Taliban’s Baradar Rebuffed ISI Chief Over Durand Line Dispute, Says Aide

The operation, now in its fifth consecutive day, is part of what authorities describe as an effort to clear “illegally built” settlements.

Out of approximately 3,000 houses in the area, more than a third have already been destroyed. Local media reported that around 14,000 Afghan refugees have left the settlement so far, with the remaining residents expected to be expelled in the coming days.

Nearly 15,000 Afghans had been living in the neighbourhood. Many have returned to Afghanistan following the demolitions, while about 1,500 people remain in the area.

Local officials accused refugees of encroaching on public land, saying the Karachi Development Authority (KDA) owns the 215-acre site, which includes more than 3,200 houses and shops. Amir Fazal Owaisi, head of Karachi’s Anti-Encroachment Department, said the land is worth billions of Pakistani rupees and will be reclaimed by the government.

Refugees, however, dispute the claims, insisting they bought their plots legally and are now being prevented from selling them.

Authorities said the demolition and expulsion of undocumented Afghan refugees in Gulshan-e-Maymar will continue as part of a wider campaign against illegal settlements across Karachi.

According to the court, each received 39 lashes and was also sentenced to one year in prison. The floggings were carried out in front of local residents.

Despite repeated international appeals to end corporal punishment, the Taliban continues to impose public floggings for so-called moral offences, reviving punishments reminiscent of its 1990s rule.

Human rights organisations have repeatedly criticised the Taliban’s judicial system, saying it lacks due process and that defendants are denied basic legal rights, including access to defence lawyers.

Hassan told the Russian newspaper Izvestia that discussions are under way on allowing the use of Russia’s Mir bank cards in Afghanistan, with initial steps already taken toward implementation. He said the move would help expand trade and financial cooperation between the two countries.

The Mir payment network, developed by Russia’s central bank as an alternative to Western systems such as Visa and Mastercard, aims to facilitate financial transactions amid international sanctions.

According to Izvestia, one of the main challenges to launching the system in Afghanistan is the country’s shortage of ATMs and banking infrastructure.

Hassan said the Taliban needs unrestricted financial transactions to strengthen trade ties with Russia and attract Russian tourists to Afghanistan. He added that the project would mark an important step toward easing the Taliban government’s financial isolation.

Iran, which is also under Western sanctions, signed an agreement in 2024 to integrate with Russia’s Mir system.

Russia remains the only country to have formally recognised the Taliban.

In an interview with Al Jazeera on Sunday, Mujahid said Pakistan and other countries use the label of “terrorism” for political purposes against their opponents. “There is no universal or clear definition of terrorism,” he said, adding that any government can brand its adversaries as terrorists to advance its own interests.

His remarks come after a Pakistani military spokesperson said on 10 October that militant attacks launched from Afghan soil pose a serious threat to Pakistan’s national security and warned that Islamabad would not remain passive in response.

Mujahid urged Pakistan to resolve its dispute with the TTP through dialogue, stressing that the Taliban will not allow any armed groups to use Afghan territory to launch attacks against Pakistan.

The Taliban denies the presence of Pakistani militants inside Afghanistan and considers the TTP’s demands of Islamabad legitimate. Like their Afghan counterparts, the Pakistani Taliban have declared jihad against Pakistan’s government and seek to establish a Taliban-style Islamic state there.

The TTP has stepped up deadly attacks on Pakistani security forces in recent months, while Islamabad has struggled to contain cross-border assaults and repeatedly called on the Taliban to restrain the group. Pakistan has warned that it will retaliate against TTP attacks launched from Afghan territory.

Mujahid also said the Taliban would respond to any attacks on Afghanistan by Pakistan or other countries. He expressed hope that upcoming talks in Türkiye, focused on establishing mechanisms for cooperation between Islamabad and Kabul, would help ease tensions between the two sides.

Speaking at an online press conference from Doha, Mullah Yaqub Mujahid referred to the Durand Line as an “imaginary border,” stressing that the issue “belongs to the nations.”

His remarks appeared aimed at addressing speculation among political observers over a clause in the agreement referring to “respect for each other’s territorial integrity.” Mujahid said the Taliban would not allow any party to violate Afghanistan’s sovereignty or threaten its security.

He described the talks with Pakistan as “successful,” saying both sides had agreed not to support opposition groups or engage in hostile acts against each other. He added that both countries pledged to prevent their soil from being used against the other and that neither would intervene if the other came under attack.

According to Mujahid, the negotiations lasted about twelve hours, after which both sides agreed to mutual respect, non-aggression, and the establishment of a “complete and lasting ceasefire.”

He said a technical committee, under the supervision of Qatar and Türkiye, would be created to monitor the implementation of the ceasefire and to strengthen political and economic ties.

Mujahid also said the Afghan public had supported the Taliban during their conflict with Pakistan, asserting that “the people stood with us.”

Addressing foreign relations, Mujahid said the Taliban seeks “strong and friendly” ties with both India and Pakistan and warned that no country has the right to dictate Afghanistan’s foreign policy.

“We want relations based on mutual respect with India while maintaining good relations with Pakistan,” he said. “Our ties with India are not against Pakistan, and our ties with Pakistan are not at the expense of India.”

The agreement between the Taliban and Pakistan was reached on Saturday night in Doha with mediation from Qatar and Türkiye.

Earlier, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif confirmed the ceasefire deal, saying it would immediately halt cross-border terrorism from Afghanistan and that both neighbours had agreed to respect each other’s territorial integrity.