Panjshir Cleric Hospitalised After Reported Abuse In Taliban Custody

The detentions were reportedly carried out without formal judicial orders.

Afghanistan International had previously reported on the existence of a clandestine prison operating inside the Taliban-controlled Ministry of Justice. Reliable sources have confirmed that, in recent years, multiple individuals have been held in this facility on the direct orders of Minister Sharei, bypassing legal channels.

In the latest case, four senior officials from the Hazrat Wali Asr Charity Foundation, an organisation affiliated with Ayatollah Vaezzada Behsoodi, were detained during a visit to the ministry for registration purposes. According to sources, the arrests followed inquiries by the individuals into the foundation’s financial matters. The detentions were made at the direct order of the minister.

The detainees have been identified as Haji Mohammad Taqi Ansari, head of the foundation; Hassan Nikzad, deputy head; Baqer Akhlaqi, office manager; and Wakil Chaman, an adviser to the foundation. They were initially held for several hours within the ministry before being transferred to Taliban intelligence custody, where they remained for approximately one week.

Afghanistan International contacted Abdul Hamid Jihadyar, the Taliban’s Ministry of Justice spokesperson, for comment, but he declined to respond.

This is not the first time reports have surfaced of arbitrary arrests linked to the Ministry of Justice. Earlier, Afghanistan International revealed that Haidar Jan Naemzoi, a former Afghan parliamentarian, was also held in the same private facility.

In a separate incident last December, Sharei reportedly ordered the arrest of 30 residents of the Sanatorium area in Kabul after they opposed forced evictions. Sources said the residents were summoned under the pretext of verifying land ownership documents and subsequently handed over to the police.

Following publication of these incidents, the Taliban’s Ministry of Justice claimed that, under orders from the Taliban leader, the minister holds the authority to detain individuals for up to ten days in land usurpation cases.

While the ministry did not name Naemzoi directly, it appeared to confirm his detention, referring to the arrest of a “rebellious” individual by the anti-land usurpation commission and his subsequent transfer to Kabul provincial authorities.

In a statement issued Tuesday, the council criticised the recent arrests of women in Kabul’s Dasht-e-Barchi neighbourhood and the continued exclusion of girls from education, calling on the international community to act urgently.

The council urged the United Nations, the European Union, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and human rights groups to intervene and press for the release of detained women and the reopening of schools and universities for Afghan girls.

According to the statement, the Taliban’s recent actions including the arrest of women and the absence of girls from the 2025 university entrance examination are part of a broader effort to erase women from public life. The council said these policies violate legal and moral standards and warned that the continuation of such practices threatens the country’s stability.

The group also criticised the muted international response to the Taliban’s gender-based restrictions, saying global indifference has emboldened the regime to escalate its crackdown.

Earlier, local sources in Kabul reported that Taliban morality police arrested dozens of young women in Dasht-e-Barchi on Friday and Saturday. Witnesses said the arrests were carried out in public areas, including streets and commercial centres.

Multiple Afghan residents in the area reported that police entered homes, detained entire families, and transported them to an undisclosed location. One migrant, speaking on condition of anonymity, said officers forcibly entered houses and arrested individuals whose visas had expired.

Another resident confirmed that police arrived to search their home, but the occupants managed to avoid detection and arrest.

While the exact number of arrests on Tuesday remains unclear, a source told Afghanistan International that approximately 50 Afghan nationals, including women and children, had been detained in the area the previous day.

Saturday also saw widespread police raids in various parts of Islamabad, including B-17, with dozens of Afghan families taken into custody. The latest arrests come amid an ongoing crackdown that has seen Pakistan deport dozens of Afghan migrants in recent days, including journalists and civil society activists.

According to figures provided by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Pakistan deported 286,631 Afghan nationals between April 1 and July 15.

The meetings discussed issues such as healthcare, the situation of women and girls, and the return of Afghan refugees from Iran and Pakistan.

In a post on the social media platform X, Lindsay said that his discussions with Taliban ministers and others centred on improving conditions for the Afghan people.

He reiterated that progress in Afghanistan depends on inclusive dialogue and constructive engagement, a position the UK government continues to maintain as essential for advancing human rights and political stability in the country.

The UK Office for Afghanistan Affairs echoed Lindsay’s message, stating that British officials raised ongoing concerns about the rights of women and girls and the challenges faced by returnees expelled from neighbouring countries. These issues were highlighted as central themes of the envoy’s trip.

Fitrat emphasised that the aircraft belong to Afghanistan and that the Taliban will not relinquish them.

During a presentation of the Taliban Ministry of Defence’s annual achievements on Tuesday in Kabul, Fitrat again raised the issue of the aircraft currently held in Uzbekistan.

On 15 August 2021, Uzbek authorities reported that 22 Afghan military planes and 24 helicopters had entered Uzbekistan’s airspace and declared that the aircraft would not be handed over to the Taliban. Uzbekistan’s special representative for Afghanistan, Ismatulla Irgashev, stated that the aircraft are the property of the United States and will remain in Uzbekistan with Washington’s consent.

The Taliban leadership has repeatedly maintained that the aircraft belong to the Afghan people and have demanded their return. Defence Minister Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid has warned that the Taliban will not allow the aircraft to be seized or utilised by Afghanistan’s northern neighbours.

Fitrat reaffirmed that efforts have continued over the past four years and, despite a lack of progress, the Taliban remains committed to reclaiming the aircraft.

Taliban’s 150,000 Army and Downsizing

Fitrat confirmed that the Taliban maintains a military force of 150,000 personnel but noted that the Ministry of Defence reduced its staffing by 20 percent over the past year.

Earlier this year, Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada directed that 20 percent of staff from the security institutions including the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Interior, and General Directorate of Intelligence be transitioned to “active reserve” status.

Taliban and the Durand Line

Fitrat also addressed the situation along the Durand Line, stating that the Taliban had established 15 brigades, three battalions, and 765 border outposts over the past year.

According to Fitrat, 340 kilometres of road have been constructed in border regions to connect security outposts, and at least 13 coordination centres with neighbouring countries have been planned, of which seven are operational.

As with previous Afghan administrations, the Taliban does not formally recognise the Durand Line and has frequently engaged in border clashes with Pakistani forces, particularly over the construction of military outposts along the frontier.