Thank you, Honourable Chairman Ehsassi.
Honourable members, it is truly a pleasure and honour to be part of this meeting today.
I am here today with profound gratitude for the steadfast support and assistance Canada has extended towards Afghanistan over the decades. Canada remained one of the most significant partners and donors for Afghanistan until the unfortunate fall of the democratic republic.
The rigorous sanctions regime that your country has imposed on the Taliban is a testament to your commitment to justice and freedom, as well as a firm stand against terrorism. We deeply appreciate and applaud Canada for refusing to recognize and legitimize the Taliban, which is a group that has ushered in a reign of terror, tyranny and chaos in Afghanistan.
Such sanctions are not just punitive measures, but a powerful tool to restrain the barbarity of the Taliban, which has been the cause of multi-faceted crises—political, humanitarian, security, economic and social crises—ever since their rise to power two years ago.
The Taliban has exhibited an overwhelming drive to obliterate and destroy state institutions, not to build and strengthen them as statesmen. Their incapacity to govern has plunged Afghanistan into a vortex of division, which is carving the country into fiefdoms, shifting the political centre to Kandahar, monopolizing power in the hands of a few extremists and uneducated clerics from only a few tribes within an ethnic group, and escalating internal strife. Moreover, their rule been has been a terrifying spectacle of tyranny, human rights violations and oppression, which is ruthlessly erasing women from public life and robbing them of their basic human rights. They have not just created a gender apartheid, but an ethnic one as well, as they are actively persecuting Afghanistan's ethnic groups and seeking to erase our cultural, religious and linguistic diversity.
Yesterday's report by Amnesty International about the Taliban's war crimes in Panjshir and our own reports, with evidence shared with international organizations including the UN, shed light on the Taliban's unrelenting war crimes and atrocities that have been committed in many provinces, such as Panjshir, Baghlan, Badakshan, Daykundi and other provinces. These acts of violence and persecution have spurred a massive displacement of people, ethnic cleansing and a severe humanitarian crisis.
While we appreciate the international community's efforts in providing aid to Afghanistan, it's critical to recognize that aid alone cannot alleviate or resolve this crisis. The Taliban, in their self-serving ways, manipulate aid distribution, fostering a lifeline for their rule while millions starve. Their discriminatory practices, based on ethnicity, region and political affiliations, ensure that the majority of the country is deprived of vital assistance. The only plausible solution to end the humanitarian crisis and salvage the people of Afghanistan is to end the oppressive reign of the Taliban.
Their return to power in August 2021 also compromised our territorial integrity and national sovereignty, transforming Afghanistan into a breeding ground and hub for 21 regional and international terrorist groups, and more than 13,000 foreign fighters. This state of affairs is a grave threat to regional and global security.
For these reasons, we advocate for maintaining and strengthening the sanctions on the Taliban and other terrorist groups. These measures apply pressure to them, weaken their grip on power and prepare the ground for their potential demise. The people of Afghanistan, particularly the democratic forces and freedom fighters of the National Resistance Front, rely on partners like Canada to stand firm in our shared commitment to humanity, democracy, pluralism, freedom and justice.
We remain hopeful, despite our hardships, and we implore Canada and the international community to sustain their support and to lend their strength to the people of Afghanistan.
Thank you for standing by us, for hearing us today and for your continued commitment to peace, justice and human rights.
Thank you.