Afghanistan: Post Taliban takeover, more than 700 Panjshir families displaced to Parwan

Kabul [Afghanistan], July 20 (ANI): After Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August last year, over 700 families have been displaced from Panjshir to Parwan due to security reasons.
Faraidoon Noori, an official at the refugee and repatriations department of Parwan said, “748 families were displaced from Panjshir to Parwan province. They left their houses due to conflict,” reported Tolo News.
Bebe Begom, a 90-year-old woman, who was displaced from Panjshir said that she left her house behind due to fighting in the region. She along with her family live in a small room in Charikar city (capital of Parwan province).
“We were not allowed to take clothes, we were even not allowed to drink a cup of tea. We came to Charikar, and are staying here without food,” said Bebe Begom.
“It is one month since we left our home there (in Panjshir). My family and I brought nothing with us,” said Dilawar.
“They have beat us, saying bring the arms, you are in the resistance party, you are part of Ghani’s government,” said Mohammad Haneef.
Meanwhile, local officials of Panjshir province confirmed the arrival of the families, saying that a precise number of displaced families were not available.
Panjshir officials said that the department is planning to provide families with cash assistance and pledged to seek ways for the displaced families to return to their homes, reported Tolo News.
“The refugees and repatriation department is considering providing assistance with the families who sustained damages,” said Nasrullah Malekzadah, head of information and culture of Panjshir.
Earlier, in June, a London-based rights group raised concerns about the reports of unlawful killings and arbitrary arrests in Afghanistan’s Panjshir province.
“Constantly, reports are coming of arbitrary arrests and unlawful killings of civilians by the Taliban in Panjshir. Events in the last couple of weeks leave little room for doubt that there is a growing pattern of extrajudicial executions and arbitrary arrests committed by the Taliban,” said Zaman Sultani, Amnesty International’s South Asia Researcher.
The amnesty researcher in a statement said these serious human rights violations create a climate of fear and distrust in the region and violate international humanitarian law and may constitute war crimes.
While the Taliban have rejected any reports of civilian deaths, these incidents are accompanied by a lack of accountability within the Taliban rank and file.
As the de facto authorities in the country, the rights groups have asked the Taliban to take immediate steps to conduct thorough, impartial and independent investigations of these incidents and prosecute those responsible for the torture, arbitrary arrests and extrajudicial execution, according to rights groups.
“To ensure accountability, transparency and safeguard civilians from torture, arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances, the Taliban must release information on all those who have been arrested or detained and permit detainees to communicate with their families.” (ANI)