Iran / Pakistan / Afghanistan geopolitical watch team: Daniel Marco.
04/12/2022 : Islamic State claims responsibility for the attack on the Pakistani embassy in Kabul. -Daniel Marco-
In a statement issued by one of the militant group’s linked channels on Telegram on December 4, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack on the Pakistani embassy in the Afghan capital, Kabul, Reuters informs. According to Pakistani and Taliban sources, the Pakistani embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, came under fire on 2 December, adding to already high tensions over security issues between the two nations.
The New York Times reports that according to Pakistani authorities, the attack was aimed at killing their country’s top envoy to Afghanistan and that a security guard was seriously injured in the incident. “I strongly condemn the dastardly assassination attempt on Pakistan’s chief of mission in Kabul” Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in a tweet.
AP points out that the attack took place as tensions between the two neighbouring countries escalated over allegations by Islamabad that Pakistani government forces were planning militant attacks from bases in Afghanistan.
12/04/2022 : Iran declares the end of the morality police to enforce the Islamic dress code. -Daniel Marco-
On December 4, following protests over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini who was detained for allegedly violating the Islamic dress code, Iran announced the dismantling of the morality police, the body responsible for inspecting women’s dress, which was created in 2006 under President Mahmud Ahmadinejad, notes Financial Times. ISNA informs, this statement was made by Iran’s Prosecutor General Mohammad Jafar Montazeri who also said that since its creation, the morality police has nothing to do with the legal system. He also pointed out that the judiciary continues to monitor people’s behaviour, suggesting that the hijab laws are still in place and only the specialised street patrols have been eliminated, reports Iran International.
The number of morality police in Iranian cities has decreased since September, and more and more women are disobeying the law by walking around in public without wearing a veil, AP News reported.
According to RFERL, Iranian authorities reported in December that more than 200 people died in the protests sparked by Amini’s death in September, and clashes between protesters and Iranian security forces have broken out across the country. The UN and Iranian human rights organisations estimate the death toll at over 30.
Furthermore, Time notes that according to BBC Persian, Mohammad Jafar Montazeri’s remarks were vague and that the end of the morality police has not been confirmed by any Iranian government. Asked about the abolition of the morality police during a visit to Serbia, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian replied: “In Iran, everything is going well in the context of democracy and freedom” communicates The Guardian.
