Azadi Briefing

Welcome to Gandhara's weekly newsletter. This briefing brings you the best of our reporting from Afghanistan and Pakistan.

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This week's Gandhara Briefing brings you insights into Afghan women protesting Taliban rule, the militants' trade deal with Russia, and the Taliban's unenforced ban on poppy cultivation.

Afghan Women Protest

I write about Afghan women staging some of the largest and most sustained protests against Taliban rule following a deadly attack on an education center in Kabul that killed dozens of women and girls.

Afghan women demonstrated in major cities, demanding that the Taliban lift restrictions imposed on women and provide security to minorities. In many places, the militants responded with brute force.

"The Taliban grabbed the girls and dragged and beat them with the butts of their guns," Nahid, a female protester in Herat, told us. "I still have bruises on my back from the beating I endured."

Heather Barr, associate director of the women's rights division at Human Rights Watch, says despite the "extremely frightening" risks, Afghan women have "nothing left to lose."

Taliban's Trade Deal With Russia

Michael Scollon reports on the Taliban's trade deal with Russia, which along with Iran and Pakistan is one of the few countries willing to do business with the hard-line group.

Under the deal, Moscow will export fuel and wheat to Afghanistan. It is unclear what Moscow will get in return from the cash-strapped Taliban government.

The agreement could pave the way for Russia to eventually invest in Afghanistan's vast mineral wealth, analysts say.

"This is the beginning of something," said Narendra Taneja, an Indian economist tracking the energy industry. "This something may grow into bigger things, such as mining of rare minerals in Afghanistan, or maybe mining of natural gas."

Taneja views Moscow's wheat shipments to Afghanistan as a positive development.

"The people are not Taliban, the rulers are Taliban," he noted. "And the people are starving. So, they should be helped by every country."

Pubescent Girls Expelled In Kandahar

Radio Azadi reports on the Taliban expelling hundreds of pubescent girls from primary schools in Kandahar Province.

The expulsions are part of the Taliban's enforcement of its ban on girls who are 13 or over from attending school.

The Taliban's ban has contributed to more than 3 million Afghan girls not getting an education.

"I'm not alone," said Razia, 14, who was expelled from a school in Kandahar because she was "too old" to study. "Many girls my age have been forced out of school."

The Taliban's restriction on girls' education has attracted protests across the county during the past year.

"All Afghans support education," said Ahmad Shah Spar, an activist in Kandahar. "This has been proved by the protests and the campaigning of thousands of women and men."

Taliban Forcing Students To Grow Beards

Radio Azadi reports on the Taliban forcing male students in grade 9 and above to grow beards, cover their heads, and refrain from trendy haircuts in Kandahar.

Male students must sign a pledge stating that they will dress in line with the Taliban's extremist interpretation of Islamic Shari'a law.

The move is part of a broader Taliban effort to control how Afghans appear in public.

"This is an irrational step and must be discouraged strongly," said a student in Kandahar. "I want the Taliban to stop curbing our freedoms."

Taliban's Poppy 'Ban'

Radio Azadi reports that the Taliban is not enforcing its blanket ban on narcotics, often turning a blind eye to poppy cultivation.

Farmers in southern Afghanistan have opposed the April ban because the Taliban government has failed to provide alternative livelihoods to them.

"No one has told us anything about not planting poppies," said Abdul Qayyum, a farmer in Kandahar's Maiwand district who recently planted poppies. "I support the ban on poppy cultivation if we get some aid to enable us to buy food and medicines for our families."

Naqibullah, a farmer in Uruzgan, says that he heard about the ban on poppy cultivation. But he says it is not being enforced on the ground.

"We need help with planting alternative crops," he said. "If I don't plant poppies, I will get nothing."

That's all from me this week.

If you haven't subscribed yet, you can do so here. I encourage you to visit our website and follow us on Twitter and Facebook..

You can always reach us at gandhara@rferl.org.

Welcome to Gandhara's weekly newsletter. This briefing brings you the best of our reporting from Afghanistan and Pakistan.

If you’re new to the newsletter or haven't subscribed yet, you can do so here.

This week's Gandhara Briefing highlights our reporting on the devastation caused by the floods in Afghanistan, an Afghan woman accusing a Taliban official of rape, and the militants holding their first film festival.

Pakistan's Taliban Ties Take A Nosedive

I write about tensions increasing between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban, longtime allies who appear to have fallen out.

In recent weeks, the Taliban has accused Islamabad of permitting its airspace to be used by U.S. drones to strike targets in Afghanistan. In turn, Pakistan has accused the Taliban of harboring terrorists.

"The Taliban may have accepted Pakistani support for years but do not wish to be Pakistani proxies forever," Husain Haqqani of the Washington-based Hudson Institute told me.

Graeme Smith, a senior consultant for the International Crisis Group, says the sides have no option but to cooperate.

"The relationship will remain very fractious," he noted. "It's worth monitoring the flare-ups of violence, but the incentives for cooperation are overwhelming."

Pakistan Reels From Effects Of Climate Change

Majeed Babar reports on how the residents of the picturesque Swat Valley are grappling with the impact of climate change, which has been blamed for torrential rains and widespread flooding across Pakistan.

The floods have damaged key infrastructure, destroyed hundreds of homes, and displaced thousands of people in Swat.

Local resident Khayal Muhammad said his 75-year-old father died after learning the floods washed away their home.

"None of our elders have any memories of such destruction," said Shah Faisal, a lawyer.

University student Shahab Shaheen expressed the anger and bewilderment felt by many locals. "We didn't do anything wrong to the climate, so why are we getting slapped back?" he asked.

Taliban Harasses Diners

Radio Azadi reports on how Afghans are no longer visiting restaurants because of Taliban harassment. The Taliban's morality police often target couples, demanding they prove they are married.

"They asked my husband, 'Who is she, and why have you brought her here?'" Maryam Hotak, a housewife in Kabul, said of her treatment. "When we told them we were married, they asked us to prove it."

Idrees, a manager at an upscale Kabul restaurant, says the Taliban’s harassment of his customers has affected his earnings.

"The Taliban ask [people] why they are sitting together," he said. "This is why people are avoiding restaurants, which has ruined our business."

Another Unexplained Disappearance

Radio Azadi reports on the mysterious disappearance of a former senior Afghan aviation official.

The family of Mahmood Shah Habibi says the Taliban detained him in early August. But the militants claim to not know of his whereabouts.

"He never committed any crimes, so why did the Taliban detain him?" his brother Ahmad Shah Habibi asked. "Why are they keeping him for so long?"

The Taliban declared a general amnesty soon after seizing power last year. But rights groups have accused the militants of killing, torturing, and arbitrarily detaining former members of the toppled Afghan government and its armed forces.

"His arrest and unknown fate are extremely worrying," said Qasim Wafaizadeh, Habibi's former colleague. "It does not leave any confidence in the general amnesty the Taliban declared."

That's all from me this week.

If you haven't subscribed yet, you can do so here. I encourage you to visit our website and follow us on Twitter and Facebook..

You can always reach us at gandhara@rferl.org.