Khamenei Says ‘Rioters Must Be Put In Their Place’ As Protests Continue

This comes after growing criticism of the group’s internal divisions and governance practices.

In a statement released on Saturday, the Taliban’s Directorate for the Oversight and Implementation of Decrees said Akhundzada had issued 14 new decrees. According to the statement, two of the decrees specifically stress the need to strengthen mutual trust within the Taliban, while another instructs members not to interfere in one another’s affairs.

In one directive, Akhundzada said the Taliban are facing a “major test” and urged his forces to avoid what he described as arrogance, pride, self-admiration, oppression and betrayal.

The decrees come as criticism has mounted over what rights groups and observers describe as ethnic and factional practices within the Taliban. Akhundzada again instructed his followers to “strictly avoid ethnic, regional, linguistic and factional discrimination” and warned against actions that could sow distrust within the group’s ranks.

Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban have filled many senior government posts with loyalists and close associates, while sidelining professional and technical staff from state institutions. The United Nations has repeatedly criticised what it describes as the Taliban’s ethnically driven approach to governance.

Akhundzada also warned Taliban officials against actions that could undermine internal cohesion, as reports have emerged in recent months of disputes and occasional clashes among Taliban members.

In other parts of the decrees, Akhundzada reiterated the importance of enforcing the Taliban’s policy of promoting virtue and preventing vice and urged officials not to misuse or betray public funds.

The directives were issued as Akhundzada himself faces accusations of ethnic and linguistic bias. In a report published recently, the UN secretary-general said the Taliban leader has continued to appoint and reshuffle loyalists, noting that those selected are “all men and predominantly Pashtun”.

Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s chief spokesperson, said the group values its relations with India and wants to expand cooperation, particularly in healthcare and commerce.

Mujahid thanked India for its humanitarian assistance, including the supply of vaccines, medicines and food aid, and said Afghanistan’s needs require sustained dialogue and stronger bilateral relations.

Speaking to Radio Hurriyat, a Taliban-affiliated outlet, Mujahid said significant progress had been made in relations with New Delhi and that the trend was expected to continue.

His comments followed recent remarks by India’s foreign minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, who highlighted centuries-old ties between the two countries and described India’s policy towards Afghanistan as people-centric and community-focused.

Relations between the Taliban and India have grown closer amid rising tensions between the Taliban administration and Pakistan. In recent months, the Taliban’s foreign minister, as well as the ministers of commerce and industry and public health, have visited New Delhi.

Working with India and Iran, the Taliban are also seeking alternative trade routes to reduce dependence on Pakistani ports and goods. During visits to New Delhi and Tehran, Taliban officials signed cooperation agreements with authorities in both countries.

India has meanwhile upgraded its diplomatic mission in Kabul to embassy level and expanded its humanitarian and development assistance to Afghanistan.

The growing engagement between India and the Taliban has raised concerns in Pakistan. Islamabad has accused the Taliban and India of supporting Baloch separatist groups and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, allegations the Taliban have denied. Mujahid has repeatedly said Pakistan should not expect to influence or control the Taliban’s domestic or foreign policy.

Speaking during an interaction with students at an Indian university, Jaishankar said India and Afghanistan share centuries-old historical links and that relations between their peoples have continued regardless of political shifts.

Responding to a question from an Afghan student about his recent meeting with Amir Khan Muttaqi, Jaishankar described the talks as positive. He said India is cooperating with Afghanistan in areas including development projects, food assistance and health services.

Muttaqi visited New Delhi from October 9 to 16, 2025, marking the first visit by a senior Taliban official to India since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. The visit was made possible after the United Nations Security Council granted Muttaqi a temporary travel exemption despite international sanctions.

The visit coincided with Pakistani airstrikes on Kabul and several Afghan border provinces. In the months that followed, engagement between India and the Taliban administration gradually expanded.

After Muttaqi’s trip, the Taliban’s commerce minister and public health minister also travelled to New Delhi. India later pledged additional support for Afghanistan, particularly in the pharmaceutical sector, after the suspension of medicine imports from Pakistan.

Jaishankar said India’s approach remains focused on supporting the Afghan people and addressing humanitarian and development needs, regardless of political circumstances.

The latest incident occurred on Thursday evening in Faizabad, the capital of Badakhshan, where armed men shot and killed Mohammad Shah, an Ismaili resident originally from Shighnan district. Shah, who worked for a private office in the province, was attacked in the Dasht-e-Qargh area while returning home from a bakery, according to eyewitnesses.

Local sources told Afghanistan International on Friday that another Ismaili man, identified as Khodaydad, was shot dead two days earlier in Warsuj district of Takhar. He was killed in front of his wife and children, the sources said.

According to local residents, Khodaydad was a relative of Ghulam Naser, who was killed about 20 days earlier after travelling with Zahidullah, a former Taliban intelligence chief in Warsuj district, to search for gold. Following Naser’s killing, Khodaydad filed a complaint against Zahidullah. Two days later, Khodaydad was himself killed, the sources said.

Local sources have accused members of the Taliban of involvement in the killings, though no evidence has been independently verified.

Taliban authorities have not commented publicly on the incidents.

The killings have heightened concerns among members of Afghanistan’s Ismaili community, a religious minority concentrated in parts of Badakhshan and other northern provinces, amid ongoing security and accountability challenges under Taliban rule.

Tahir Andrabi, spokesperson for Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on Thursday that Islamabad has no position on changing the political system in Afghanistan and rejects the notion of “regime change” in a neighbouring country.

“Choosing a government is the right of the Afghan people,” Andrabi said, adding that Pakistan is prepared to work with the current authorities in Kabul. He said the use of the term “regime change” in reference to Afghanistan was inappropriate.

Commenting on unrest in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Andrabi said residents were suffering from terrorism and that Pakistan was pursuing counterterrorism efforts with determination. He said the closure of border crossings with Afghanistan was part of those measures.

He stressed that regardless of debate over whether attacks increased or decreased following the border closures, Islamabad’s priority was to protect its population.

Andrabi reiterated that Pakistan’s key demand of the Taliban is to ensure that Afghan territory is not used to launch attacks against Pakistan. He claimed that more than 70 percent of terrorist attacks in Pakistan were carried out by Afghan nationals and said the Taliban administration was obliged under international norms to prevent such activity.

The foreign ministry spokesperson said Pakistan expects the Taliban authorities to meet their responsibilities as a governing power in line with international law. He welcomed as positive a recent declaration by Taliban clerics deeming armed activity outside Afghanistan illegitimate, as well as what he described as encouraging signals from Sirajuddin Haqqani aimed at improving relations.

Andrabi also said Pakistan had dispatched a humanitarian aid convoy for Afghanistan but that it was not permitted to enter by Taliban authorities. He described the refusal by a country facing humanitarian need to accept assistance as unprecedented and regrettable.