Banu Negar, a policewoman who was pregnant at that time, was brutally shot in front of her family by the Taliban on September 6, 2021.
 
The killing of Banu Negar and countless others, along with the rise in human rights violations, is exactly what was feared when the Taliban took over Afghanistan recently.
 
The status quo in Kabul under the Taliban has brought back haunting memories of their rule between 1996 and 2001. And it wouldn’t be an over exaggeration to say the Afghani children, women, and human rights defenders are the most scared of this shocking development.
 
That is what the Taliban used then and will not be afraid to use it again as a weapon- fear.
 
While the Taliban spoke about fair representation to women and respect for their human rights in their official statements, the caveats of doing so under the umbrella of the Islamic Law have created and exacerbated the fear of suppression.  
 
Recently, Mrs. Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, also stated that her Office “has received harrowing and credible reports of the impact on civilians of violations of international humanitarian law, as well as violations and abuses of human rights, by the parties to the conflict.” She further warned in a statement that Afghanistan today is witnessing war crimes.
 
Just one look at the numbers is enough to make one realize how big the problem is.
 
183 civilians killed, 1181 injured, including children and women in extremely high numbers. Since the start of the Taliban offensive, more than 241,000 people have been displaced inside the country.
 
A visit to the local hospitals reveals a gruesome truth about the Taliban offensive- they have been operating at full capacity since May and in majority of the cases, are overburdened.
 
As if the explosions and firing were not enough, the Taliban has gone ahead and ordered the closure of schools, banned education for women, and restricted their freedom of movement by confining them to their homes.
 
The progress that the women of Afghanistan had made all these years, rising to high ranks and inspiring women across the world, has been undone by the Taliban in the flick of an eye. How long before the Taliban returns to the Stone Age of lashing and stoning its women like it used to back in between 1996 and 2001?
 
To add to this misery, the Taliban is also targeting minority groups, especially the Hazara Shia community. It was recently reported by Amnesty International that nine Hazara men were brutally murdered by the Taliban.
 
The brutality with which the Taliban fighters carried out these executions is a testimony to what’s about to come- one man was strangled with his own scarf and had his arm muscles sliced off.
 
However, is it just the Taliban that is responsible for these human rights violations? Or are there larger forces at play that are helping and aiding the Taliban in doing so? And is there more to the issue of human rights violations?
 
Two words can answer these questions- terrorism and Pakistan.
 
The resurfacing of the Taliban and their takeover of Kabul once again has brought Islamabad into the spotlight once again.
 
With Pakistan having supported the Taliban in the past, and its direct links with terrorist outfits like the Al-Qaeda and the Haqqani Network, Islamabad’s role as a facilitator to transnational terrorism is something that invokes a lot of worry and fears.
 
It was shocking when recently Khalil Haqqani of the Haqqani Network was appointed one of the key rulers of Kabul- he has been put in-charge of security in Afghanistan. What is not shocking is the fact that Khalil Haqqani is a protégé of Pakistan.
 
It comes as no surprise that Pakistan has maintained a position in the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) ‘grey list’ since years for having failed to terror funding and prosecuting international terrorists.
 
But one recent event makes it very clear that probably Pakistan being on the FATF’s ‘grey list’ might also not be enough to send out a clear message to Islamabad and the Taliban and their affiliated outfits.
 
The recent Kabul airport attacks were carried out the Islamic State in the Khorasan Province, better known as the IS-K. the number game was again strong in this attack- 170 people died with more than 200 wounded. While the IS-K owes its allegiance to the Islamic State in Syria and the Levant or ISIL, this attack was carried out by them with the help of the Haqqani Network.
 
Curiously, the role of China becomes increasingly important to understand vis-à-vis the Taliban and Afghanistan.
 
The Taliban, as it continues to wreak havoc in the country, Beijing has shown that it is ready to support a regressive regime to fulfil its expansionist appetite.
 
History is evidence to the fact that China has never kept Pakistan in line when it came to terrorism and human rights violations. What makes the world think that it will keep the Taliban in line? Remember, the Taliban is not a political entity. It is a terrorist outfit that is now running the show in Kabul.
 
In our humble opinion, the world, and more so, the Afghanis, deserve better. If the Taliban is not held accountable for all the war crimes, crimes against humanity and human rights violations it is carrying out against civilians, women, children, and human rights defenders, it will be a gross injustice in itself.
 
To prevent the raised morale of terrorist organizations all around the world because of the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul, concerted action needs to be taken.  
 
Sign this petition asking the United Nations and its affiliated bodies like the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan to investigate the human rights violations taking place in Kabul at the behest of the Taliban and its allies.
 
We started this petition on change.org in the memory of those Afghanis who crave for justice as a result of being the victims of such horrific human rights violations. When we all raise our voice together, is when the world shall listen to us.
 
#StandWithAfghanis #JusticeforAfghanis #SayNoToTaliban