Former Afghan lawmaker claims eight children died of hunger in western Kabul

KABUL, (ANI): Former Afghan lawmaker Haji Mohammad Mohaqeq on Sunday said that eight children have died of hunger in western Kabul, mainly populated by the Hazara minority.

“Poverty and hunger have killed eight children in western Kabul,” Mohaqeq wrote on Facebook, as quoted by Russian news agency Sputnik.

Mohaqeq added that the Taliban is not able to ensure adequate living standards for the people of Afghanistan after coming to power. He further called on the international community to help Hazaras and Shia people in Afghanistan.

After the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, the minorities in Afghanistan are being subjected to targeted killings, violence, and discrimination based on their religious and ethnic identity.

Verifying human rights abuses committed by the Taliban, rights group Amnesty International earlier this month documented how the Taliban massacred ethnic Hazara community members.

Hazara people, who practice Shia Islam, make up 9 per cent of Afghanistan’s population. According to reports from the rights groups, they have been severely persecuted by the Taliban in the past.

Several international groups have been sounding the alarm over the deterioration of living conditions in the country since the Taliban seized power in mid-August. Earlier this month, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had urged the world to take action during a “make or break” moment for the country.

“If we do not act and help Afghans weather this storm, and do it soon, not only they but all the world will pay a heavy price”, Guterres told journalists in New York, ahead of Tuesday, when G20 leading industrialized nations will meet to discuss the country embroiled in crisis. (ANI)