Taliban militants (file photo)
Amu: Human Rights Watch said Afghanistan has descended into one of the world’s gravest human rights crises during nearly five years of Taliban rule, citing systematic repression of women and girls, attacks on media freedom, arbitrary detentions and a worsening humanitarian emergency. The organization said women and girls have borne the brunt of the Taliban’s policies. Since retaking power in 2021, the Taliban have barred girls from secondary schools and universities, restricted women’s employment, freedom of movement and public participation, and imposed measures that Human Rights Watch says amount to the crime against humanity of gender persecution. Click here to read more (external link).
Khaama: Pakistan’s Punjab province has detained and deported nearly 140,000 undocumented Afghan migrants as part of a nationwide campaign targeting foreigners without legal residency documents, provincial authorities said. Punjab’s Home Department stated that 139,902 Afghan nationals had been detained and sent back to Afghanistan after completing legal procedures. The campaign has intensified in recent weeks, with Afghan migrants reporting challenges renewing visas and maintaining legal status in Pakistan. 
Amu: At least four people were killed and nine others wounded after Taliban opened fire on protesters in northeastern Badakhshan province, residents said on Sunday, a day after demonstrations erupted in Yaftal-e-Payin district. Residents told Amu that the protest was triggered by what they described as months of increasing pressure from Taliban, including arrests, house searches and heightened security operations following recent clashes in the province. They said Taliban forces fired on demonstrators while attempting to disperse the crowd. 
