Taliban Claims Success In Enforcing Sharia Rule In Afghanistan

In a message sent to Afghanistan International, the retirees emphasised that they are not asking for charity, but demanding the rightful payment of their salaries.

In a video message, one retiree said that Kabul’s retired employees have been gathering daily for the past four years outside the pension office to demand their payments. He noted that the Taliban had made repeated promises but had failed to fulfil them.

He stressed that pension payments are a basic right, deducted from their wages during their years of service.

Since the Taliban’s return to power, the payment of pensions to retired government employees has been suspended and has yet to be resumed.

Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban’s supreme leader, issued a decree in late December 2024 ordering the establishment of special courts to address pension cases and calling for the payments to be made. However, four months after the decree, the issue remains unresolved.

The retirees accuse the Taliban of dishonesty and breaking their promises, saying that if the group had genuinely intended to pay the pensions, they would have taken action in the nearly four years since their takeover.

The aid cuts have also halted access for 700,000 Afghans to healthcare, vaccinations, malnutrition treatment, clean water, and protection services.

In a report published on Saturday, the IRC stated that the decrease in US assistance has severely impacted the organisation’s critical programmes for Afghan citizens. Among the disruptions, the treatment of 15,000 children suffering from malnutrition has been interrupted.

Thousands of vulnerable Afghans have been cut off from essential services following the suspension of IRC programmes due to funding reductions.

The decline in US aid has led to the shutdown of numerous humanitarian initiatives across Afghanistan, significantly worsening the country’s humanitarian crisis.

The IRC emphasised that Afghanistan is facing a severe humanitarian emergency, with more than 22.9 million people urgently needing assistance. It warned that the prolonged economic collapse and ongoing environmental challenges have plunged millions into poverty and hardship.

The aid agency further warned that US funding cuts have had devastating effects on vulnerable groups, particularly the three million children and 1.2 million pregnant or breastfeeding women suffering from acute malnutrition.

The Taliban’s restrictions on women and girls have eliminated the income of many female-headed households, greatly increasing the risk of hunger and malnutrition.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), nearly 23 million Afghans are currently in need of humanitarian aid. Meanwhile, the World Food Programme (WFP) reports that around 15 million Afghans are unsure where their next meal will come from.

Speaking at a military graduation ceremony in Islamabad on Saturday, Sharif stated that peaceful coexistence would not be possible as long as insurgents and extremists use Afghanistan as a base to operate against Pakistan.

Sharif emphasised that Pakistan had taken serious measures on several occasions and had attempted to engage with the Taliban leadership regarding the issue.

He added that Pakistan had conveyed a clear and firm message to the Taliban authorities in Kabul, stressing that while Pakistan desired peaceful relations and good neighbourliness with Afghanistan, achieving this objective would not be possible while militants continued to launch attacks from Afghan territory.

The Prime Minister reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to countering security threats and safeguarding its territorial integrity. He stressed that Islamabad has consistently sought peace and stability in the region but would not allow threats to persist from the territory of neighbouring countries.

Tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban have escalated sharply in recent months amid a surge in security incidents within Pakistan.

Islamabad accuses the Taliban of providing shelter to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants inside Afghanistan, from where they allegedly launch attacks into Pakistani territory.

The Taliban have strongly rejected these accusations, calling them “baseless.” Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid has insisted that Afghanistan does not allow its soil to be used against other countries, and asserted that Pakistan’s internal security is its own responsibility.

Mawlawi Hezbullah Afghan, the former governor of Zabul, has now replaced Sharif as the General Director of Border Police within the Ministry of Interior.

These are not the only changes within the Ministry of Interior, which operates under the leadership of Sirajuddin Haqqani.

Mullah Jan Mohammad Hamza, the former police chief of Takhar province, has been dismissed from his post and appointed as the Director of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock in Kabul. Mawlawi Obaidullah, who previously held that position, has now been assigned as the head of the Directorate of Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Balkh province.

Additionally, Mawlawi Saifullah, formerly the head of intelligence in Sar-e-Pul province, has been appointed as the commissioner of Hairatan Port in Balkh. Mawlawi Hussainullah Zahid, who previously served as the commissioner of Hairatan Port, has been appointed as the district governor of Aqcha in Jowzjan province.

Hamdullah Fitrat, the Taliban’s deputy spokesperson, announced these latest structural changes within the group’s administration on Saturday, 26 April.

The decrees issued by Hibatullah Akhundzada demonstrate that key appointments within Taliban ministries including the Ministry of Interior are made directly by the Taliban leader, significantly limiting the influence of ministers based in Kabul.

Haqqani Pushes for Greater Role in Appointments

In March, sources from Kandahar told Afghanistan International that Sirajuddin Haqqani, during a meeting with Akhundzada, requested the formation of a commission to oversee appointments within the security sector.

Prior to attending this meeting, Haqqani had reportedly been absent from leadership gatherings for at least two months.

Sources indicate that Akhundzada rejected Haqqani’s proposal to establish a commission led by Haqqani himself, alongside Yaqub Mujahid, Minister of Defence, and Abdul Haq Wasiq, Chief of Intelligence.

According to these sources, during the meeting, Akhundzada emphasised: “I will not compromise on anything. I am the Emir, and my decision must be accepted.”

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.