Musk's remarks were a stark reminder that misinformation can come from the most unexpected sources, even those perceived as knowledgeable.

Mujtaba Haris is a freelance journalist and a former journalism fellow at Massey College. As the academic year picks up steam, the streets are filled with students heading to schools and universities. On my own journey to university each morning, I…

Introduction Drug production and trade in Afghanistan have long been a subject of global concern due to its complex relationship with the Taliban and its far-reaching impact on international security and drug trafficking. With cultivation levels…

During the past 18 months, Afghanistan has faced an array of complex challenges following the ascension of the Taliban to power. Among these pressing issues that have gained national and international attention are grave human rights abuses,…

As the world celebrated the start of 2023 with festive lights and fireworks, Afghanistan was plunged deeper into darkness and obscurantism. Since August 2021, the country’s conservative Islamist rulers have shattered the myth of the “Taliban 2.0”…

The hardline Islamist group Taliban implemented a nationwide ban on university education for women, further restriction on women’s fundamental rights to education and freedom. Since the Taliban seized Afghanistan, they have increased restrictions on…

On Wednesday, December 7, more than a dozen top Taliban officials, including acting deputy Prime Minister, Abdul Ghani Baradar, acting interior minister, Sirajuddin Haqqani, as well as the country’s chief justice, acting foreign minister, and acting…

By Mujtaba Haris Over the past 16 months, human rights regression and violations against women and girls have ascended exponentially. Despite initial promises that women would be allowed to exercise their rights within Sharia law, including the right…

In-depth: While the country has long been linked with heroin, in recent years the meth industry has thrived. Authorities in both Afghanistan and Iran, meanwhile, are turning a blind eye. Drugs are deeply embedded in Afghanistan’s economy, and under…

In-depth: Seeking international legitimacy the Taliban has announced a ban on the cultivation of poppies, but there are doubts as to whether the fundamentalist group is able, or willing, to maintain it. After using the opium trade to fund decades of…

Since the Taliban rowed back on its promise to let girls back into the classroom, many Afghan families have been relocating to Iran An increasing number of Afghan families have found refuge in neighbouring Iran after the Taliban government reneged on…

The Taliban’s reversal of a decision to open schools for girls is not just a violation of both women’s rights and Islamic teachings, but also a risk for the socioeconomic future of the fragile country, writes Mujtaba Haris. On March 23, there was a…

Afghans, many veterans of battles against the Taliban, have volunteered to help fight Russian troops and see parallels in the Soviet occupation of their home Mateen learned many skills in the 10 years he spent fighting the Taliban as part of the…

Four decades ago, when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, it miscalculated the will of the Afghans to defend their country and paid a hefty price. Today, Putin appears to have made the same mistake in Ukraine, writes Mujtaba Haris. A poster of…

US President Biden's order to funnel frozen Afghan assets to compensate victims of the 9/11 attacks and a humanitarian relief trust fund is not only insulting, it also will create more hunger and misery for the Afghan people, writes Mujtaba Haris.…

For China, a stable and cooperative administration in Afghanistan paves the way for its Belt and Road Initiative, while for the Taliban China can provide recognition and needed investments. Will the two come to a deal, asks Mujtaba Haris.…

A year ago, Kabul residents navigated blast walls and roadside bombs. Now, five months into Taliban rule, Afghans fear hunger. Some Afghans, out of desperation to feed their families, tell Insider they have donated a kidney for money or donated…

For five years, Naima* presided over cases of violence against women in Afghanistan. She heard harrowing accounts of unspeakable violence from battered women and their families. She even saw a man kill his wife before her own eyes during a court…

The Taliban claims security “has been assured” in Afghanistan since it took over, and that the country has been saved from the “quagmire of war”. But a series of attacks carried out by an affiliate of the ISIL (ISIS) group in recent weeks has…