Afghanistan International: A new report by the research institute ACAPS has highlighted several issues affecting relations between the Taliban and Uzbekistan. The report states that the Taliban has not taken decisive action against the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), which operates in Afghanistan. Uzbekistan considers the IMU a national security threat. Click here to read more (external link).
Afghanistan’s beach soccer team falls to Japan in friendly match
Amu: Afghanistan’s national beach soccer team suffered a 6-2 defeat against Japan in their second friendly match in Thailand on Saturday. Earlier in the tournament, Afghanistan secured a 3-2 victory over Saudi Arabia in their opening friendly. Click here to read more (external link).
Pakistan to file UN complaint against Taliban and India over terrorism support
Khaama: Pakistani media reported that Islamabad is preparing to file a complaint with the United Nations, accusing both the Taliban and India of supporting terrorism against Pakistan. The government has decided to present this complaint due to their involvement in cross-border terrorism and the support they allegedly provide to militant groups operating in Pakistan. Click here to read more (external link).
Pakistan’s Blame Game Over BLA Train Attack
Michael Hughes: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif admitted Pakistan’s ties to the Afghan Taliban have come back to haunt Islamabad. Although, for many, this is like saying the sky is blue, it is quite a development when such a statement emanates from a Pakistani official. The timing of the admission, of course, is too little, too late. But it also comes at a peculiar moment: in the wake of a terror attack by a group not linked to the Afghan Taliban.
On March 11, Baloch separatists attacked and hijacked a passenger train carrying 440 people about 100 miles from Quetta in the Pakistani province of Balochistan. After a 30-hour standoff, Pakistan’s military said 21 civilians were killed and security forces eliminated 33 attackers from the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA).
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director, General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, said the terrorists were in contact with their handlers and “masterminds” in Afghanistan during the operation via satellite phone. He also claimed the terrorist attack was sponsored by India. The ISPR in a separate statement called on the Taliban government to prevent the BLA from using Afghan territory for terrorist activities against Pakistan.
Pakistani authorities have often tried to link the BLA and TTP, especially when both outfits launch terror attacks around the same time. However, I have seen no independent verification that the BLA has ever coordinated efforts with the TTP or Afghan Taliban.
Author says ban on her book reflects Taliban’s repression of women
Roshan Noorzai
Noshaba Ashna
VOA News
March 14, 2025
WASHINGTON — When Naveeda Khoshbo published her book of political analysis in 2019, she received widespread praise and recognition.
For many, “it was the first time that they were reading a book written by a young woman,” she said.
So, when she received a text message from a friend and fellow journalist in November 2024, telling her the Taliban had banned her book, she was shocked.
Khoshbo, 33, said she can’t figure out why the book, “Siyasi Jaj” or “Political Analysis,” was banned, saying “it did not address any sensitive topics.”
Published by the Peace Publish Center in Kabul, her book covers political events and processes from 2001 to 2019.
But last year it was included in a list circulated on social media of more than 400 books banned by the Taliban.
The list covers a range of topics: democracy, the arts, literature, poetry, history, religion, governance, rights and freedoms.
The Taliban’s deputy minister for the Ministry of Information and Culture, Zia-ul Haq Haqmal, told media his department had identified 400 books deemed “against Afghanistan’s national interest and Islamic values.”
‘Hostility is directed at women’
Khoshbo believes her book also was banned because it was written by a woman. She is now based in London.
“I believe their hostility is directed at women, and for them, the books written by women are the first to be targeted, regardless of their content,” she said.
About a dozen titles in the book ban are by women, or they were translated by women. Other titles include the book by Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, “I am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education.”
The Taliban, who seized power in August 2021, have imposed strict measures against women in Afghanistan, barring them from education, work, long-distance travel and participating in public life.
Afghan writer Nazeer Ahmad Sahaar told VOA the Taliban jettison anything they see as contrary to their ideology.
“Anything that is against the Taliban’s political and religious beliefs and narrative is banned under the Taliban,” said Sahaar.
The author has written more than a dozen books. One of those, “Waziristan: The Last Stand” is also on the list of banned publications.
Sahaar sees the book ban as part of a larger crackdown on “women, the press and freedom of expression.”
Sahaar said the ban on books, though, is of little surprise.
“It was evident that they would impose restrictions in many areas,” he said.
Alongside the book ban and restrictions imposed on women, the Taliban return has led to restrictions on freedom of expression.
Media outlets work under rules that are not always clear about what can and cannot be covered, and in some cases must submit coverage for review before publication.
The Taliban also imposed restrictions on printing books.
An owner of a printing press in the eastern province of Nangarhar, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisal, told VOA that the provincial Directorate of Information and Culture instructed publishers not to print anything without prior permission.
“In a meeting with publishers, the Taliban officials said that ‘if you are publishing any book, you must first obtain permission from the directorate,'” said the business owner.
The owner said that businesses are struggling under the Taliban, but there is an increased demand for books, particularly ones that are banned.
“The Taliban’s restrictions have sparked social and cultural resistance,” he said, with people seeking ways to oppose the limitations, including by reading prohibited books.
‘It reflects the fear’
Abdul Ghafoor Lewal, an Afghan writer and former diplomat, told VOA the Taliban’s actions reveal fear of any opposition.
“It reflects the fear authoritarian regimes have of freedom of expression, books and knowledge,” said Lewal.
Khoshbo said the Taliban’s ban would not stop her and other women from writing and participating in social and political life.
“The Taliban can’t suppress our voices by “banning books,” said Khoshbo, but “women can’t be erased from society and politics.”
Pak PM Blames Security Challenges On Past Support For Taliban
Shahbaz Sharif
Afghanistan International: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has blamed the country’s ongoing security challenges on past alignment and support by some Pakistani officials for the Afghan Taliban. He made these remarks three days after the hostage crisis on the Jaffar Express train, during a meeting with officials in Balochistan. Click here to read more (external link).
More Pakistan-Afghanistan News
Tolo News in Dari – March 14, 2025
Why is India quietly boosting ties with Afghanistan’s Taliban?
Nikkei: The alternative policy of shunning Afghanistan’s rulers would virtually ensure less Taliban concern about anti-India terrorism and allow Chinese and Pakistani influence to grow unchecked. A pivot completely in the other direction, whereby India might become the first state to diplomatically recognize the Taliban, would also be a mistake since it would compromise New Delhi’s democratic values and bestow a benefit on the Taliban that is unlikely to be reciprocated. Click here to read more (external link).
Blast in northwestern Pakistan mosque injures local Islamist party leader, three others
Ariana: A blast tore through a mosque on Friday in northwestern Pakistan, police said, injuring an Islamist party leader and three others, including children. Abdullah Nadeem, a local leader of the Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) political party, was believed to be the target of the blast and had been hospitalised with serious injuries, said Asif Bahadar, a district police chief in South Waziristan. He said two children were among the injured. This week in southwestern Balochistan, separatist militants hijacked a train and held passengers hostage in a day-long standoff with security forces. Pakistan has vowed to crack down on growing militancy and has said the militants are finding safe haven in neighbouring Afghanistan, a charge the Islamic Emirate denies. Click here to read more (external link).
Afghanistan needs a ‘new narrative,’ opposition leaders say
Qanuni
Amu: Three prominent opponents of the Taliban—Mohammad Yunus Qanooni, Atta Mohammad Noor, and Latif Pedram—have called for a “new narrative” to shape Afghanistan’s future, emphasizing the need for a more inclusive political structure. Speaking in a virtual discussion hosted by Noor’s faction of the Jamiat-e-Islami party, Qanooni, a senior figure in the National Resistance Council and former vice president, said Afghanistan requires a new framework that clearly defines the relationship between power and ethnicity, religion and the state, and the government and its people. He stressed the importance of recognizing the country’s religious, ethnic, political, and gender diversity in any future system. Click here to read more (external link).