Taliban Public Health Minister Visits India

In a ruling by a primary court in Andar district of Ghazni province, two people accused of “extramarital relations” were publicly flogged with between 35 and 39 lashes and sentenced to one year in prison.

At the same time, two other people, including a woman, were flogged with 25 lashes on similar charges in Yaftal district of Badakhshan province.

In a statement posted on X on Tuesday, the Taliban Supreme Court said a total of four people were punished in the two provinces.

Despite repeated criticism from the international community over the use of corporal punishment, the Taliban have continued to detain and publicly flog individuals, citing the implementation of what they describe as Islamic sharia.

According to a recent United Nations report, between 1 August and 31 October this year the Taliban publicly flogged 215 people across Afghanistan, including 44 women and 171 men, on a range of charges.

According to a statement from China’s Foreign Ministry, Wang met Prince Faisal on Sunday, 14 December, on the sidelines of the fifth meeting of the China–Saudi Arabia Joint High-Level Committee.

During the meeting, Wang said China supports Saudi Arabia playing a more prominent role in regional and international affairs. No further details were released about the ministers’ discussions specifically on Afghanistan.

China has not formally recognised the Taliban administration but has been among the first countries to establish broad diplomatic and economic relations with it since the group returned to power.

Saudi Arabia has also not recognised the Taliban administration. However, over the past two decades particularly since the collapse of Afghanistan’s former government and the sharp decline in international assistance Riyadh has continued to provide humanitarian and relief aid to Afghanistan.

His remarks follow comments by Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban’s interior minister, who recently said the group governs through humiliation, violence, fear and intimidation.

Hamdullah Fitrat, the Taliban’s deputy spokesperson, published the text of Akhundzada’s speech on X on Tuesday, 16 December. The speech was delivered at a seminar in Kandahar.

Akhundzada called on officials across Taliban institutions to carry out their duties in accordance with what he described as Sharia law, and urged them not to discriminate between the poor and the wealthy in their decisions and conduct.

He said officials must understand the rights people have over them and the responsibilities they have assumed. According to Akhundzada, anyone who accepts a position of authority is obliged to receive proper training and act with awareness.

Although Akhundzada did not name any individual, his remarks followed statements made last week by Haqqani in Khost province, where the interior minister said a government that rules people through “fear and force” is not a real government.

In what appeared to be an implicit admission, Haqqani acknowledged that the Taliban relies on humiliation, violence and the creation of fear to govern. “A government that rules people only through intimidation is not a government,” he said. “Between the people and a good government, there must be a bond of affection and trust.”

Haqqani’s comments prompted reactions, particularly among figures loyal to Akhundzada.

Prisoners Must Not Be Tortured

In his speech, Akhundzada also addressed the treatment of prisoners, saying detainees must not be tortured and should not be punished without a court order. He instructed officials to provide opportunities for education to those in custody.

Human rights organisations have repeatedly criticised the Taliban for widespread repression and what they describe as a suffocating environment in Afghanistan.

Human Rights Watch has reported that Taliban forces have detained critics, journalists and individuals accused of links to opposition groups, citing allegations of torture and ill-treatment. Amnesty International has also documented arbitrary arrests, torture in detention centres and the treatment of protesters and activists in its reporting on Afghanistan.

In a video message circulated on social media, Sheikh said his group was ready to make “any sacrifice” to defend Pakistan. “We are prepared to sacrifice everything for the defence of our beloved homeland,” he said.

The US Treasury Department sanctioned Muhammad Yaqoob Sheikh in 2012 for his membership of the central council of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba group in Pakistan.

The Markazi Muslim League, where Sheikh is a senior leader, was formed after the banning of Jamaat-ud-Dawa and later Milli Muslim League, both widely regarded as political fronts for Lashkar-e-Taiba. Several leaders from those banned organisations are now active under the Markazi Muslim League banner in different parts of Pakistan.

Lashkar-e-Taiba was founded in Pakistan in the 1980s under the leadership of Hafiz Saeed, following a Salafi Islamist ideology. The group has primarily focused on attacks against India, particularly in the disputed Kashmir region.

Sheikh welcomed Pakistan army chief Gen Asim Munir’s move to mobilise clerics for the defence of the country, saying the step had earned Munir the trust and respect of Pakistan’s religious scholars.

He also referred to a recent gathering of Taliban clerics in Afghanistan, saying Afghan religious scholars had “issued a fatwa stating that Afghan soil should not be used for terrorism against any country.” The remarks appeared to refer to a meeting at which Taliban-aligned clerics opposed the use of Afghan territory by foreign militants and declared it impermissible for Afghans to take part in wars against other countries.

Sheikh praised what he described as the “sacrifices of the Pakistani army,” adding that every country has the right to exceed certain limits in self-defence.

He said the Afghan Taliban must declare that “not even a single bullet will be fired from Afghan soil towards Pakistan.” If such a guarantee were provided, he said, Pakistan’s clerics would be “appreciative” and relations between Kabul and Islamabad would improve.

Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Taliban of sheltering Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan militants and allowing them to plan and carry out attacks on Pakistani territory from Afghanistan. The Taliban have consistently denied the allegations.

Sheikh’s remarks come amid heightened tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban and suggest that Islamabad’s military leadership is seeking to mobilise religious narratives and militant-linked networks to increase pressure on the Taliban. Pakistan has demanded a written guarantee from the Taliban that TTP militants will not use Afghan territory to launch attacks.

Several rounds of talks between the Taliban and Pakistan, held in Qatar, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia, have failed to resolve the dispute or produce a lasting agreement. In recent months, border clashes between the two sides have left dozens dead and hundreds wounded.

The law firm Barings, which is representing the claimants, is seeking £50,000 in compensation for each client.

Robert Whitehead, the firm’s owner, said a letter before legal action has been sent to the MoD. He said the firm has evidence that some individuals whose data was exposed, or people connected to them, have been killed, while others have been extorted by the Taliban through threats against their relatives.

“It was the MoD’s responsibility to protect the data,” Whitehead said.

The legal action follows an unprecedented incident in which the Ministry of Defence accidentally disclosed the personal details of Afghans who had applied for relocation to Britain because they feared reprisals from the Taliban.

The database contained the personal information of about 25,000 Afghan applicants and their family members, as well as details of some British special forces personnel. In February 2022, a British soldier inadvertently released the data. The breach remained undetected until August 2023.

In response, the UK government established a confidential immigration scheme for those affected, known as the Afghan Response Route. Under the scheme, 7,355 people have arrived in the UK or are expected to do so. However, the route was closed to other victims of the breach in July.

Among Barings’ clients are highly vulnerable individuals, including former members of Afghan special forces who worked closely with the UK before the Taliban returned to power. Other claimants include former police officers and members of Afghanistan’s judicial system.

Adnan Malik, Barings’ data protection officer, said the firm has seen videos showing armed groups ransacking homes and searching for people who cooperated with Western forces. He said one client reported that his brother, a former Afghan police officer, was recently killed, which the firm believes was a direct result of the data breach.

In another case, Malik said a former senior Afghan army officer now living in the UK reported being forced to pay the Taliban to keep his son alive.

Criticising the MoD’s handling of the case, Malik said it was “very strange” that the ministry warned during several court hearings that lives were at risk, before later saying that lives were not at risk.

The Ministry of Defence has previously said that simply having a person’s name on the spreadsheet was highly unlikely to be sufficient reason for them to be targeted. The ministry has said it will “robustly defend against any legal action or compensation claims.”