Accountability

The SCL Act, which covers 63 items, imposes taxes at high rates on staple foods such as rice, potatoes, and maize. Critics argue that while these taxes protect domestic agriculture, they also make basic foods costly, exacerbating malnutrition among poor families.

In a sobering assessment released this week, the United Nations has painted a complex portrait of Afghanistan under Taliban governance, where a dramatic increase in security incidents coincides with fragile stability, devastating cross-border violence with Pakistan, and a deepening humanitarian and human rights crisis.

According to the Taliban’s own Commission for the Collection of Beggars and Prevention of Begging, nearly 75,000 individuals – 74,968 to be precise – have been rounded up from Kabul’s streets since the nationwide campaign began in 2022.