Is BBC Pashto supporting Taliban in Afghanistan?

The trend #BBCSupportsTalibanInAfg appeared on Twitter after BBC was allegedly standing by the Taliban.

There have been a top trend on Twitter alleging BBC Pashto of supporting Taliban in Afghanistan. Some unknown accounts not only targeted the UK-based media outlet but also blamed Pakistan for the current volatile situation in Afghanistan.

https://twitter.com/Afghan_Youths/status/1408103596571385860?s=20

The trend #BBCSupportsTalibanInAfg appeared on Twitter after BBC was allegedly standing by the Taliban. A man on Twitter, Pameer Afghan, also announced to boycott BBC for its “propaganda against the people of Afghanistan”.

According to the latest media reports, the Taliban have intensified activities since the start of the U.S.-led troops from Afghanistan on May 1 and have taken control of numerous districts.

The Taliban, according to its spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, have captured more than 70 districts over the past month and in the latest advancement they have occupied Khash district in the northern Badakhshan province on Wednesday.

Confirming the fall of Khash district to the Taliban, army officer Abdul Razeq said that the security forces had made “tactical retreat” from Khash to reduce civilian casualties, while Taliban spokesman Mujahid claimed capturing the district by force.

Read More: India opens channels with Afghan Taliban: what is the future of India-Taliban relations?

Following the peace deal inked between the United States and Taliban in February 2020, the intra-Afghan dialogue was held in the Qatari capital Doha on Sept. 12 last year but the situation in Afghanistan has not been stable since long.

No military solution in Afghanistan

The U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the Taliban that there is no “military solution” in Afghanistan, as American troops approach a September 11 deadline for complete withdrawal from the country after two decades there. Afghanistan has seen an increasing level of violence in recent months, as the Taliban makes territorial gains.

Read More: PTM’s fake news busted: Pak Army not fighting Afghan Taliban

“To the Taliban, we reiterate that the military path will not lead to legitimacy. As many of us have stated, including my colleagues on this Council from Europe, Russia and China, there is no military solution in Afghanistan. The world would not recognise the establishment in Afghanistan of any government imposed by force, nor the restoration of the Islamic Emirate. There is only one way forward – a negotiated and inclusive political settlement, through an Afghan led and Afghan own process,” Ms. Thomas Greenfield told the U.N Security Council at a virtual meeting on Afghanistan which included External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Afghanistan’s Foreign Affairs Minister Mohammed Hanfeef Atmar.