Taliban Do Not Represent Afghan People, Says Former Pakistani MP

Wafa accused Stanekzai of “disrespecting” Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and opposing his decrees.

According to an official letter from the Office of the Governor of Balkh, dated 20 January, Wafa urged the court to prosecute Stanekzai for his criticism of Akhundzada’s policies. The letter alleges that Stanekzai’s remarks, made during a religious ceremony in Khost province, amount to “opposition to the orders of the Taliban leader” and should be met with judicial action.

The complaint outlines seven instances of what Wafa describes as “indirect disrespect” and defiance of the Taliban leader. He argued that, under Islamic law, obedience to the leader is obligatory and that disobedience carries divine consequences.

In his letter, Wafa requested that the Supreme Court conduct a military trial against Stanekzai, asserting: “I demand the trial of the aforementioned [Stanekzai] and seek nothing but a Sharia-based judicial process in defence of the Islamic system. The military court can be in Balkh or any other province as deemed appropriate.”

On 27 January, Afghanistan International reported that Abbas Stanekzai fled Afghanistan to the United Arab Emirates after Akhundzada ordered his arrest. Sources confirmed that Taliban Defence Minister Mullah Yaqub Mujahid assisted in his immediate departure to Dubai.

According to sources, after Stanekzai bluntly talked against the Taliban’s ban on girls’ education, Akhundzada ordered Abdul Haq Wasiq, the group’s intelligence chief, to arrest and impose a travel ban on Stanekzai. Upon learning of the order, Wasiq allegedly contacted Defence Minister Mujahid, a key ally of Stanekzai within the Taliban’s ranks. Mujahid then urged Stanekzai to leave Afghanistan immediately.

During a speech on 19 January at a graduation ceremony for religious students in Khost, Stanekzai criticised the Taliban’s policies towards women, stating: “The Taliban are acting against Sharia and are committing injustice against 20 million Afghan women and girls.” He urged the group’s leadership to reopen schools and universities for girls, asserting that no religious justification exists for their continued closure.

Mohammad Yousuf Wafa is a close confidant of Hibatullah Akhundzada. He was appointed governor of Balkh following the assassination of his predecessor, Mullah Mohammad Daud Muzamil, on 9 March 2024. Previously, he served as the governor of Kandahar and was considered a high-profile target of ISIS following the killing of Khalil-ur-Rahman Haqqani, the former Taliban Minister for Refugees.

The official complaint against Abbas Stanekzai—one of the Taliban’s senior figures—signals growing internal divisions within the group’s leadership. His escape, coupled with Wafa’s demand for his trial, highlights rising tensions within the Taliban’s upper ranks.

Speaking on Sunday, Ghodrati stated that the Islamic Republic’s policy is to arrest and expel Afghan migrants who lack valid residency documents. He described the presence of Afghan migrants in Iran as a “problem,” adding, “A 40-year-old problem cannot be solved overnight. The issue of undocumented foreign nationals in the province must be addressed gradually, and this process is currently underway.”

He also confirmed that a number of Afghan migrants in Semnan have been detained and transferred to a deportation camp.

The crackdown on Afghan migrants in Semnan has intensified following allegations that a “foreign national” was involved in the murder of an Iranian youth.

On Monday, 17 February, the Chief Justice of Semnan announced the arrest of individuals responsible for the killing of a 28-year-old man in Mehdishahr County. The provincial police commander stated that one of the suspects is a foreign national and that the motive for the crime was a personal dispute.

Local authorities in Semnan have not disclosed the identity of the foreign national involved. However, some Iranian social media users have linked the incident to Afghan migrants and called for their expulsion.

Although the Islamic Republic has significantly increased the arrest and deportation of Afghan migrants in recent months, experts warn that attributing crimes to migrants without evidence risks fuelling negative public sentiment against Afghan refugees in Iran.

The Torkham crossing, which connects Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province with Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province, was shut down on Saturday following a dispute over the construction of a new checkpoint.

Abdul Jabbar Hikmat, the Taliban commissioner at Torkham, confirmed that Pakistan had closed the crossing in response to construction activities on the Afghan side.

A Pakistani security official at the border stated on Sunday that a meeting of the border communications committee to discuss reopening the crossing had not yet been scheduled.

Sources told Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper that tensions escalated when border security officials clashed over the renovation and expansion of a security post on the Afghan side and the installation of a signboard on the Pakistani side, leading to the sudden closure. They added that both sides had previously agreed to notify and consult each other on any construction or modifications to border structures.

This is not the first time Pakistan has closed the Torkham crossing. The Pakistani government has frequently used this vital trade and transit route as leverage in its dealings with the Taliban.

According to the official, former President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order directing the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department to submit a report on immigration operations by 21 March.

The report will assess the U.S. government’s capacity to process immigration cases based on applicants’ country of origin. The official suggested that the order could impact immigration cases from Afghanistan and Iraq, including SIV applications.

The official also warned that, given changing U.S. immigration policies and deteriorating security conditions in Pakistan and other regions, there may be only a month left to facilitate travel for individuals eligible under the SIV programme.

Earlier, Reuters reported that officials at the State Department’s office overseeing Afghan resettlement had been instructed to prepare for its closure by April 2025. If implemented, the move could prevent approximately 200,000 eligible Afghan refugees from relocating to the United States.

A source advocating for Afghan refugee resettlement told Reuters that those affected by the potential closure include families of Afghan-American military personnel, children and relatives of Afghans already residing in the U.S., and tens of thousands of Afghans who worked for the U.S. government during the 20-year war in Afghanistan.

Currently, thousands of former U.S. allies in Afghanistan remain stranded in Pakistan, awaiting approval for SIV applications. Meanwhile, Pakistani authorities have intensified restrictions and deportations of Afghan migrants in recent months, further complicating their situation.

Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), Trump tasked a U.S. official with developing a strategy to retrieve the military assets now in Taliban possession.

During his speech, Trump referred to an individual named “Doug” as the person responsible for overseeing the effort. The exact identity of the official remains unclear, but speculation suggests it could be Doug Manchester, a businessman and Republican donor. Afghanistan International reached out to the U.S. State Department for confirmation but has not received a response.

Expressing frustration over Taliban fighters using U.S. military gear in parades, Trump stated: “If we’re going to give them that kind of money, let them give back the military equipment, which they have. They have tanks and trucks and guns and goggles—better than we have. Brand new, right out of the box. It’s unbelievable.”

Since the U.S. withdrawal, billions of dollars worth of military equipment has remained in Taliban hands. According to the U.S. Department of Defense, over $7 billion in military assets, including vehicles, weapons, biometric devices, and advanced technologies, were abandoned.

Between 2002 and June 2020, the U.S. invested $88.61 billion in the Afghanistan Security Forces Fund to equip and sustain Afghan defence forces. However, following the Taliban takeover in August 2021, much of this equipment was seized. Reports indicate that the Taliban now possesses 78 aircraft, more than 40,000 military vehicles, and over 300,000 firearms, making it one of the most heavily armed militant groups in the region.

Additionally, biometric and identification tools abandoned during the withdrawal are now in Taliban hands, enabling them to track individuals who previously worked with the U.S. and Afghan government.

Reports suggest that Taliban-controlled military equipment is being sold on the black market in Afghanistan and Pakistan, with some of it reaching armed groups in the Middle East and Kashmir. Recent images have shown Iranian special forces using U.S.-made M4 rifles, raising concerns about the proliferation of American weapons in conflict zones.

ISIS fighters have also been documented using U.S. weapons, including in attacks against Hazaras in Daikundi province. The widespread trade of U.S. weapons in Afghanistan and Pakistan’s tribal regions has further complicated security concerns, as militant groups continue to access advanced military gear initially intended for the former Afghan National Defence and Security Forces.

Trump’s directive to retrieve the equipment underscores ongoing concerns over U.S. military assets falling into the hands of extremist groups. However, the feasibility of reclaiming these weapons remains uncertain, as the Taliban continues to consolidate control over Afghanistan’s military infrastructure.