Taliban Deputy Foreign Minister Denies Divisions, Admits to Internal Differences

According to the court’s statement, the accused was sentenced on Sunday, October 27, to 35 lashes and four months of imprisonment.

The statement from the Taliban Supreme Court detailed that the punishment was carried out based on the decision of the court and executed by the primary court of Dawlatabad District in Faryab Province. No further information regarding the individual’s identity was provided, but it was noted that the punishment was administered in a public gathering with the presence of Taliban officials and local residents.

Despite opposition from international human rights organisations, the Taliban continue to carry out public corporal punishment and torture of accused individuals. On Thursday, the Taliban’s Supreme Court also publicly flogged 17 people in Khost Province on charges that included extramarital relations and same-sex relations.

The UN notes that, through the AHF, aid has reached over 86 million individuals since the fund’s establishment.

Founded in 2014, the AHF was designed to support rapid and strategic humanitarian actions across Afghanistan. On Sunday, October 27, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator published a report marking the fund’s 10-year milestone, emphasising the ongoing critical need for humanitarian aid in the country.

The report details the challenges Afghanistan has endured in the past decade, including persistent conflict, political instability, drought, earthquakes, food insecurity, the COVID-19 pandemic, poverty, and heightened vulnerabilities for women and girls.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), more than 23 million people in Afghanistan still depend on humanitarian assistance—a figure that has grown substantially since AHF’s inception.

Joyce Msuya, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, has urged the international community to continue supporting the AHF in order to address Afghanistan’s urgent humanitarian needs.

Hojjat Sedighi, the prosecutor, stated that vehicle owners found transporting Afghan migrants without legal status will face penalties. Additionally, their vehicles will be impounded for up to six months, following a directive from Iran’s National Security Council.

Sedighi also reported that 16 properties rented to unauthorised Afghan nationals in various Taybad neighbourhoods were identified and sealed earlier this year. He explained that these measures were implemented in response to public demand and with judicial approval.

On Saturday, October 27, Sediqi told the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) that individuals who rented homes to unauthorised Afghan migrants are now facing legal action. He further stressed that renting, selling, or conducting transactions with unauthorised Afghans is prohibited and constitutes a violation of the law.

According to Sedighi, approximately 23,000 unauthorised Afghans have been detained and repatriated to Afghanistan in the first half of the year. In recent months, Iran has intensified restrictions on Afghan migrants, imposing limitations on their employment, activities, and movement in most major cities. Iran’s Interior Minister, Eskandar Momeni, called on Afghan migrants to “return to their own country, work hard, and rebuild it.”

This development comes amid worsening conditions in Afghanistan, where poverty and unemployment have surged under the Taliban’s rule, driving many Afghans to seek refuge in Iran and other countries.

He asserted, “When women are not permitted to call the Takbir or Azan, they certainly cannot sing songs or music.” This statement was released in an audio recording by the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue on Saturday, 27th October, emphasising that these restrictions would be implemented progressively.

Addressing international and domestic criticism of the Taliban’s restrictions on women, including the prohibition of women’s singing, Hanafi commented on recent reports from the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), which have closely examined the ministry’s activities.

Hanafi defended the ministry’s directives, stating that “the scarf was placed on our sisters to safeguard their dignity, while foreign influences seek to dishonour them.” He added that this rationale has led to the issuance of a six-point directive specifically governing women’s conduct.

The Taliban’s “virtue law” classifies women’s voices as “awrah” (something that should remain concealed) and mandates that women cannot leave their homes without a “mahram” (a male guardian).

The law, which also requires women to wear full coverage, has drawn widespread condemnation both nationally and internationally.

The images notably feature Karzai’s young daughter, Durkhani, seated prominently among male leaders and former officials, drawing widespread public interest and social media reactions. With the Taliban’s stringent restrictions on women and girls in public life, some observers have interpreted her presence as a “symbolic act of protest.”

In a post on social media, Abdullah shared two photos from the meeting, which took place on Saturday afternoon (27th October) at Karzai’s office in Kabul. He did not elaborate on the discussion’s topics or the significance of Karzai’s daughter’s presence.

The first image, taken inside Karzai’s office, shows Durkhani seated at the head of the gathering between Karzai and Abdullah, with other close associates of Karzai present. In the second image, taken in the office courtyard, she stands among the former leaders, her shawl draped over her shoulder.

Both Abdullah and Karzai, prominent political figures, remained in Kabul following the Taliban’s takeover and continue to meet occasionally. In light of the Taliban’s restrictive policies, which have barred girls from education beyond sixth grade and largely excluded women from public life, the presence of Karzai’s young daughter at the meeting has stirred considerable reaction on social media.

Activists suggest that this gesture could be seen as “symbolic and defiant,” given the Taliban’s views that limit the presence and voices of women and girls in public spaces. Karzai has previously engaged with women’s rights activists and has openly called on the Taliban to reopen schools and universities for girls.

Sources familiar with the matter revealed that Durkhani attends the Afghan-Turk school in Kabul, currently in her second year of primary education. Taliban policies have led to the closure of all secondary schools and universities for girls, effectively barring them from formal education beyond primary school. These restrictions have placed significant psychological and social pressures on Afghan women, with recent reports highlighting rising cases of suicide, forced marriages, and gender-based violence.