Taliban militants (file photo)
8am: A number of the country’s citizens are expressing deep concern over the growing pressure the Taliban are exerting in various areas. They say that while poverty and unemployment are rampant and people are unable to meet their basic needs, the Taliban collect taxes and ushr from them under various pretexts, yet provide no services to citizens in return. According to them, media outlets under Taliban control are also unable to reflect the real situation of the people. Citizens also continue to complain that the Taliban do not pay employees’ salaries on time. They say the Taliban do not pay salaries on time, and that repeated delays have increased employees’ debts and economic hardships. These citizens also stress that Taliban officials extort money from bolani sellers, in effect, even by eating several bolanis for free. According to them, no one in the city or the bazaar is safe from the extortion and bribe-taking of Taliban officials. Click here to read more (external link).
Khaama: Pakistan has said no final decision has been made on the proposed transfer of Afghan refugees from the United States through its territory, as Washington seeks to remove more than 150 Afghans from the country. Under the reported arrangement, the Afghans would be flown from the United States to Pakistan and then transported to Afghanistan. Afghan refugee advocacy groups and rights organisations have warned that returning some of these individuals could expose them to retaliation under Taliban rule, particularly those who previously worked with the US military or supported the former Afghan government. 
Ariana: Afghanistan ended the second day of the first Test against Zimbabwe at 113 for 1 after 35 overs, remaining 391 runs behind Zimbabwe’s first-innings total at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday. Afghanistan will resume their innings on Day Three, aiming to build a strong partnership and narrow the gap against Zimbabwe. 
LeMonde: Following the lead of several other European countries, France has opened a dialogue with the Taliban regime to coordinate the deportation of undocumented Afghans. It is now official. France, like other European countries such as Germany and Norway, has reestablished contact with Afghanistan’s Taliban regime, which remains under international sanctions and is ostracized for excluding girls and women from public life. 
Ariana: More than half of Afghanistan’s primary school-age children remain outside formal education, while more than 2.6 million girls are unable to continue their studies beyond the sixth grade, according to a new report by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and UNICEF.