World Bank Begins Repayment Of Debts To Afghan Companies, Says Taliban

Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s Foreign Minister, is due to join the talks on Tuesday morning, 20 May. The meeting, hosted by China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, will focus on expanding trade and security cooperation among the three parties.

Pakistani media report that the discussions will build on an invitation extended by China’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Yue Xiaoyong, which the Taliban accepted earlier this month.

Muttaqi, who is currently on an official visit to Tehran, is expected to travel directly to Beijing to participate in the talks.

In an official statement, the ministry expressed its gratitude for New Delhi’s support, noting that food supplies had been distributed to some 5000 needy households.

According to the ministry, the consignment comprised eleven distinct food items, which were allocated by the Kabul office of the Directorate of Refugees to deserving recipients.

Abdul Kabir, the Taliban-appointed Minister for Refugees and Repatriation, publicly thanked both the Government and the people of India for their generosity. He also appealed to other nations and charitable organisations to extend further aid to displaced Afghans.

Since early April, Pakistan has deported hundreds of thousands of Afghan migrants. Islamabad has previously accused these individuals of involvement in acts of unrest within Pakistan and alleged that the Taliban had received support from India in connection with recent security incidents; claims to which the Taliban have not yet responded.

Dar is set to begin his official visit to China on Monday, where he is expected to meet senior Chinese officials to discuss bilateral and regional issues. Reports indicate that tensions between India and Pakistan will be among the topics of discussion.

The Taliban’s foreign minister is scheduled to arrive in Beijing on Tuesday, according to Pakistani media. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will host the trilateral talks, which are expected to focus on expanding trade and security cooperation among China, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.

The first round of trilateral talks between the three sides was held in Kabul on May 10, with economic cooperation, security, and regional stability on the agenda.

Earlier this month, a Taliban Foreign Ministry spokesperson said China’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Yue Xiaoyong, had invited Muttaqi to visit China, and that the invitation had been accepted.

Speaking at the Tehran Dialogue Forum on Sunday, 18 May, Muttaqi stated, “Our effort is to prevent water from being wasted and to ensure it reaches the Iranian side properly.” His remarks came amid ongoing discussions between Afghanistan and Iran regarding water rights and the management of shared resources.

Addressing the forum, which gathered senior officials from both countries and the wider region, Muttaqi highlighted the $3 billion trade volume between Afghanistan and Iran. He noted that over the past four years, the Taliban has pursued positive relations with neighbouring, regional, and international partners under what he termed a “balanced foreign policy.”

Touching on the recurring tensions between Kabul and Tehran over water rights, Muttaqi called drought a shared challenge and reiterated the Taliban’s intention to ensure a fair and consistent flow of water to Iran. “This is our religious and Islamic duty to assist,” he added. “We view this act as both virtuous and politically constructive. To the people of Iran who hear my voice, rest assured, we have no ill intentions in this matter.”

Muttaqi further stressed the Taliban’s foreign policy priorities, describing their approach as “balanced and economy-focused,” with special emphasis on neighbouring states.

He also pointed to what he characterised as the Taliban’s success in establishing stability, following years of failed governance experiments and externally imposed solutions. According to Muttaqi, Taliban officials are now working to address citizens’ needs across all 34 Afghan provinces.

Each of the accused received thirty-five lashes for offences of alcohol consumption and “illicit relationships”. In addition, all five were sentenced to custodial terms ranging from one to five years. Two defendants were handed prison terms of two years and six months alongside thirty-five lashes; one received five years’ imprisonment and thirty-nine lashes; and the remaining three were each sentenced to one year in prison with thirty-nine lashes.

On 17 April, United Nations experts reported that at least 213 people, including 44 women, had been subjected to flogging over the preceding three months, figures drawn from the Taliban Supreme Court’s own records.

UN human rights officials denounced such punishments as “inhuman” and urged the Taliban to cease practices of public corporal punishment and executions immediately.