&rsquo;an and Sunnah. <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; float: none; display: inline !important;" id="isPasted">This was stated by Pakistan Ulema Council Chairman Maulana Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi, Maulana Shafi Qasmi, Maulana Maqbool Ahmed, and other scholars in a joint statement. The orders being issued by the interim&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/cdf-calls-for-unity-against-terrorism-stresses-states-authority-on-jihad" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Afghan government</a> are in no way in accordance with the commands of the Qur&rsquo;an and Sunnah, they said. They said there is a serious concern over reports stating that, in the name of Islamic Sharia and the teachings of the Qur&rsquo;an and Sunnah, a decision has been made to divide Afghan society into different segments, and contrary to the commands of the Qur&rsquo;an and Sunnah, society is being divided into free people and slaves. Resemblance with Hindu religious teachings&nbsp;The religious scholars said this division is in no way in accordance with the commands of the Qur&rsquo;an and Sunnah; rather, it resembles Hindu religious teachings, in which society is divided along the same four foundations now being applied in Afghanistan. The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/four-terrorists-killed-in-north-waziristan-attack-four-pakistani-soldiers-martyred" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">Afghan Taliban government</a>, which calls itself a Sharia-based Islamic government, should immediately present its stance on these matters to the world and should not re-impose the laws and customs of the Age of Ignorance (Jahiliyyah) in the name of Islam, they demanded. The Islamic scholars said that after the advent of Islam and the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), the era of ignorance had ended, an era in which human beings were enslaved, women&rsquo;s rights were usurped, and society was divided into different classes. They questioned whether the Afghan Taliban are unaware of the saying of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) that no black person has superiority over a white person, no white person over a black person, no Arab over a non-Arab, and no non-Arab over an Arab, except by piety and fear of Allah. The approach being adopted here reflects an insult and humiliation of humanity, and such orders cannot be called Sharia rulings; rather, they can only be described as a new era of ignorance, they said.

Foreign Affairs

They ask the Afghan Taliban government not to re-impose the laws and customs of the Age of Ignorance (Jahiliyyah) in the name of Islam. 

Scholars warn Taliban policies divide Afghan society, violate Qur’an, Sunnah

ISLAMABAD: The&nbsp;Taliban regime in Afghanistan is facing one diplomatic failure after another due to its intransigence, Radio Pakistan reported on Saturday. Most countries are strong critics of the extremist ideology and militancy of the <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/leaked-audio-exposes-taliban-fractures-as-akhundzada-tightens-grip-on-power" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Afghan Taliban</a>. Ariana News and Afghan International, citing Russian official Zamir Kabulov, reported that there has been no contact between Russia and the US regarding Afghanistan, nor is any meeting scheduled for this year. No direct negotiations&nbsp;He said Russia and the US have not conducted any direct negotiations on Afghanistan. After the deportation of illegal Afghan citizens by several countries, the US has also refused to accept more Afghans. According to Middle East Eye, the Trump administration decided to close a camp in Qatar, which was established for the resettlement of over a thousand Afghan nationals in the United States. Visa restrictions&nbsp;Due to <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/afghan-man-goes-on-trial-over-deadly-munich-carramming" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">criminal behavior</a>, several host countries have already imposed visa restrictions and carried out deportations of Afghans. According to experts, the Taliban regime&#39;s support for terrorist groups has isolated it on the global stage.&nbsp;

After the deportation of illegal Afghan citizens by several countries, the US has also refused to accept more Afghans; due to criminal behavior, several host countries have already imposed visa restrictions and carried out deportations of Afghan citizens.

Interim Afghan govt faces diplomatic failures due to intransigence: Reports

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s Foreign Office has said the group in power in Kabul does not enjoy any constitutional legitimacy, distancing Islamabad from the Taliban&rsquo;s self-declared status as an interim government. Addressing the weekly media briefing on Friday, the spokesperson said: &ldquo;There is no constitution. There is no legal framework but we are working with it. We have an ambassador there. But at the same time, we hope that there will be progress in terms of proper constitutional system of government taking root, truly representative of the Afghan people, taking root in Kabul.&rdquo; The remarks mark a shift in how Pakistan viewed Afghanistan, as foreign office uses regime instead of interim government to refer to the Taliban. The spokesperson said Pakistan continues to maintain diplomatic engagement with Kabul and that Afghanistan&rsquo;s political future must ultimately be decided by its own people.&nbsp; He said Islamabad seeks stability through dialogue and non-interference, but a legitimate, representative system must emerge in Afghanistan. At the same briefing, the Foreign Office warned about what it called the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan. &ldquo;Belying fast the expectations and hopes of the regional countries, [Afghanistan] has become a central breeding ground for global terrorism.&rdquo; Referring to Pakistan&rsquo;s defensive actions along the border, the spokesperson said the country could not afford to &ldquo;wait for a big disaster happening at the global scale before we take remedial action.&rdquo; He added that Pakistan had long been drawing attention to the &ldquo;gradual sinking in of Afghanistan&rdquo; &mdash; both in terms of its failure to meet counterterrorism commitments and the growing toll such instability was taking on Pakistan&rsquo;s own security. &ldquo;But this fire will spread,&rdquo; the spokesperson cautioned. &ldquo;This has to be stopped.&rdquo; The comments came amid heightened tensions along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, where Islamabad said it carried out &ldquo;targeted and precise defensive responses&rdquo; following what it described as unprovoked cross-border assaults by Taliban forces and affiliated militant groups.

Security

Islamabad warned of Afghanistan’s worsening stability, calling it a breeding ground for global terrorism. Pakistan urged the establishment of a representative government in Kabul amid rising cross-border tensions and militant threats to regional stability.


Pakistan says Taliban government lacks constitutional legitimacy

ISLAMABAD: India will be upgrading its technical mission in the Afghan capital Kabul to an embassy, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said on Friday. He said this in his opening remarks at his meeting with Foreign Minister of Interim Afghan Government, Amir Khan Mutaqqi, in New Delhi on Friday. Jaishankar said India appreciated interim Afghan government&rsquo;s sensitivity toward India&rsquo;s security concerns, adding &ldquo;your solidarity with us in the aftermath of Pahalgam terrorist attack was noteworthy.&rdquo; He said, &ldquo;India is fully committed to the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Afghanistan.&rdquo; &nbsp; Embassy in Kabul&nbsp;Jaishankar said, &ldquo;closer cooperation between us contributes to your national development as well as regional stability and resilience, to enhance that I am pleased to announce today, the upgrading of India&rsquo;s technical mission in Kabul to the status of embassy of India.&rdquo;<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZm9zbnJfc29mdF9pbnRlcnZlbnRpb25zX2VuYWJsZWQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X21peGVkX21lZGlhXzE1ODk3Ijp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRyZWF0bWVudCIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3Nob3dfYmlyZHdhdGNoX3Bpdm90c19lbmFibGVkIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19kdXBsaWNhdGVfc2NyaWJlc190b19zZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdXNlX3Byb2ZpbGVfaW1hZ2Vfc2hhcGVfZW5hYmxlZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdmlkZW9faGxzX2R5bmFtaWNfbWFuaWZlc3RzXzE1MDgyIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRydWVfYml0cmF0ZSIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfbGVnYWN5X3RpbWVsaW5lX3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9mcm9udGVuZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9fQ%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1976537194497024330&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2Fnew%2F&sessionId=7d1627108eab2ca3541d9f45390c58e6df4ac9f1&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 618px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="1976537194497024330"></iframe></div></div>The meeting between the two foreign ministers is a first high-level diplomatic engagement with New Delhi since Taliban seized power in 2021 after two decades of US military presence, the Associated Press reported on Friday. Temporary travel exemptionAmir Khan Muttaqi, who is among multiple Afghan Taliban leaders under UN sanctions that include travel bans and asset freezes, arrived in New Delhi on Thursday after the UN Security Council Committee granted a temporary travel exemption to him. The visit comes after Muttaqi&rsquo;s participation on Tuesday at an international meeting on Afghanistan in Russia that included representatives from China, India, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Muttaqi&rsquo;s India visit highlights the Taliban administration&rsquo;s efforts to seek international recognition and underscores India&rsquo;s strategic move to counter its regional rivals. &lsquo;Engaging discussions&rsquo;&nbsp;Randhir Jaiswal, Indian&rsquo;s foreign ministry spokesman, extended a welcome to Muttaqi in a post on X on Thursday and said: &ldquo;We look forward to engaging discussions with him on bilateral relations and regional issues.&rdquo; India&rsquo;s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met Muttaqi in Dubai in January. It was followed by telephone conversations between Muttaqi and Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, India&#39;s foreign minister. India&rsquo;s special envoy to Afghanistan visited Kabul in April to discuss political and trade relations. &lsquo;Strategic reassessment&rsquo;&nbsp;Experts say India&rsquo;s decision to engage with the Taliban at higher levels reflects its strategic reassessment, shaped in part by the consequences of previous non-engagement, as well as to avoid falling behind its primary strategic rivals. Praveen Donthi, senior analyst with the International Crisis Group, said Muttaqi&rsquo;s visit marks India&rsquo;s pragmatic engagement with the Taliban. &ldquo;New Delhi views the world through the prism of its rivalry with either China, Pakistan, or both. The Taliban&rsquo;s efforts at a balanced foreign policy, which involves establishing relations with rival countries and groups, mirror New Delhi&rsquo;s own playbook,&rdquo; Donthi said. Strategic counterbalance&nbsp;The visit comes while Afghanistan&rsquo;s ties with Pakistan are strained, especially over refugee deportations and border tensions, and India&rsquo;s engagement is seen as a strategic counterbalance to Pakistan&rsquo;s influence. India also aims to limit Chinese dominance in Afghanistan through infrastructure and diplomatic presence. &ldquo;With Beijing proactively engaging the Taliban, New Delhi wouldn&rsquo;t want its primary strategic rival to hold exclusive influence over Kabul,&rdquo; Donthi said. He said Pakistan had a similar hold over the Taliban in the past, but due to its deteriorating ties with Islamabad, New Delhi sees an opportunity to &ldquo;develop modest influence over Kabul and strengthen its position as a regional power.&rdquo; When the Taliban took over Kabul four years ago, Indian security analysts had feared that it would benefit Pakistan and feed the struggle in Indian-Occupied Kashmir. But New Delhi maintained a steady contact with the Taliban despite these concerns. It established a technical mission in Kabul in 2022, a year after the Taliban returned to power, focusing on humanitarian aid and development support. It continued engagement through backchannel diplomacy and regional forums that subsequently prompted increased engagement between the two countries this year. India has long hosted tens of thousands of Afghan nationals, including students and businesspeople, many of whom fled the country after the Taliban rule. Afghanistan&rsquo;s embassy in New Delhi shut down permanently in November 2023, but its consulates in Mumbai and Hyderabad continue to operate with limited services.&nbsp;De jure recognitionGautam Mukhopadhaya, who was India&rsquo;s ambassador in Kabul between 2010 and 2013, said the engagement between India and Afghanistan &ldquo;may or may not lead to formal de jure recognition (of the Taliban government), although protocol gestures for the visit suggest the former.&quot; The Taliban have engaged in high-level talks with many nations and established some diplomatic ties with countries, including China and the United Arab Emirates. In July, Russia became the first country to recognize the Taliban government after removing the group from its list of outlawed organizations. Still, the Taliban government has been relatively isolated on the world stage, mainly over its restrictions on women, the Associated Press reported. Mukhopadhaya said India should not take &ldquo;that additional step to legitimize oppressive and unpopular Taliban rule internally&rdquo; and &ldquo;should preserve some levers to enable positive change internally for the benefit of all Afghans.&rdquo;

Asia

India will reopen its embassy in Kabul, upgrading its technical mission, signaling strategic engagement with the Taliban. The move aims to counter China and Pakistan’s influence.

Articles tagged with "Interim Afghan Government"

Germany deports 20 Afghans after deal with Taliban

Scholars warn Taliban policies divide Afghan society, violate Qur’an, Sunnah

Interim Afghan govt faces diplomatic failures due to intransigence: Reports

Pakistan says Taliban government lacks constitutional legitimacy

India to reopen its embassy in Kabul: Foreign Minister Jaishankar

Germany deports 20 Afghans after deal with Taliban