Iran Deepens Influence In Afghanistan: Senior Officials Attend Friday Prayers In Herat

The funds, earmarked for madrasas in Pakistan’s border provinces of Balochistan, Sindh, and Punjab, were ordered by Akhundzada despite the Taliban administration facing a severe financial shortfall.

According to the source, Akhundzada instructed Finance Minister Mohammad Nasir Akhund and Central Bank Governor Noor Ahmad Agha to facilitate the allocation.

The decision follows the Taliban’s approval of the 1403 (2024/25) national budget, though specific figures were not disclosed. For comparison, the 1401 (2022/23) budget totalled 231 billion Afghanis, with 203 billion for operational costs and 27.9 billion for development projects.

Amid the budget constraints, the Taliban has mandated a 12 percent staff reduction across all ministries and suspended pension payments to retirees, triggering public discontent.

Nevertheless, Akhundzada’s prioritisation of Pakistani madrasas underscores the Taliban’s deep ideological ties to these institutions, many of which educated its leaders and fighters and continue to serve as recruitment hubs. Senior Taliban officials frequently visit these seminaries and maintain strong connections with them.

The move comes as Afghanistan grapples with profound economic, political, and human rights challenges under Taliban rule. The United Nations estimates that approximately 23 million Afghans require humanitarian assistance. Last year, the World Food Programme provided emergency food aid and cash to nearly 12 million people, with a focus on women and girls facing acute hunger.

Hanafi urged Pakistani leaders, religious figures, and citizens to halt what he described as an “injustice” against Afghan migrants.

Accompanied by senior Taliban officials, Hanafi, who leads the Taliban’s commission on migrant issues, inspected facilities at Torkham, a key border point. The delegation announced the establishment of “Qasimabad,” a new settlement designed to house up to 4,000 returning migrant families on approximately 3,000 acres of land.

The Taliban called on international organisations and Afghan traders to support those returning from Pakistan, while pressing neighbouring countries to cease the “forced and improper expulsion” of Afghan migrants.

The statements follow Pakistan’s intensified crackdown on Afghan migrants after the expiry of a voluntary return deadline on 31 March 2025. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced on Thursday that over 24,000 Afghan refugees were expelled from Pakistan in a single week.

Reports suggest heightened pressure, including detentions and police harassment, has driven many Afghans to leave Pakistan preemptively.

The Taliban’s remarks underscore growing tensions with Islamabad, as the expulsions strain diplomatic ties and exacerbate the challenges faced by returning migrants.

The group’s appeal for cooperation highlights the scale of the crisis, with thousands of Afghans displaced amid limited resources to support their reintegration.

The drills, which began on 7 April, took place at a training ground in Tajikistan and involved advanced military equipment, including Orlan-10 drones, tanks, artillery, and Mi-24 helicopters.

The exercises aimed to enhance the readiness of both nations’ troops to eliminate terrorist threats and conduct operations in rugged environments. According to the Russian Ministry of Defence, the drills included identifying the coordinates of a simulated enemy position, followed by targeted artillery strikes to neutralise the mock target.

Despite maintaining diplomatic and economic relations with the Taliban, who regained control of Afghanistan in August 2021, Russia and Tajikistan remain wary of potential security risks, including the infiltration of extremist groups and weapons across their borders.

The Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), a regional security alliance, has conducted multiple exercises in Tajikistan in recent years to address these concerns, citing the risk of militant spillover into member states.

In March 2025, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon in Moscow, where he underscored Russia’s commitment to supporting the security of Central Asian nations.

Putin emphasised that Moscow could not remain indifferent to threats emanating from Afghan territory, highlighting the strategic importance of regional cooperation.

The group, comprising senior officials from Iran’s Foreign Ministry and Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, includes Abdullah Arjaei, Deputy for Planning and Resource Provision; Rasoul Mohajer, Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Diplomacy; Mohammad Reza Bahrami, Director General for South Asia; Alireza Bikdeli, acting head of Iran’s embassy in Kabul; and Mohammad Reza Hashemi, Governor of South Khorasan Province.

The delegation’s visit focuses on bolstering trade and economic ties between the neighbouring countries. Their itinerary in Herat includes tours of the city’s industrial park, the Khaf-Herat railway project, and Rozanak railway station.

They are also scheduled to meet with the Taliban’s governor in Herat and engage with Taliban officials and private sector representatives to assess Herat’s economic potential and expand cross-border trade.

Following their engagements in Herat, the delegation will travel to Farah Province to further discuss enhancing bilateral cooperation, with an emphasis on facilitating cross-border trade and goods transportation.

The executions, approved by Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, were conducted in front of crowds, including Taliban officials, in what marks a continuation of the group’s use of capital punishment since regaining power in 2021.

In Farah province, Mohammad Sadiq was executed in a stadium in the provincial capital after being found guilty of murder. In Badghis, two men, Soleiman and Haidar, were put to death in separate incidents. Soleiman was accused of killing three people, while Haidar was also convicted of murder. In Nimroz, Abdul Qadir, a resident of the provincial capital, was executed for a similar offence.

The Taliban’s judicial process, rooted in a strict interpretation of Sharia and local customary law, has drawn widespread criticism from human rights organisations for its lack of transparency, absence of legal representation, and reports of rushed or coerced trials. Critics argue that the application of qisas, intended in Islamic jurisprudence to ensure justice and prevent tribal revenge, is undermined by opaque proceedings and inadequate evidentiary standards.

Since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, public executions have resumed, echoing practices from their first regime (1996–2001), when punishments like executions and amputations were common. Historical cases, such as the 1999 execution of a woman named Zarmina in Kabul’s main stadium, underscored the brutality of that era.

While comprehensive data from both periods remains scarce due to restricted media access and limited official records, at least eight public executions have been documented since 2021, with rights groups suggesting the true number may be higher.

The first confirmed public execution under the current regime occurred in Farah in December 2022, followed by three executions in Ghazni and Jowzjan provinces in February 2024, and another in Paktia province in November 2024. The Taliban’s prohibition on media coverage and filming has further obscured the scale of such punishments.

International bodies, including the United Nations and Human Rights Watch, have condemned the executions as violations of human rights, calling for an end to capital punishment and urging reforms to ensure fair trials.