Afghanistan (International Christian Concern) — On Sept. 30, the last day of the U.N. General Assembly’s High-Level Week, the U.N. Security Council temporarily lifted a travel ban on Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.  

The exemption allowed Motaqi to visit India, where he arrived on Thursday and is enjoying a six-day tour of the country, which includes a trip to the Taj Mahal and a meeting with India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. 

On Friday, Jaishankar announced that it will upgrade its technical mission in Kabul to a full embassy — a significant win for the Taliban, which has struggled to gain international recognition since seizing power in 2021. 

“Closer cooperation between us contributes to your national development,” Jaishankar told Muttaqi in a press conference, “as well as regional stability and resilience.” It is believed that India is seeking to counter regional rivals China and Pakistan as all vie for influence in Afghanistan. 

The India visit follows directly on the heels of a trip to Moscow on Tuesday, in which Muttaqi enjoyed a public reception from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and participated in an international meeting on Afghanistan that included representatives from China, India, and Pakistan.  

In April, Russia lifted its decades-long designation of the Taliban as a terrorist group, and in July became the first country in the world to officially recognize the Taliban government. 

Russia and India’s warmth toward Afghanistan comes as President Donald Trump recently announced his desire to retake Bagram Air Base, four years after the U.S. withdrawal led to its surrender to the Taliban. The Taliban has rejected these overtures. 

“The military presence of any extra-regional players could only lead to destabilization and new conflicts,” Lavrov said in thinly veiled remarks aimed at the United States. He separately criticized the international community for its hostile policies toward Kabul, citing international sanctions that continue to squeeze Afghanistan and its leaders. 

China and Russia consistently seek to establish themselves as a global counterweight to U.S. influence, aligning themselves with alleged grievances in the developing world in a bid to galvanize an anti-Western international order. 

Failed Efforts to Encourage Reform 

Despite early promises that it would create an inclusive and tolerant government, the Taliban has largely ignored international efforts to encourage a rights-based or inclusive government, even when those requests have come from China and Russia. 

Governments, U.N. agencies, and human rights organizations have repeatedly called on the Taliban to respect fundamental freedoms — particularly women’s rights, freedom of expression, and the rights of ethnic and religious minorities. Donor nations have tied development assistance to measurable progress on human rights, while U.N. special rapporteurs and the Human Rights Council have documented abuses and urged the Taliban to comply with international human rights norms. 

In practice, the Taliban has systematically dismantled most of the rights protections established during the previous two decades. Women and girls have been banned from secondary and higher education, most employment, and public spaces. Independent media has been stifled, civil society organizations shuttered, and religious and ethnic minorities subjected to harassment and violence. 

When pressed by international actors, Taliban officials have argued that their governance model is rooted in their interpretation of Islamic law, which they claim supersedes international human rights frameworks. 

The result has been a widening gap between Afghanistan and the global human rights community. Efforts to promote inclusive governance or to secure concessions through aid leverage have yielded little progress, as the Taliban leadership has prioritized ideological control over international legitimacy. 

Although humanitarian assistance continues to flow, it largely bypasses the Taliban government, and the international push for rights-based governance remains at an impasse — met by firm rejection from Kabul and mounting despair among ordinary Afghans. 

Mixed Signals from the United States 

The U.S. has continued to highlight its concern for the dire state of human rights in Afghanistan, with the Department of State’s annual human rights report highlighting “significant human rights issues” including arbitrary and unlawful killings, torture and other inhumane treatment, use of children in armed conflict, and restrictions on religious freedom, among many other violations. 

Despite these concerns, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem terminated Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Afghanistan in July, exposing Afghan refugees in the U.S. to possible forced return despite ongoing dangers under Taliban rule. TPS indicates that the U.S. recognizes conditions on the ground as too dangerous for safe return. 

Afghanistan first received a TPS designation on May 20, 2022. Noem lifted it effective July 22, 2025, just as millions of refugees were being returned from Pakistan and Iran, amid reports of a mounting humanitarian crisis and continued rights violations against minorities. 

The U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) issued a press statement in August condemning the Taliban’s continued efforts to “subjugate and target” religious minorities and calling for the U.S. to renew legal protections for Afghan refugees at high risk of religious persecution. 

“If forced to return to Afghanistan,” USCIRF Chair Vicky Hartzler said, “all Afghans, including religious minorities, are at severe risk of persecution.” 

According to Stephen Schneck, a USCIRF Commissioner, Taliban rule has created an environment of extreme danger for the country’s religious minority communities. 

“The situation in Afghanistan remains dire for those who do not share the Taliban’s strict interpretation of Islam,” Schneck said. “We are deeply concerned that religious minority communities will be in grave danger, especially women and girls.”  

Afghan Christians are mostly first-generation converts from Islam, leaving them at risk of particularly severe punishment if discovered. Under the Taliban’s interpretation of Sharia law, converts to Christianity are considered apostates deserving of the death penalty. 

International Christian Concern (ICC) spoke with several groups advocating for Afghan refugees in the U.S. According to their sources, Christian Afghan refugees are receiving official notices indicating that they may be deported at any time. One group told ICC that administration officials — though sympathetic — have been unwilling to extend firm assurances or assistance, instead insisting refugees pursue standard immigration channels. 

The U.S. refugee program was suspended on Jan. 22 and has not been reopened to persecuted religious groups since. The only group allowed in as refugees are white South Africans who, administration officials said, are being targeted for their race. 

Before the suspension, persecuted ethnic and religious minorities could apply for refugee status. When the program was halted, some refugees already approved for U.S. entry were redirected to camps abroad. 

According to reports, the Trump administration is currently engaging in internal talks to determine the fate of the refugee program in 2026. 

Uncertain Future for Afghans 

Women and girls remain almost entirely excluded from schools, universities, and most forms of employment across Afghanistan, while media and civil society have been silenced. Arbitrary detentions and disappearances are reported regularly, and the Taliban’s rejection of international human rights norms has left Afghans with few avenues for redress. 

International observers warn that the regime’s consolidation of power — coupled with economic collapse and limited global engagement — has created an environment where abuses can persist unchecked, leaving the future of basic freedoms in doubt. 

Religious freedom has been among the hardest hit, with Afghanistan’s already small non-Muslim populations now facing existential threats. Sikh and Hindu families have fled in waves, their temples shuttered or abandoned, while Shia Hazara communities endure targeted attacks from both the Taliban and ISIS-K. Converts from Islam, underground Christian groups, and even Muslims who diverge from the Taliban’s rigid interpretation of Islam live under constant fear of exposure and punishment. 

As the Taliban deepens its control and international attention wanes, many Afghans — especially those from minority faiths — face an uncertain and perilous future, caught between repression at home and dwindling options abroad. 

Sustained international pressure remains crucial to prevent Afghanistan from descending further into repression and isolation. Rights groups argue that maintaining strong, coordinated engagement — through targeted sanctions, diplomatic leverage, and clear human rights benchmarks tied to aid — offers one of the few tools available to push the Taliban toward accountability. 

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