The chief of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) also threw weight behind the Haqqanis, ensuring that all of the key positions went to Pakistani loyalists, principally from the hardline Haqqani network, The Spectator reported.

The clashes in early September saw “furniture as well as large thermos flasks full of hot green thrown around,” said The Spectator. At one point during the meeting, Haqqani network leader Khalil-ul-Rahman Haqqani rose from his chair and began punching Baradar, The Spectator report said, Baradar had pushed for an “inclusive” cabinet that included non-Taliban leaders and ethnic minorities, which would be more acceptable to the rest of the world.

He disappeared for a while after clashes and resurfaced in Kandahar. He held a meeting of tribal leaders who are supporting him, but was also forced to release a video message on the state-run TV network controlled by the Taliban. The message “looked like a hostage video”, The Spectator reported.

The Resistance includes former Vice-President Amrullah Saleh, former Afghan security force members and local militias. Both sides are claiming to have gained the upper hand.

Saleh has also dismissed claims that he had fled, but said the situation was “difficult”, the BBC reported.

The Resistance – which includes former Afghan security force members and local militias – is led by local tribal leader Ahmad Massoud. His father successfully fought the Soviets who invaded in the 1980s and the Taliban in the 1990s.

In a video message sent to the BBC, Saleh, a former vice-president of Afghanistan, said there had been causalities on both sides.

“There is no doubt we are in a difficult situation. We are under invasion by the Taliban,” he said.

But he added: “We will not surrender, we are standing for Afghanistan.” He said he was sharing the video to assure people that reports suggesting that he had left the country were false.

The fighting in Panjshir is reported to have left hundreds dead. The valley, north of the capital Kabul, is one of Afghanistan’s smallest provinces and the only one not to have fallen to the Taliban.

The traditional anti-Taliban stronghold is home to somewhere between 150,000 and 200,000 people, and is hidden behind mountain peaks.

The statutory notification of the Minister of Foreign Affairs published on August 18^th, cited various United Nations Security resolutions under which the states have been directed to apply travel restrictions, arms embargo, travel ban prevent the direct or indirect supply, sale, or transfer to these individuals, group, and to freeze the funds and other financial resources of certain individuals and entities.

“Whereas the Ministry of Foreign Affairs intends to issue S.R.Os containing the consolidated list of all individuals and entities subjects to sanctions under the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, on a quarterly basis and in addition to issuance of regular S.R.Os to reflect updates/changes made by the Committee,” the SRO stated.

It stated that the Federal Government is pleased to order that Resolution 2255(2015) be fully implemented including in particular that individuals and entities listed to this order reflecting the updates made by the Taliban (1988) Senctions Committee of the United Nations Security Council till date, shall stand subjected to the asset freeze, travel ban and arms embargo in accordance with the UNSC resolutions.

As of August 18, 2020, it added that the Taliban (1988) Sanctions Committee has approved the entries subject to the assets freeze, travel ban, and arms embargo.

“Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate was attacked from some circles in Panjshir who bluff and say they will resist. The Mujahideen reacted to the attack and as a result the other side has suffered heavy casualties.” said Anaamullah Samangani, a member of the Taliban’s cultural commission, to TOL news.  However, a spokesman of the resistance front told the agency that 40 Taliban personnel were killed and 35 injured.

Meanwhile, on the governing front, the presidential palace in Kabul is being prepared for a ceremony to announce the new government said Taliban official Ahmadullah Muttaqi. It will reportedly be led by Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhundzada.  A prime minister or president will likely work under him. The Afghan rulers are also looking to resume operations at Kabul airport. A team of Qatari technical experts had landed in the capital on Sept.1 to discuss the resumption of airport operation. An AFP report said that the discussion is ongoing and was initiated by Afghanistan.

“Today, Ambassador of India to Qatar, Deepak Mittal, met Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, the head of Taliban’s Political Office in Doha. The meeting took place at the Embassy of India, Doha, on the request of the Taliban side,” the statement said.

Stanekzai, who is seen as a key member of the number two in the Taliban’s negotiating, team is ranked third overall among leaders based in Qatar. He is believed to have trained for several years at the Indian Military Academy (IMA) in Dehradun in the early 1980s. In recent days, Stanekzai has been seen as taking on a key role in foreign relations but he is not seen part of the decision-making team in Kabul.

“Discussions focused on safety, security, and early return of Indian nationals stranded in Afghanistan. The travel of Afghan nationals, especially minorities, who wish to visit to India also came up,” the Indian foreign ministry said.

“Ambassador Mittal raised India’s concern that Afghanistan’s soil should not be used for anti-Indian activities and terrorism in any manner,” the Indian statement said.

“The Taliban Representative assured the Ambassador that these issues would be positively addressed,” the statement added.

The meeting between the two comes a fortnight after the Taliban took over Kabul on 15 August after a lightning sweep across the country. It also comes after the completion of the US-led international troops from Afghanistan. The last of the US troops left Afghanistan on Monday.

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Today, on the occasion of World Photography Day 2021, we bring in some of his powerful pictures on display. Watch out :-

Kangana has quite frequently used her social media to raise her voice. She recently misused her platforms to lash out. She was banished from Twitter for violating the platform’s Hateful Conduct policy and Abusive Behaviour policy. Since then, she has been extremely active on Instagram but predicted that she would soon be removed from there as well.

Via her Instagram stories Kangana shared,  “Last night I got an Instagram alert as someone tried to hack my account in China, the alert disappeared suddenly, and this morning all my stories about the Taliban have disappeared. My account was disabled. After calling Instagram people I could access it, but as I try to write I am getting logged out of my account again and again.”

She further added: “Took my sister’s phone to do this story as she has my account open on her phone as well. This is a very big international conspiracy… Unbelievable.”

After being cancelled from Twitter, Kangana mocked the platform for promoting freedom of speech. In an Instagram Story in May, she wrote, “Poor Twitter begging for the freedom of speech, Twitter the great, the unelected member of parliament, supreme justice of the world, keeper of the moral compass of humanity and what are their basic qualifications or credentials to ask or forcefully acquire this power? Who are they?”