KABUL — The Taliban on Tuesday declared a "general amnesty" for Afghan citizens, urging them to return to work. The statement, seen by AFP, said people could return to their "routine life with full confidence."

It comes as senior Taliban leader Amir Khan Muttaqi was reported to have arrived in Kabul to negotiate with the country's political leadership, including former President Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah, who previously headed the country’s negotiating council.

Muttaqi was a higher education minister when the Taliban last ruled Afghanistan. He began making contact with Afghan political leaders even before Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the presidential palace in Kabul on Sunday.

A Taliban spokesman said the talks under way in the Afghan capital were aimed at bringing other non-Taliban leaders into the new state architecture, which Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen has said will be an “inclusive Afghan government.”

Also the United Nations has called on the Taliban to stick to "promises" made by official spokesmen on Tuesday morning, including an amnesty for Afghan ex-government workers and allowing girls to remain in school.

Speaking to reporters in Geneva, UN human rights spokesman Rupert Colville said these promises "need to be honored".

“The Taliban have made a number of statements that on the surface are reassuring,” he said. "But actions speak deeper than words, and it’s very early now — it’s very fluid.”

He also urged UN member states to use any leverage they have with the Taliban to protect civilian lives.

Also, Enamullah Samangani, a member of the Taliban's cultural commission, indicated on Tuesday that women should also return to work. Under the Taliban's previous leadership, women were not allowed to study or work and had to wear burqas.

"The Islamic Emirate doesn't want women to be victims," Samangani said, using the militants' term for Afghanistan. “They should be in government structure according to Shariah law."

He added: "The structure of government is not fully clear, but based on experience, there should be a fully Islamic leadership and all sides should join."

Shortly before midnight local time on Monday, Mohammad Naeem, a spokesman for the Taliban's political office, shared a video that appeared to show Taliban members speaking to staff at a hospital, including women. He said "everyone" would be brought back to work.

Meanwhile, the German Development Ministry has confirmed to Euronews all state-run development aid to Afghanistan has been suspended until further notice. Last week Foreign Minister Heiko Maas warned Germany would cut off financial aid if the Taliban imposes Islamic law across Afghanistan.

Development Minister Gerd Mueller told daily newspaper Rheinische Post on Tuesday that this was "currently" the case. He added that all German and international employees of the government’s development agency GIZ had left the country, and Germany was now trying to get local Afghan staff evacuated as well.

In another development, hundreds of Afghans who worked with EU missions cannot safely get to Kabul Airport to be evacuated, a former embassy staffer has said.

The father-of-two, who is eligible to go to Holland, said the US military is not permitting European planes to land and in any event, he and colleagues are trapped in their flats.

Taliban operatives continued door-to-door visits taking down the details of ex-government workers on Tuesday, despite being told to stop by senior commanders.

"There’s no way to enter the airport right now," the source said. "The Americans are shooting at people, the Taliban are shooting at people. It’s too risky for us to go with kids.

"They need to be taking us in armored vehicles to a specific, alternative location in the city, where they could pick us up by helicopter. NATO and the US need to make a transparent timetable for leaving. But there isn’t one."

Meanwhile, dozens of trucks loaded with commercial goods have entered Afghanistan amid a gradual reopening of the Torkham crossing with Pakistan, TOLO News reports.

The major southwestern crossing was shut by Pakistan on Monday after the Taliban took over the Afghan side, raising its white banners by the roadside. But footage published on Tuesday appeared to show lorries being allowed to pass through.

Zahidullah Shinwari, head of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Joint Chamber of Commerce, told the TV channel it was crucial for traders that "stability and peace" be restored.

Also, the first group of Nepalese nationals working for the US Embassy in Kabul arrived back in Kathmandu on Tuesday after first being flown from Kabul to Kuwait.

The Nepalese government says about 1,500 citizens are employed by foreign powers and international aid groups in the Afghan capital. The first chartered flight was carrying 127 people.

Passenger Bhim Bahadur Balame told reporters: "The situation in Afghanistan is critical right now. We haven't been able to contact our friends and colleagues who are still there."

The Germany's Defense Ministry announced on Tuesday morning that its first evacuation flight for its nationals and Afghan staff only had seven passengers on board. The Ministry said these were the people that were already at the airport.

"But we mainly brought our own forces there. They are now providing security so that other people can get to the airport."

Female anchors returned to air on Tuesday morning on TOLO News, a 24/7 news channel in Afghanistan. Miraqa Popal, the head of news, shared of picture of one of the journalists on Twitter and later posted stills of a female anchor interviewing a Taliban spokesperson.

The Taliban has sought to project calm after its lightning-fast advance through the country and capture of Kabul on Sunday. But many residents in the capital are still staying at home in fear for their lives.

Older generations remember the Taliban's ultraconservative Islamic views and medieval punishments including stonings, public flogging and executions, before the U.S-led invasion that followed the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks ended the militant group's reign.

Among the planes that left Kabul overnight was a French military plane. France's Minister for the Armed Forces said this first evacuation flight landed in Abu Dhabi with "French citizens and nationals of partner countries" on board.

"We are actively working to organize the next rotations," she added.

EU Foreign Ministers are scheduled to convene by videoconference at 16:00 CEST for an extraordinary meeting to discuss Afghanistan.

And, a Kabul-based animal rescue charity registered in the UK has called for help in evacuating colleagues from the Afghan capital. Nowzad, named after a town in Helmand province, was founded in 2007 by ex-Royal Marine sergeant Pen Farthing.

The shelter and veterinary clinic refused to stop operating as the Taliban closed in. It has called on UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and other ministers to get the team to safety.

Nowzad is seeking to bring 71 staff members and their families out of Afghanistan, as well as 98 rescue dogs and 88 cats. In a video posted on Tuesday, Farthing said the team urgently needed safe travel corridors to Kabul Airport and donations to hire a cargo plane.

"I'm not leaving them here," he said. "We are not leaving them behind. We gave them opportunities. We have them hope. We gave them aspirations, and we ripped them out from under their feet. They face the most horrendous future, that I wouldn't wish on anyone." — Agencies