Street rallies held as Taliban govt marks five years ruling Afghanistan

KABUL: The Taliban government commemorated five years of ruling Afghanistan on Saturday, with supporters parading through the streets, while critics condemned the tightening restrictions impacting all aspects of daily life. Passengers in flag-adorned vehicles drove around Kabul, as government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid declared the occasion would be etched in "golden lines" in Afghan history.

Hundreds assembled near the former US embassy, with fresh flowers tossed from military helicopters overhead during a parade of male athletes, as women are barred from sports in Afghanistan. The Taliban seized Kabul unopposed in August 2021, following a swift offensive that overthrew government forces in the aftermath of the US-led troop withdrawal.

Kabul resident Asif Khan Barakzai expressed a sense of peace and calm since the arrival of the Islamic Emirate. Authorities increased checkpoints in the capital, where some abandoned vehicles of foreign forces, such as Humvees, were driven in convoy. In other major cities like Kandahar and Herat, crowds rallied, with stuntmen performing on the streets, according to AFP journalists.

Zia Ahmad Takal, a foreign ministry spokesman, urged nations to "come here, invest, and make extensive use of the available economic opportunities" in Afghanistan. However, the economy is struggling, as GDP per capita declines due to the influx of over six million Afghans from neighboring Iran and Pakistan over the past three years.

The World Bank estimated a real growth rate of 4.8 percent. Taliban ties with multiple countries, including European nations, have been established, but the government remains unrecognized by Russia. Relations with neighboring Pakistan have deteriorated, leading to a war this year and exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, as people are already grappling with reduced international aid.

Countries have imposed restrictions on their relations with the Taliban authorities until changes occur in Afghanistan, where people are enduring severe hardships, according to the United Nations. Fiona Frazer, the human rights director for the UN mission in Afghanistan, stated that people have suffered from "consolidated suffocating restrictions that intrude on almost every aspect of their daily lives, and their human rights."

The Committee to Protect Journalists criticized the authorities for their "brutal repression of the press," with media workers being surveilled, detained, beaten, censored, or forced into exile. Women have been disproportionately affected by Taliban policies, being barred from public spaces, including parks, and denied most employment opportunities.

Education for girls beyond age 12 is prohibited. A Kabul woman, whose husband was killed by Taliban insurgents before they came to power, expressed deep grief on Saturday, stating that "whenever this month and this time of year arrives, a very intense grief overcomes me." She vowed to remain in mourning as long as the Taliban remain in power.