Foreign Affairs committee  Thank you. I have no comment.

Foreign Affairs committee  What we see, because of the multi-faceted crises that Afghanistan is facing and because the Taliban isn't a monolithic group—it's divided into warring factions that are competing over power and resources—is that the rift of the past two years has deepened. What is happening today is leading to their disintegration, and as long as this continues their grip on power will weaken.

Foreign Affairs committee  I do not have a specific answer to this. Thank you.

Foreign Affairs committee  As I've mentioned before, I believe that better mechanisms should be adopted by the international community when it comes to supporting the civil society in Afghanistan. Since you raised this matter, strengthening education, especially clandestine education for girls and women, has to be done in a very clever way to support and strengthen as much as possible those organizations that are providing such education for Afghan girls and women

Foreign Affairs committee  Of course, Mr. Chair. Thank you. Because of our assessment that the Taliban haven't been able to form state institutions, haven't been able to provide for the people and haven't been able to provide security and stability in the country, we foresee that their disintegration will happen much sooner than anticipated.

Foreign Affairs committee  Of course, I believe sanctions are a very important tool to use against the Taliban and other terrorist groups operating inside Afghanistan, and we have to remember that it's not only the Taliban. These sanctions will create the leverage needed by individual countries and the international community vis-à-vis the Taliban and other terrorist groups basically at a time when the international community has left the country, leaving them with $7 billion worth of arms and equipment and creating a situation where human rights are being violated.

Foreign Affairs committee  Of course we believe that international aid and assistance should be delivered to Afghanistan. Millions, basically three-fourths of the population, are in need of international aid. In the past two years, billions have been delivered to Afghanistan. We haven't seen the humanitarian crisis alleviated; we've seen it exacerbated.

Foreign Affairs committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. To make it brief, the humanitarian crisis hasn't been caused because of these sanctions, whether on the international level or by individual countries. The humanitarian crisis is a direct consequence of the rise of the Taliban, of a terrorist group coming in and taking over a whole country, holding a whole population hostage and trying to exploit as much as possible from the situation.

Foreign Affairs committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. To answer your first question, about how to support the people of Afghanistan during the bleakest hour of Afghanistan's history, I believe it's not giving up on Afghanistan's people, which I see is becoming a trend in the international community today. The people of Afghanistan did not bring these terrorists to power.

Foreign Affairs committee  Of course. The National Resistance Front at this juncture needs the moral and political support of the international community, especially from partners like Canada. This is the least that we are asking for today. We need especially political support in order to further our cause in creating political consensus and a democratic alternative for Afghanistan, which we've started it in a political process in Vienna, Austria.

Foreign Affairs committee  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.