Doha Agreement With Pakistan Has No Secret Clauses, Says Taliban Defence Ministry

In a ceremony held at the ministry, officials praised the analysts for what they described as their “support of the system” during the clashes. The event was attended by Sher Ahmad Haqqani, the minister of information and culture; Mohajer Farahi, deputy minister for broadcasting; Mohammad Younis Rashid, deputy minister for youth; and a number of ministry officials and cultural figures.

In a statement released Wednesday, the ministry said dozens of political commentators were recognised for “fulfilling their national and Islamic duty” in defending the Taliban’s position. During the conflict, the honoured analysts publicly endorsed the group’s military response and echoed its stance in the media.

Haqqani said that during the fighting with Pakistan, “the people defended the system with unity and solidarity,” adding that the world witnessed “Afghanistan will allow no one to violate its sovereignty.”

The ministry quoted pro-Taliban analysts as declaring that “defending every inch of the country’s territory is our Islamic and national duty.” They claimed Taliban forces “responded to aggression with courage, in a way unprecedented in the nation’s history.”

During the border clashes, the Taliban tightened censorship of domestic media and suspended broadcasts of Shamshad Radio and Television in Kabul. The group has also prohibited independent experts or opposition figures from appearing on outlets operating under its control.

Rights groups and journalists have repeatedly accused the Taliban of suppressing dissent and restricting press freedom. Over the past four years, several commentators, reporters, and activists have been detained or imprisoned for criticising the administration.

Earlier, the Ministry of Information and Culture issued a list of approved analysts permitted to appear in political programmes, requiring media outlets to book only those individuals.

In its statement, the ministry insisted that “media outlets that uphold Islamic and Afghan values enjoy full freedom of operation,” adding that the Taliban government “supports such media.”

In a report released ahead of the Berlin Climate Security Conference, the relief organisation said that if the current trend persists, Afghanistan could lose up to 10 percent of its gross national income (GNI).

The IRC found that conflict-affected and climate-vulnerable countries such as Afghanistan are bearing the brunt of global funding cuts while receiving the smallest share of climate adaptation financing.

According to the report, development assistance to 17 vulnerable nations including Afghanistan fell by more than 40 percent between 2013 and 2023.

The organisation warned that climate change, through recurring droughts, floods, and unpredictable rainfall patterns, is threatening the livelihoods of millions of Afghans. The overlap between the climate crisis and shrinking financial support, it said, has worsened Afghanistan’s outlook for food security and social stability.

The report also highlighted that conflict-affected and fragile states, which together account for just 11 percent of the world’s population, represent 70 percent of global humanitarian needs. Yet in 2022, these countries received only 12 percent of international climate adaptation funding.

The IRC said that climate finance is increasingly being channelled towards stable and low-risk countries, leaving crisis-hit regions such as Afghanistan largely excluded from vital investment.

The decision was announced after a court ruled that the land had not been legally purchased from the state.

In a statement issued Wednesday, the ministry said the special court for land usurpation cases determined that all 5,640 acres of land in the Surkh Rod district development are state-owned. Residents have been instructed to seek compensation from private sellers who originally sold them the plots.

The ministry said the court reached its conclusion after “a thorough review of documents, evidence and property records,” determining the land had never been lawfully acquired from the government.

Ishaq Gailani, a former lawmaker from Paktika province and leader of the National Solidarity Movement of Afghanistan, had been associated with the township, which bears his name.

Earlier this week, the Taliban announced a similar confiscation of at least 18 acres of land in Kabul’s “Aria Township,” continuing a broader campaign to reclaim what it calls illegally occupied state property.

The Taliban administration has formed a high commission for the prevention of land ursuption, which operates special courts in four regions and technical committees across all provinces to oversee property disputes and land recovery.

Since returning to power more than four years ago, the Taliban have identified and seized thousands of acres of land nationwide, much of it linked to housing projects associated with former officials of the previous government.

Property experts say many of the seized homes have changed ownership multiple times, making compensation for current residents nearly impossible.

The Taliban’s Ministry of Justice has not provided details about its review process. Affected landowners are barred from filing legal appeals or publicly presenting ownership documents under Taliban rule.

Speaking to the IRNA news agency on Tuesday, Hosseini said the process started at the beginning of October, and up to 200,000 nine-month work visas will be granted to legal migrant workers in the first year of the programme.

He said the plan seeks to “regulate and monitor the status of foreign labour” while preventing illegal entries into the country. Under the new policy, the visas will initially be valid for nine months and may be renewed based on workers’ performance and employers’ requirements.

Hosseini emphasised that Iranian citizens remain the top priority in the labour market, and foreign workers will be employed only when no domestic applicants are available.

Iran remains one of the main destinations for Afghan migrant workers in the region, with hundreds of thousands employed across sectors such as construction, agriculture, and services — construction being the largest employer.

Over the past year, the Iranian government has deported hundreds of thousands of undocumented Afghans, saying the expulsions aim to create more jobs for Iranians and ease pressure on public services amid the country’s struggling economy.

In a statement, the ministry said the move underscores “India’s firm commitment to strengthening bilateral engagement” with Afghanistan’s Taliban in all areas.

The decision to reopen the embassy at full capacity was made during the recent visit of Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to New Delhi, the statement added.

The ministry said the embassy will play an expanded role in supporting Afghanistan’s development, providing humanitarian assistance, and implementing capacity-building programmes.

India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar also confirmed the decision during his recent meeting with Muttaqi, saying New Delhi intends to deepen its engagement with Afghanistan.

Since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, India had maintained only a “technical mission” in Kabul, focusing on humanitarian and development cooperation.