Taliban Leader Replaces Six Officials Without Consulting Ministers

Experts from both countries will work together to plan the shortest new transit corridors linking Southeast Asia with the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), China, and Europe.

TASS, Russia’s state news agency, reported on Friday, that Uzbekistan and Russia intend to jointly design the railway, which will traverse Afghan territory as part of the Termez–Mazar-i-Sharif–Kabul–Peshawar route. The project is expected to create new transit corridors that will connect Southeast Asia to CIS countries, China, and Europe.

The railway is anticipated to reduce cargo transportation time and costs by 30 to 40 per cent.

This development follows agreements previously signed by the transport ministers of Uzbekistan and Russia, initiating the design phase of the Trans-Afghan railway project towards Pakistan.

The Russian Ministry of Transport stated that the two countries would conduct a joint feasibility study in 2025, focusing on assessing freight traffic and evaluating the project’s economic viability.

In February 2021, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and Pakistan signed an agreement to construct a 573-kilometre railway through Afghanistan, aimed at connecting landlocked Central Asia to Pakistani ports. The estimated cost of the project is $4.8 billion, with the objective of enhancing regional economic connectivity.

They argue that the plan sidelines the Afghan people from the decision-making process and paves the way for the normalisation of the Taliban.

In a joint statement signed by 54 social organisations, associations, and protest groups, the activists denounced the inclusion of the Taliban as a “primary stakeholder” in the initiative, asserting that it contravenes the principles of neutrality, democracy, and human rights.

The statement further characterises the structure of the plan as a “mosaic approach” and warns that treating fundamental human rights as subjects of negotiation undermines their universality and inviolability.

The activists expressed grave concerns over the exclusion of women, civil society actors, and victims of human rights violations from the process. “The instrumental use of humanitarian aid to advance political objectives undermines the principle of neutrality,” the statement reads.

According to the signatories, the initiative grants the Taliban tangible concessions while demanding little more than vague and unenforceable promises in return, thereby serving the Taliban’s interests rather than those of the Afghan people.

The group has called for the immediate suspension of the “Comprehensive Approach,” a thorough review of its framework, and the meaningful inclusion of representatives of the Afghan people.

The statement also reiterates the need for the Taliban to remain unrecognised as a legitimate political entity, demands equal participation for women and independent organisations, and urges UNAMA to realign with its original humanitarian mandate.

During a regional coordination meeting with religious council representatives from nine northern provinces, Governor Yousuf Wafa underscored the central role of religious scholars in the Taliban’s Islamic governance structure. The meeting, held at the Balkh Ulema Council, aimed to enhance cooperation among religious leaders across the northern region, according to a statement from the governor’s press office.

Wafa emphasised that clerics are vital to the continuation of Taliban rule and the enforcement of decrees issued by its leader. “The Islamic system we have today was achieved through great sacrifice, and its preservation lies in the hands of the clerics,” he said.

He described the nation’s Islamic scholars as the “heirs of the prophets” and maintained that all key Taliban figures including the group’s founders and leaders, Mullah Mohammad Omar, Mullah Akhtar Mansour, and current leader Hibatullah Akhundzada have remained firmly committed to Islamic and Sharia principles.

The governor further stated that clerics bear responsibility not only for spiritual guidance but also for advising civilians, district officials, and security personnel. He urged the religious community to counter ideological rifts, mediate internal conflicts, and foster national unity.

Wafa concluded by affirming that the Taliban leadership continues to value the counsel of Islamic scholars and actively seeks their input in matters of governance and administration.

In a statement published on Friday, Spanta described Pakistan’s reconsideration of its historic support for terrorist groups as “too late, but right.” He called on Islamabad to abandon the use of terrorism as an instrument of foreign policy, asserting that the country had long provided increasing support to extremist networks.

His remarks came in response to a rare admission by Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, who told Sky News that successive Pakistani governments had supported terrorist organisations for decades. “We have been doing this dirty work for the United States for about three decades, you know, and the West, including Britain,” Asif said.

Spanta, a key figure in Afghanistan’s previous administration, highlighted that Kabul had consistently warned Pakistan against allowing its territory to be used as a base for terrorist activities. However, he stated that Pakistan had never responded constructively to Afghanistan’s repeated calls to end the use of terrorism against its neighbour.

Concluding his statement, Spanta emphasised that both Afghanistan and Pakistan are now victims of terrorism. He urged that neither country should serve as a base for extremist operations against one another or any other nation.

According to an official statement, the meeting took place on 23 April and was attended by the commission’s leadership, heads of committees, and members of its evaluation council.

The commission noted that while Muttaqi did not directly respond to their call for greater representation of educated professionals, he emphasised the need for comprehensive cooperation with the council.

Mohammad Ali Akhlaqi, head of the High Shia Commission, stated that over the past three years the body has worked to “strengthen unity, serve as a bridge between the people and the Taliban, and reflect the demands and problems of the Shia community.”

Committee members also pressed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take meaningful steps in addressing the challenges faced by migrants and returnees.

During the meeting, Muttaqi reportedly underscored the importance of ethnic unity, though without making any commitments regarding the commission’s specific appeals.

In late February, the High Shia Commission organised a major conference in support of the Taliban regime at the Loya Jirga Hall in Kabul. At the event, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban’s Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, acknowledged the country’s ethnic, linguistic, and sectarian diversity, describing it as a source of national unity.

Jafar Mahdavi, a former member of parliament and known supporter of the Taliban, used the platform to urge the Taliban leadership to take concrete steps toward safeguarding the basic rights of the Hazara and Shia communities.

Over the past four years, the Shia Ulema Council of Afghanistan has consistently called for the recognition and protection of Shia rights.

Mohammad Akbari, deputy of the Shia Ulema Council, stated that these requests have been repeatedly shared with Taliban officials both verbally and in writing, but have yet to receive any formal response.

The continued silence from Taliban leadership on these issues has raised concerns within Afghanistan’s Shia community, who remain marginalised in the current political structure despite their ongoing efforts to engage constructively with the regime.