Taliban Publicly Flogs Four In Balkh On ‘Illicit Relations’ Charges

Khawaja Asif acknowledged that he had once welcomed the Taliban’s return to power, but said any hopes Pakistan held at the time had now disappeared.

In an interview with Geo News on Tuesday, Asif said the Taliban’s behaviour had not changed and that the group was “leading Afghanistan towards destruction.”

Rejecting Taliban claims that Pakistan carried out airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan on Monday night, he insisted that Islamabad had not conducted such operations and said Pakistan’s military was a disciplined force that would not target civilians. He argued that Pakistan’s conduct could not be compared to that of the Taliban, whom he accused of lacking a code of conduct, religion or tradition.

Asif said Pakistan sought regional peace and stability, adding that the continued tensions served no interest. He noted that he is now mocked for a past social-media post expressing support for the Taliban after the signing of the US–Taliban Doha agreement, saying his earlier optimism had faded.

He added that if the Taliban sought alternative trade routes or closer ties with India, Pakistan would not object.

Tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban have sharply escalated since the reports of airstrikes in Khost, Kunar and Paktika on Monday night. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid accused Pakistan of carrying out the attacks and warned that the group would “respond at the appropriate time,” while Pakistan’s military has denied any involvement.

According to the Taliban, Azizi will also take part in the opening ceremony of the Halal Expo 2025 and is expected to hold discussions with members of Türkiye’s private sector. The meetings will focus on attracting investment to Afghanistan.

ECO is a regional organisation aimed at strengthening economic, trade, cultural and technical cooperation among its member states.

Azizi’s visit follows his recent and politically sensitive trip to India, during which he said agreements had been reached on the use of Iran’s Chabahar Port, the issuance of Indian medical visas and the resumption of cargo flights.

The statement did not clarify whether the term “bad Taliban” referred to both the Afghan Taliban and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Army spokesperson Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry made the remarks on Tuesday, 25 November, during a press briefing in which he rejected Taliban claims that Pakistan carried out airstrikes in several Afghan provinces the previous night. He said Pakistan’s military did not differentiate between terrorist groups.

The phrase “good Taliban and bad Taliban” became widely used during the years of conflict in Afghanistan, as Afghan politicians repeatedly accused Pakistan of supporting certain Taliban factions while fighting others. Pakistan is now facing a sharp rise in domestic militancy and has struggled to contain Islamist insurgent groups.

For years, Afghan politicians and security officials including Hanif Atmar, Amrullah Saleh, and Rahmatullah Nabil warned that Pakistan’s “good Taliban, bad Taliban” approach was destabilising and fuelled regional mistrust.

This is the first time Pakistan’s military has publicly stated that such distinctions do not exist, and the remarks come amid heightened tensions between Islamabad and the Taliban authorities.

After a series of deadly clashes along the border in October, the two sides held talks in Doha that resulted in a temporary ceasefire. Pakistan and the Taliban later met for two additional rounds of negotiations in Istanbul in search of a broader agreement, but both rounds ended without progress.

Upon receiving the credentials, Muttaqi described Afghanistan’s ties with Qatar as “historic” and called for expanding trade relations and accelerating the process of sending Afghan workers to Qatar.

Al Qashouti, who previously served as chargé d’affaires at the Qatari embassy in Kabul for three years, was appointed ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary by Qatar’s Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, on 21 October.

According to the Taliban statement, the new ambassador also referred to relations between Qatar and the Taliban authorities as historic and pledged to further strengthen bilateral engagement. He said Qatar was continuing its mediation efforts and working to enhance Afghanistan’s interaction with the international community.

Qatar has maintained close ties with the Taliban over the past four years and has frequently attempted to mediate between Kabul and international actors.

Muttaqi’s call to expedite the deployment of Afghan workers to Qatar aligns with a July announcement by the Taliban-run Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, which said Afghan employment agencies had signed agreements with semi-governmental companies in Qatar.

At the time, the ministry said Qatar had offered 700 job opportunities for Afghan workers and that registration had begun. More than four months later, however, there have been no confirmed reports of Afghan workers being sent to Qatar.

Army spokesperson Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said on Tuesday that Pakistan “never targets innocent civilians” and insisted that Islamabad officially confirms its actions whenever it launches an attack. He suggested the Taliban’s allegations may be linked to what he described as internal tensions within the group.

Chaudhry also said the Afghan Taliban must “behave like a state rather than a non-state actor” and shoulder the responsibilities expected of a governing authority.

His remarks came after the Taliban accused Pakistan of violating Afghanistan’s airspace in a series of strikes overnight on 24 November. The Taliban said the attacks killed 10 people, including nine children and a woman, in Khost, and wounded four civilians in Kunar and Paktika.

Earlier on Tuesday, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said the strikes “would not go unanswered.”