AGL 40.06 Increased By ▲ 0.06 (0.15%)
AIRLINK 130.61 Increased By ▲ 1.08 (0.83%)
BOP 6.81 Increased By ▲ 0.13 (1.95%)
CNERGY 4.62 Decreased By ▼ -0.01 (-0.22%)
DCL 9.05 Increased By ▲ 0.11 (1.23%)
DFML 43.40 Increased By ▲ 1.71 (4.1%)
DGKC 84.24 Increased By ▲ 0.47 (0.56%)
FCCL 33.00 Increased By ▲ 0.23 (0.7%)
FFBL 78.90 Increased By ▲ 3.43 (4.54%)
FFL 11.68 Increased By ▲ 0.21 (1.83%)
HUBC 110.70 Increased By ▲ 0.15 (0.14%)
HUMNL 14.70 Increased By ▲ 0.14 (0.96%)
KEL 5.43 Increased By ▲ 0.04 (0.74%)
KOSM 8.30 Decreased By ▼ -0.10 (-1.19%)
MLCF 39.85 Increased By ▲ 0.06 (0.15%)
NBP 60.80 Increased By ▲ 0.51 (0.85%)
OGDC 199.45 Decreased By ▼ -0.21 (-0.11%)
PAEL 26.80 Increased By ▲ 0.15 (0.56%)
PIBTL 7.82 Increased By ▲ 0.16 (2.09%)
PPL 159.99 Increased By ▲ 2.07 (1.31%)
PRL 26.84 Increased By ▲ 0.11 (0.41%)
PTC 18.45 Decreased By ▼ -0.01 (-0.05%)
SEARL 83.00 Increased By ▲ 0.56 (0.68%)
TELE 8.24 Decreased By ▼ -0.07 (-0.84%)
TOMCL 34.50 Decreased By ▼ -0.01 (-0.03%)
TPLP 9.06 No Change ▼ 0.00 (0%)
TREET 17.05 Decreased By ▼ -0.42 (-2.4%)
TRG 60.75 Decreased By ▼ -0.57 (-0.93%)
UNITY 27.55 Increased By ▲ 0.12 (0.44%)
WTL 1.43 Increased By ▲ 0.05 (3.62%)
BR100 10,550 Increased By 143.3 (1.38%)
BR30 31,988 Increased By 274.2 (0.86%)
KSE100 98,342 Increased By 1013.4 (1.04%)
KSE30 30,590 Increased By 397.3 (1.32%)

KABUL: Around 200 Afghans marched in Kabul Tuesday to demand the release of billions of dollars of assets frozen by the international community -- a rare protest allowed by the Taliban as the country battles a major economic crisis.

There were no women in Tuesday's march, organised by a little-known group called the Afghan People's Movement which in the past has held peace rallies in the capital.

The Taliban have outlawed protests unless approved, cracking down hard on several demonstrations held by women clamouring for the right to jobs and education.

US humanitarian exemptions on Afghan sanctions blocked by China

Tuesday's march clearly had the blessing of Afghanistan's new rulers, with Taliban social media accounts featuring multiple images and video clips saying participants spoke for ordinary citizens.

"Let us eat" read one banner carried by a marcher near a square in central Kabul.

"Our main demand is that the United States should release our assets as soon as possible," organiser Shafiq Ahmad Rahimi told AFP.

Afghans face ‘avalanche of hunger and destitution’: UN agency

"This is the wealth of the nation, not of any single person, group or government," he said.

Since the Taliban's August 15 return to power, nearly $10 billion of assets have been frozen by an international community loathe to give access to the funds directly to the Taliban.

But the country is in the grip of a major humanitarian crisis and the United Nations says more than half of Afghanistan's 38 million people face hunger this winter.

Western countries have tied the unfreezing of assets to the Taliban respecting human rights -- especially with regard to women being allowed to work and girls to attend school.

Tuesday's march comes two days after the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) met in Pakistan and agreed to establish new ways of getting aid to Afghanistan.

US tells Taliban to 'earn' the release of frozen funds

The country's economy, already battered by decades of war, went into freefall after the Taliban's return.

Banks have also placed severe restrictions on withdrawals by private customers, and many in the capital have resorted to selling household possessions to buy food for their families.

Comments

Comments are closed.