Taliban FM Urges Diplomacy-Driven, Cooperative Ties With Neighbours

He stressed that Pakistan is a peace-loving country but will not compromise on national security or territorial integrity.

Munir, speaking on Monday during a meeting with military personnel in Rawalpindi, accused the Afghan Taliban of supporting militants active inside Pakistan. He has previously claimed that the Taliban back groups supported by India. Pakistan designates the TTP as a terrorist organisation and alleges it receives Indian support.

His remarks come as tensions between Islamabad and the Taliban have reached their lowest point in four years. Deadly border clashes in recent weeks and multiple rounds of negotiations have failed to produce results.

On Friday, Munir was appointed Pakistan’s first Chief of Defence Staff while retaining his position as army chief. President Asif Ali Zardari appointed him to the new role following constitutional reforms. Munir will serve a five-year term.

Under the military restructuring introduced by the 27th constitutional amendment and revisions to Article 243, operational, administrative and strategic powers have been consolidated into a single office. The amended article states that the president appoints the army chief in consultation with the prime minister, and that this person also serves as Chief of Defence.

The 2024 reforms also extended the service tenure of the heads of Pakistan’s three armed forces from three to five years, with the possibility of renewal or a further extension. Under Amendment 27, the army chief may be reappointed or have his term extended for an additional five years with the agreement of the president and prime minister, a provision that could keep Munir in office until 2035.

Azizi said the Taliban was fully prepared to cooperate with Chinese companies and facilitate their activities.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the Taliban Ministry of Commerce said the two sides also reviewed ways to strengthen economic ties.

According to the statement, the meeting is expected to help pave the way for expanding trade and deepening economic cooperation between Afghanistan and China.

According to the sources, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim personally invited Hekmatyar. They said Ibrahim has admired Hekmatyar since the years of the anti-Soviet jihad and had extended invitations to him several times in the past, with this visit now finally taking place.

Sources added that the Taliban did not block Hekmatyar’s travel this time, and he is expected to meet the Malaysian prime minister during the visit.

On 12 October, Hekmatyar’s son, Habiburrahman Hekmatyar, said the Taliban had banned his father from foreign travel and claimed the group “feared” his public meetings, viewing them as a threat.

Associates of the Hezb-e Islami leader said Hekmatyar and Anwar Ibrahim maintain a friendly relationship. They added that a delegation representing the Malaysian prime minister visited Kabul several months ago and that the Taliban initially prevented the delegation from meeting Hekmatyar, but later allowed the meeting “due to the negative consequences of this obstruction.”

After the Taliban seized power, Hekmatyar’s Kabul residence, allocated to him by the former government, was reclaimed, and Barya TV, his affiliated broadcaster, was shut down. The Taliban have since banned all political parties and movements, including Hezb-e Islami.

Over the past four years, Hekmatyar has repeatedly criticised Taliban policies and challenged the legitimacy of the group’s leadership, including that of its supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada.

In a statement on Monday, CPJ said Taliban authorities are currently holding at least two Afghan journalists: Mahdi Ansary,and Hamid Farhadi, on charges of working with exile-based media outlets after the Taliban seized power in 2021.

CPJ said that since August 2021, press freedom in Afghanistan has “drastically deteriorated,” with journalists facing arbitrary arrest, prolonged detention, assaults, threats, and censorship. The organisation also highlighted restrictive measures imposed on women journalists, internet shutdowns, and the closure of dozens of media outlets.

“These actions constitute clear violations of the fundamental right to freedom of expression and contradict public statements made by Taliban representatives,” CPJ said.

The group referenced a pledge made by Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid on 17 August 2021, days after the fall of Kabul, in which he said private media would remain “free and independent.” CPJ said the Taliban should now “deliver on its pledges.”

The organisation urged the Taliban to use Human Rights Day to take “meaningful steps” by releasing all journalists in custody and ensuring they can return to their families and work safely, without fear of reprisal.

According to CPJ, more than 1,500 journalists from over 100 countries endorsed the call for the release of jailed journalists during a solidarity action at the Global Investigative Journalism Conference in Malaysia this year.

“The continued imprisonment and harassment of journalists in Afghanistan undermines any claim of moderation or respect for human rights,” CPJ said, urging the Taliban to reverse course and take “concrete steps toward genuine press freedom.”

According to information published on the ministry’s website, the oil was sold to a domestic company.

The ministry had earlier announced on 28 November that 10,000 tonnes of crude extracted from the Angot field in the Amu Darya basin were sold for more than $4.5 million.

The Amu Darya basin is considered one of the largest oil and gas regions in northern Afghanistan. International assessments estimate that it may contain about 962 million barrels of extractable crude oil and 52 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.