Switzerland Reopens Humanitarian Aid Office In Kabul

While the Taliban aligned its Eid declaration with Saudi Arabia and held prayers across the country on 30 March, many Shia communities in Kabul gathered in mosques a day later. Reports received by Afghanistan International indicate that mosque attendance in areas such as the Al-Zahra Mosque was notably high, reflecting widespread adherence to the Shia tradition of confirming Eid based on separate moon-sighting criteria.

This is not the first time Eid has been observed on different days across Afghanistan. Such divergences occurred even under previous governments, but under Taliban rule, celebrating Eid on an alternate date can carry political and social risks.

According to recent reports, Taliban forces in some districts—including Malistan in Ghazni province—attempted to compel Shia residents to break their fast on Sunday. Over the past four years, there have been several cases of the Taliban pressuring Shia communities to conform to its Supreme Court’s Eid announcements. In some instances, Taliban members reportedly used force or coerced Shia clerics into leading prayers on dates dictated by the group.

Despite this pressure, the tradition among Shia communities in regions such as Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif, and the central highlands is to follow religious rulings issued by Shia scholars, which typically align with Iran’s announcement of Eid.

This year, no incidents of forced Eid observance were reported in Hazara and Shia-majority areas of Kabul or other provinces. However, there are accounts suggesting Taliban intelligence operatives relayed instructions through village elders in central provinces, insisting that Eid be celebrated according to the Taliban’s timetable.

Meanwhile, Taliban leaders held their own Eid prayers on Sunday. Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada led prayers in Kandahar’s Eidgah Mosque, while other senior officials prayed at the Arg (Presidential Palace) and Sapedar Palace in Kabul. However, the separate gatherings by different factions highlighted internal rifts within the Taliban’s leadership.

Of note is the recent demotion of Abdul Kabir, formerly a deputy prime minister, who was reassigned as acting minister of refugees. Despite the change, Kabir reportedly continues to operate from the Sapedar Palace, underscoring ongoing political tensions within the Taliban ranks.

Afghan imports from Pakistan fell sharply by 67 percent, dropping from $2.1 billion in the previous fiscal year to just $729 million during the current period. Afghan exports to Pakistan also declined by 46 percent, decreasing from $46 million to $25 million.

The total volume of bilateral transit trade shrank from $2.24 billion last year to only $754 million this fiscal year. In February 2025 alone, year-on-year trade dropped by 7 percent, falling from $82 million to $77 million. From July 2024 to January 2025, the cumulative decline stood at 69 percent, though the rate of contraction eased slightly to 66 percent in February.

This follows a 59 percent drop in the previous fiscal year, and reports from March 2024 indicated that Afghanistan’s transit trade through Pakistan had declined by a staggering 84 percent over the course of one year.

The dramatic decrease comes amid escalating tensions and frequent disruptions at key border crossings, including the Torkham crossing—one of the main trade routes between the two countries—which was closed for nearly a month, further hindering commercial flow.

The ceremony, held in Khujand, Tajikistan’s Sughd province, marked the activation of the 500-kilovolt Datka–Sughd transmission line, connecting the two Central Asian nations.

The launch was attended by energy ministers from both countries, with Tajikistan’s Presidential Office announcing that official documents for the project were signed prior to the inauguration.

The CASA-1000 project, first launched in Tajikistan in 2016, aims to export surplus electricity from Central Asia to South Asia, particularly to Pakistan, via Afghanistan. The project’s route includes seven Afghan provinces and, once complete, will enable the transmission of hydropower from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to energy-scarce regions in South Asia.

Funded by major international institutions—including the World Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, the European Investment Bank, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development—the initiative carries an estimated cost of $1.2 billion. Originally slated for completion by March 2022, the project has faced delays, particularly due to instability in Afghanistan.

Following the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, work on the Afghan section of CASA-1000 was suspended. However, in August 2024, Farhad Mahmoudi, Head of Programmes at the Taliban’s Ministry of Energy and Water, confirmed that talks with the World Bank had resumed and that practical work on the Afghan portion would begin soon. He projected that the Taliban-led administration could earn up to $65 million annually in transit revenue once the project becomes operational.

Tajikistan’s Minister of Energy and Water Resources, Daler Juma, stated in January 2025 that the full CASA-1000 project is expected to be operational by 2027, pending the completion of the Afghan segment. He noted that the primary obstacle remains the halted funding for infrastructure development in Afghanistan.

According to Juma, work on Pakistan’s portion of the transmission line is expected to be finalised by mid-2025.

In February 2024, the World Bank confirmed that, at the request of participating countries—Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Pakistan—it would resume construction in Afghanistan. However, the Bank stipulated that all financial transactions for the Afghan segment would be managed externally and kept separate from the Taliban’s administrative systems to ensure transparency and accountability.

In his Eid al-Fitr sermon on Sunday, delivered in Kandahar’s Eidgah mosque, Akhundzada declared that obedience to the leader is a religious obligation for all Muslims to ensure unity and maintain order.

“Now that there is a leader, everyone must obey him,” he said. “Otherwise, the country will head toward war.” He cited Afghanistan’s civil wars during the 1990s as a cautionary example, arguing that conflict occurred at that time because there was no single leader.

Rejects Laws of Former Government, Dismisses Democracy

In his 50-minute sermon, delivered in Pashto and shared via audio by Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid on the social media platform X, Akhundzada firmly rejected the laws of the previous Afghan government. He stated that Afghanistan does not need Western-style laws or democracy, and that Islamic Sharia law is sufficient.

“We do not need laws rooted in the West,” he declared. “We will establish our own laws.” Akhundzada revealed that the Taliban’s Ministry of Justice and Supreme Court had submitted revised versions of previous legal codes for his approval, but he rejected them outright, calling them unacceptable.

He also announced that none of the articles from the former Afghan constitution would be recognised, and that the Taliban would draft a new legal framework aligned with their interpretation of Islamic principles.

Poverty Is God’s Will, Says Akhundzada

Akhundzada also addressed Afghanistan’s worsening economic crisis, attributing poverty to divine destiny. “God has written poverty in your fate—do not complain,” he said, arguing that those who are poor were created that way because God knew they would be patient.

“God created the poor knowing they would endure. A patient person says, ‘God has decided that I be poor, and I am content with His decision.’” He went on to say that no individual can change another’s economic condition, adding: “Don’t say poverty came from this person or that person. No one can do anything for you.”

Rising Poverty Amid Economic Collapse

These remarks come amid a deepening economic crisis in Afghanistan, where unemployment has soared and millions face severe hardship. While Akhundzada delivered his sermon, groups of women were seen sitting outside the mosque gates, begging for help—many of them affected by Taliban policies that have banned women from most forms of employment.

Critics argue that the Taliban leadership is using religious rhetoric to deflect responsibility for the country’s economic collapse. Since the group’s return to power in August 2021, job opportunities—especially for women—have drastically declined, and international aid has been significantly reduced due to the Taliban’s repressive policies.

The World Food Programme (WFP) recently reported that one in three Afghans goes to bed hungry. Observers say the Taliban’s leadership has failed to offer viable solutions to the economic crisis, instead attributing widespread poverty to fate.

The decision was made during the second meeting of Pakistan’s counterterrorism committee, held on Saturday in Islamabad and attended by senior security and government officials. The meeting underscored the need for coordinated action in response to the growing threat, which Pakistani authorities claim is increasingly emanating from Afghanistan.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who chaired the session, said both Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief General Asim Munir support the move. Naqvi also confirmed the nationwide activation of counterterrorism units, with a particular focus on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan—two provinces that have borne the brunt of recent attacks.

The rise in violence has been attributed to groups such as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Baloch separatist factions. Islamabad has repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban of providing shelter and support to these militant groups. Officials allege that many of the attacks are planned and coordinated from across the border in Afghanistan.

While the Taliban deny harbouring such militants, various international reports have documented links between Afghan territory and the operations of extremist groups targeting Pakistan. These allegations have further strained already tense relations between the two neighbours.