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Kabul, Afghanistan —— On the second day after resistance leader Ahmed Masood called for an “uprising” against Taliban rule, hundreds of protesters took to the streets of the capital Kabul, chanting anti-Pakistan slogans and calling for “freedom.”
Protesters told Al Jazeera that the scale of the demonstrations ranged from a few hundred to dozens. It started on Tuesday morning and lasted until the afternoon before being dispersed by Taliban militants.
The reporters also stated that they were banned from filming, and TOLONews, a private broadcaster based in Kabul, said at least one photographer was detained for filming the protest.
A source from the former government’s traffic police told Al Jazeera TV near the entrance to the presidential palace that they saw the Taliban destroy several cameras and arrest reporters as they followed the protesters to the presidential palace.
Shakib Ghori, one of the protesters marching to the presidential palace, said that hundreds of people were just calling for “freedom” and criticizing neighboring Pakistan for “interfering” in the internal affairs of Afghanistan.
Ghori said that although the protesters demand an inclusive government and respect women’s rights, their gatherings are not meant to clearly be anti-Taliban.
“We are demanding our rights. Respect the political system of all Afghans. End Pakistan’s continued intervention in Afghanistan, that’s it,” Ghori added, who sees no reason for the Taliban to try to disrupt the protests.
“We didn’t say anything about the Taliban, why did they open fire?”
During the protests in Kabul, Afghanistan, Afghans held placards and chanted anti-Pakistan slogans [EPA]Gori said that the Taliban also started beating, and he was also hit by the butt of a rifle. He also said that he transferred at least two injured protesters to a nearby hospital.
Plans to hold more protests
Demonstrators at other gatherings also reported seeing injured people. According to reports, at least protests took place in Kabul. However, Al Jazeera cannot independently verify these claims.
Protesters said that as more and more online gatherings are planned, their movement will continue into the next few days.
The demonstrations began on Monday night. Hundreds of people gathered in Kabul and the central Dekundi province and chanted anti-Pakistan slogans.
The protests occurred after the Taliban’s chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, occupied the Panjshir Valley and completed control of all 34 provinces in the country, warning against any challenge to its rule.
Mujahid said at a press conference in Kabul on Monday: “No one is allowed to cause chaos in any corner of the country.”
Daroush Rahmani started his day at another protest in northern Kabul. He said that around 10:45 am local time (06:15 GMT), crowds began to gather in the Khair Khana community, and within 35 minutes, the number increased from dozens to hundreds.
By 11 am (06:30 GMT), he said that the peaceful protest was confronted by the Taliban and fired weapons into the air. “It has become a war zone and everyone is running,” the 32-year-old told Al Jazeera.
As with other demonstrations, the people of Khair Khana chanted “Long live Afghanistan! The death of Pakistan,” as they marched through the streets of the Afghan capital. For years, Afghanistan has accused its southern neighbors of assisting and abetting the Taliban and other armed groups in the country.
Pakistan did not immediately comment
The argument for Pakistan’s involvement heated up again over the weekend. Supporters of the Panjshir Provincial Resistance Front accused Pakistan of providing airpower to support the Taliban’s victory in the province.
On Sunday, Pakistani spy chief Faiz Hamid visited Kabul but did not confirm whether he met with Taliban officials.
Late on Tuesday, the Taliban announced that senior leader Mohamed Hassan Ahund would lead the new government. Ahund served as the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs under the Taliban regime in the 1990s and was included on the United Nations blacklist.
When Masood, the leader of the armed resistance movement against the Taliban, sent a voice message on Monday asking Afghans to rise up against the Taliban, the allegation received greater attention. He also claimed to be able to see “strangers” fighting alongside the Taliban in Panjshir. However, he did not provide any evidence to support his allegations.
Al Jazeera cannot independently verify these reports, but protesters and some Afghans have consistently cited these reports on social media. A few days before the Taliban raid in August, #SanctionPakistan trend On Twitter, the country’s anti-Pakistan sentiment was shown.
Pakistan did not immediately comment, but it has consistently rejected allegations of interference in Afghan affairs. Instead, Islamabad accused Kabul of being a safe haven for Pakistani armed groups.
After Ahmad Massoud, the leader of the Afghan National Resistance Front, called for a national uprising against the Taliban and so-called Pakistani intervention, demonstrations began [EPA-EFE]Zalmai Nishat, a senior policy expert at the German development agency GIZ, said that the rally showed that the people “overwhelmingly support Ahmed Masood’s call for everyone at home and abroad to stand with the National Resistance Front in any way.” “
Nafisa Hamidi, a public school teacher who participated in a small afternoon protest in central Kabul, also reflected this sentiment when talking about the reasons that led her and her daughter to attend the rally.
“If we can’t fight in resistance, we can at least raise our voices,” she said, echoing Massoud’s own statement almost verbatim.
“As long as we are alive, we will continue to fight for our freedom,” Hamidi told Al Jazeera.
Hasan Rouhani, the organizer of the Kartei Parwan neighbourhood protests, said he saw what happened during the early demonstrations when the Taliban started shooting, but the violence did not stop him from raising his voice.
“If we, young people, keep quiet, then the country will keep quiet,” he said as the protesters moved in the direction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“We are talking about our country, our freedom. How can we be afraid of this kind of thing?” Rouhani asked.
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