Taliban Leader Urges Unity In Paktia Amid Tensions With Haqqani Faction

Speaking to Taliban-controlled national television during a visit to the Torkham border crossing, Sharif said the committee aims to "prevent ill-treatment by Pakistani authorities towards Afghan migrants and address their concerns in Pakistan."

Sharif’s visit to Torkham, a key transit point, was intended to evaluate recent damages, assess the security situation, and review the plight of Afghan migrants expelled from Pakistan.

The move follows accounts of alleged abuses, with several Afghan children at the border telling Afghanistan International they were detained and imprisoned by Pakistani police without cause.

Pakistan’s immigration department reported that over the past week, 11,371 Afghan migrants were detained and deported. On Tuesday alone, 3,669 were sent back through Torkham, according to official figures.

The Express Tribune noted that Pakistan’s ongoing operation targets not only undocumented migrants but also asylum seekers and families linked to criminal activities for detention and deportation.

The Pakistani government’s plan to expel approximately three million Afghan migrants in 2025 has drawn sharp criticism from international organisations. Despite the backlash, authorities continue their crackdown, intensifying efforts to identify and remove Afghan nationals across the country.

The findings, released on Thursday, link these economic losses to the Taliban’s enforcement of its “Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice” law, which UNAMA says is deepening the country’s dire financial crisis.

The report, covering the past six months, details how the Vice and Virtue law, which is part of the Taliban’s push to establish a “pure” Islamic system, has granted its morality police sweeping powers to arbitrarily detain individuals and confiscate property. Men, women, youth, and minorities across Afghanistan have felt the law’s impact, with violations of privacy and disruptions to economic activity reported nationwide.

Women and girls face particularly severe restrictions, including dress code enforcement, limits on accessing public spaces, and a requirement to travel with a male guardian, or mahram.

UNAMA highlighted that these measures have drastically curtailed women’s access to healthcare, with female healthcare workers telling the mission they are barred from workplaces without a mahram.

The United Nations Security Council, in its Resolution 2777 passed on 17 March 2025, has demanded the Taliban repeal the law and lift these restrictions immediately.

The UN mission also noted a troubling ripple effect, with a quarterly survey by the UN Women’s Section showing a sharp rise in family and community enforcement of the Taliban’s rules.

Between August and October 2024, the percentage of male family members imposing restrictions on women doubled from 22 percent to 44 percent. Enforcement by religious scholars rose from 26 percent to 45 percent, and by community elders from 18 percent to 33 percent.

UNAMA cautioned that this trend is normalising the curbs, reshaping social and familial dynamics, and fostering a climate of fear and uncertainty.

As the Taliban’s morality police continue their arbitrary enforcement, UNAMA warned that many Afghans are increasingly aligning their behaviour with the law’s provisions, further entrenching its impact on society and the economy.

The executions, set to occur in the provincial capitals of Qala-e-Naw and Zaranj, will be carried out under the group’s interpretation of Sharia law, with authorities urging the public to attend.

Rashid confirmed the details in a statement posted on X on Thursday, noting that the three were sentenced to “qisas” — a form of retributive justice — by a Taliban court.

In Zaranj, the execution of one individual will take place at the city’s stadium, as announced by Nimroz’s Directorate of Information and Culture. Meanwhile, separate executions are planned in Qala-e-Naw city of Badghis province.

Taliban officials in both provinces have invited civil and military leaders, religious scholars, and residents to witness the events, while imposing strict rules banning weapons, smartphones, and recording devices at the sites. The group has framed the executions as a demonstration of its judicial authority.

Since reclaiming power in August 2021, the Taliban has conducted five public executions, with the most recent cases occurring in Ghazni, Jowzjan, Paktia, and Farah provinces.

Atiqullah Darwish, Chief of the Criminal Division of the Taliban’s Supreme Court, stated that approximately 30 additional death sentences are pending final approval from the group’s leader.

The legislation empowers the group’s moral enforcers with broad authority to conduct arbitrary detentions and seize property from individuals deemed non-compliant, the report states.

According to UNAMA, the Taliban has established implementation committees across 28 provinces to enforce the law, each chaired by a provincial governor aligned with the group.

The measure, which spans from 21 August 2024 to 31 March 2025, has affected men, women, youth, and minority communities throughout Afghanistan, though the severity of its impact varies.

The report highlights frequent breaches of personal privacy during enforcement, with some cases involving the targeting of non-Sunni communities.

Afghan women, in particular, face significant restrictions, including limited access to healthcare due to a Taliban edict prohibiting travel without a male guardian, known as a mahram.

Several female healthcare workers told UNAMA they are barred from entering their workplaces without a mahram, further exacerbating the crisis in medical services.

The directive, effective as of 10 April 2025, stems from a decree by the group’s supreme leader and applies to both state-run and private media outlets in the province.

A formal letter obtained by Afghanistan International, issued during a recent provincial administrative meeting, confirms the restriction. “All state and non-state institutions in Jowzjan province are obligated to refrain from taking photographs or filming events, gatherings, and consultations involving living beings,” the document reads. “Publishing such content constitutes a major sin.”

The head of the virtue directorate in Jowzjan emphasised that the order is non-negotiable, citing strict adherence to the supreme leader’s decree. While the ban initially targets government-affiliated media, officials warned that private outlets will soon face the same restrictions, pending further guidance from Taliban leadership in Kabul.

This development follows a pattern of escalating media controls. On 28 March, similar prohibitions were introduced in provinces including Kandahar, Badakhshan, Takhar, Baghlan, and Nimroz. The Afghanistan Journalists Center reports that as of late March, outlets in at least 10 provinces were already operating under comparable rules. Media watchdog Free Speech Hub has raised concerns that these measures could foreshadow a nationwide ban on all visual depictions of living beings.

The restrictions are rooted in the Taliban’s "Promotion of Virtue Law," enacted in 2024. Article 17 of the legislation explicitly forbids photographing or distributing images of living beings, reflecting the group’s austere interpretation of Islamic principles. Critics argue the policy severely undermines press freedom and access to information in Afghanistan.

Local sources indicate that enforcement in Jowzjan began immediately, with both media organisations and government bodies adjusting operations to comply. The move marks yet another step in the Taliban’s broader campaign to reshape public life since reclaiming power in 2021.