INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Taliban announce ‘amnesty,’ urge women to join government.
The Taliban declared an amnesty across Afghanistan and urged women to join their government Tuesday, seeking to convince a wary population that they have changed. Following a blitz across Afghanistan that saw many cities fall to the insurgents without a fight, the Taliban have sought to portray themselves as more moderate than when they imposed a brutal rule in the late 1990s. But many Afghans remain skeptical. Older generations remember the Taliban’s ultraconservative Islamic views, which included severe restrictions on women as well as public stonings and amputations before they were ousted by the U.S-led invasion following the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. The capital of Kabul remained quiet for another day as the Taliban patrolled its streets and many residents stayed home, fearful after the insurgents’ takeover saw prisons emptied and armories looted. Many women have expressed dread that the two-decade Western experiment to expand their rights and remake Afghanistan would not survive the resurgent Taliban. Germany, meanwhile, halted development aid to Afghanistan over the Taliban takeover. Such aid is a crucial source of funding for the country, and the Taliban’s efforts to project a milder version of themselves may be aimed at ensuring that money continues to flow. The promises of amnesty from Enamullah Samangani, a member of the Taliban’s cultural commission, were the first comments on how the Taliban might govern on a national level. His remarks remained vague, however, as the Taliban are still negotiating with political leaders of the country’s fallen government and no formal handover deal has been announced. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan with full dignity and honesty has announced a complete amnesty for all Afghanistan, especially those who were with the opposition or supported the occupiers for years and recently, he said. Other Taliban leaders have said they won’t seek revenge on those who worked with the Afghan government or foreign countries. But some in Kabul allege Taliban fighters have lists of people who cooperated with the government and are seeking them out. A broadcaster in Afghanistan said she was hiding at a relative’s house, too frightened to return home, much less return to work following reports that the insurgents are also looking for journalists. She said she and other women didn’t believe the Taliban had changed their ways. She spoke on condition of anonymity because she feared for her safety. Samangani addressed the concerns of women, saying they were the main victims of the more than 40 years of crisis in Afghanistan. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is ready to provide women with the environment to work and study, and the presence of women in different (government) structures according to Islamic law and in accordance with our cultural values, he said. That would be a marked departure from the last time the Taliban were in power, when women were largely confined to their homes. Samangani didn’t describe exactly what he meant by Islamic law, implying people already knew the rules. In another sign of the Taliban’s efforts to portray a new image, a female television anchor on the private broadcaster Tolo interviewed a Taliban official on camera Tuesday in a studio an interaction that once would have been unthinkable. Meanwhile, women in hijabs demonstrated briefly in Kabul, holding signs demanding the Taliban not eliminate women from public life. Talks continued Tuesday between the Taliban and several Afghan government officials, including former President Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah, who once headed the country’s negotiating council. Discussions focused on how a Taliban-dominated government would operate given the changes in Afghanistan over the last 20 years, rather than just dividing up who controlled what ministries, officials with knowledge of the negotiations said. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential details of the talks.
Islamic State, JeM, LeT fighters have entered Afghan capital, say sources on the ground.
A large number of fighters belonging to the Islamic State (IS), Jaish e-Mohammed (JeM), and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) have entered the Afghan capital Kabul in the last few days, sources on the ground have informed. The Taliban leadership is aware of the presence of these foreign terrorists, who entered the city carrying the Taliban flag. It is understood that the groups are operating in different parts of Kabul city and are not under the control of the Taliban. Under the agreement with the United States, the Taliban are committed to prevent terrorist groups from operating in Afghanistan and are expected to evict these groups from Kabul in the next few days. An Afghan human rights worker who works closely with the Taliban political office in Doha said that the next few days are going to be critical as the groups may indulge in operations on their own in violation of the orders of the Taliban leadership. Taliban leaders are trying to mobilise themselves to prevent the foreign fighters from finding a base in Kabul and some developments in that direction took place late on Monday with the arrival of Mullah Yaqub, son of the late Mullah Omar, founder of the Taliban. Yaqub arrived from Quetta, where the Taliban leaders have been based for decades. He is the ‘Chief of Operations’ of the Taliban forces, and it is expected that he will soon begin firming up Taliban’s rule over Kabul. There are concerns about possible clashes that may take place between these terror groups and the Taliban if the latter try to dislodge them militarily. Irrespective of the threats, the Taliban have asked them to leave Afghanistan and they will have to obey the orders, said the human rights worker over phone from a location in Afghanistan. The Taliban have already engaged former President Hamid Karzai, Tajik leader and former CEO of Afghanistan Abdullah Abdullah, and Hezb-e-Islami chief Gulbuddin Hekmatyar seeking support in forming the next government of Afghanistan. The transition can begin once the political leadership arrives from Qatar. As of now, it appears that the arrival of the political team has been delayed because of the chaotic scenes at the Kabul airport, which remains under the control of the U.S. government. Ensuring security of Kabul will be a major challenge for the Taliban in the first phase of their government. The international community will be keenly watching the Taliban’s commitment to ensure Afghanistan remains free of terror elements such as IS or Daesh, JeM and LeT. Sources said that in the absence of effective police forces on the ground, there is a high probability of violence by these terror outfits that may also secure enclaves in Kabul and other cities in Afghanistan.
NATIONAL NEWS
Pegasus case: Supreme Court issues pre-admission notice to Centre on pleas
The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued pre-admission notice to the Central government on petitions seeking an independent inquiry into the allegations that the government used Israeli-based Pegasus spyware to snoop on citizens. The court made it clear to the government that none of us want to compromise the defence of the nation… but there are citizens, some of them persons of eminence, who have complained of hacking of their phones. After issuing notice, a Bench of the Chief Justice of India (CJI) N.V. Ramana, and Justices Surya Kant and Aniruddha Bose said it would consider the further course of action, including the formation of a committee to inquire into the allegations, in due time. The court listed the case for hearing after 10 days. The notice was issued after the government, represented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, stood firm by its two-page affidavit denying all and any allegations. Mehta said any revelation about any software allegedly used by the government to counter terrorism would compromise national security. They [petitioners] want us to say whether Pegasus was used or no Softwares are used. They want to know which software is used… No government will say which software is used because if we divulge, terrorists may take advantage. Which software is used or not is a matter of national security. It cannot be a matter of public debate, Mehta stated at the start of the virtual hearing. He clarified that the government was not refusing to reveal anything to anybody at all. We are just saying we will not reveal it publicly, he observed. The government had agreed in court to form a committee of experts to inquire into the reports of Pegasus snooping, he noted. Justice Kant said there was no question of compromising national security. We are not going to ask you to divulge anything that will harm the defence of the nation… But the question here is that there are some persons of eminence who have come here, saying there has been interception of their phones. That can be done, but with the permission of the competent authority. What is the problem if that competent authority filed an affidavit before us? he explained. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, for veteran journalists N. Ram and Sashi Kumar, said The security of the State is as important to the citizen as it is to the State. On Monday, Sibal rebutted the affidavit on five points. One, he said it was filed by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and not the Ministry of Home Affairs which authorised surveillance under the law. Secondly, the affidavit skipped the part on whether the government or its agencies used Pegasus at all. Thirdly, he stated that if the government did not get the time to study the petitions and reply to them, then the court should give them the time. Fourth, he countered that the affidavit did not even say whether the facts and contentions in the petitions were right or wrong. Finally, and most importantly, we do not want a government who might have used Pegasus, to form a committee of experts to inquire into the issue. As far as I am concerned, the issue is simple. If the government says they have used the Pegasus, there is no need for a committee. If the government says they have not used the Pegasus, then too, there is no need for a committee, Sibal had reasoned.
Congress counters ‘oil bonds burden’ argument on fuel prices
The Congress party on August 16 accused Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman of falsely citing the oil bonds issued by the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government as the reason for not reducing fuel prices. The Finance Minister ruled out a cut in the excise duty on petrol and diesel for now, saying that the government has to pay for the oil bonds issued by the UPA in the past. Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said oil bonds of ₹1.3 lakh crores are not even due for payment so far and that the government has collected much more revenue in seven years. Don’t lie. Oil Bonds of ₹1.3 lakh crore are not even due for payment so far, he said on Twitter. Till April 2021, payment made on oil bonds is ₹3,500 crore only, yet you falsely hold UPA responsible, Surjewala said. Smt Nirmala Sitharaman, please stop falsehood or dare to contradict… BJP raised central taxes on petrol and diesel by ₹23.87 and ₹28.37 per litre in seven years. Modi Government collected additional ₹17.29 lakh crore, he added. He also alleged that the government has extorted ₹22,33,868 crores by levying excise on petrol and diesel in the last seven years. The Congress leader said that in 2020-21 alone, Modi Tax on petrol and diesel was ₹4,53,812 crore. He also listed other taxes imposed and total revenue collection from the petroleum sector to support his claim. His remarks came after Sitharaman said if she did not have the burden to service the oil bonds, she would have been in a position to reduce excise duty on fuel. A significant amount is going for interest payment and principal repayment. What unfair burden on me, she said, adding, previous government has made our job difficult by issuing oil bonds. Even if I want to do something I am paying through my nose for the oil bond.
India evacuates all Kabul embassy personnel
After a tense day when diplomats were turned back from travelling by Taliban guards, 140 Indians, including about 120 Indian embassy staff and Indo-Tibetan Border Police personnel, 16 civilians, and four media persons flew back to Delhi on board a special military flight on Tuesday. The flight, a C-17 Globemaster, was one of the two aircraft operated by the Indian Air Force for bringing home all Indian personnel from the embassy. However, the government maintained that it has not abandoned Afghans, and launched a new e-visa category especially for Afghan nationals wishing to come to India. We were a very large mission of 192 personnel, who were evacuated from Afghanistan within a period of three days in a very orderly fashion in two phases, said Indian Ambassador to Afghanistan Rudrendra Tandon, during a refuelling stopover in Jamnagar on Tuesday, where he thanked the Air Force for the evacuation effort. On August 16, another C-17 flight brought back about 40 diplomats and other personnel, after the others were turned back from driving to the airport by Taliban guards in Kabul, who stopped their convoy, confiscated some equipment and forced them back to the embassy. According to sources, some difficult and uncertain hours followed, as Indian diplomats, led by Tandon, coordinated with the new militia now in control of the capital and other diplomatic missions to ensure the safe passage of the convoy out of Kabul, and then to the Hamid Karzai International Airport, currently under the control of U.S.-led NATO troops. After spending the night at the airport, all Indians were boarded around 6 a.m. According to flight tracker data, both the flights took a long and circuitous route, avoiding Pakistani airspace and minimising travel through the Afghan airspace, to fly over Iran and returned to India over the Arabian Sea, and back over Gujarat. In view of the prevailing circumstances, it has been decided that our Ambassador in Kabul and his Indian staff will move to India immediately, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson tweeted, announcing the evacuation, but did not clarify whether the India’s diplomatic presence in Afghanistan has ended. Government officials also clarified that they would open visa applications of Afghans of all religions, including Hindus and Sikhs, that they had earlier issued statements about. On Tuesday, the MEA set up a MEA’s 24×7 Special Afghanistan Cell for all those needing evacuation once commercial operations begin on Tuesday. In addition, the Ministry of Home Affairs introduced a new category of electronic visa called e-Emergency X-Misc Visa to fast-track the visa applications of all Afghans wishing to travel to India, which will be a six-month visa that will be granted online. The return of all staff means that the Indian diplomatic mission in Afghanistan is at least, temporarily, closed. India closed its missions in Jalalabad and Herat last year and the consulates in Kandahar and Mazar e Sharif ast month. The government will now have to decide on the nature of relations with the Taliban government in Kabul, once it is formally announced, and whether to even maintain a basic engagement in order to continue flight operations into Kabul to evacuate more civilians.
