Ismaili Community’s Rights Are Safeguarded, Says Taliban Minister

In a statement released on Wednesday, the governor’s media office said the meeting brought together governors from seven zones, including Kabul, Balkh, Herat, Nangarhar, Kandahar, Kunduz and Paktia.

According to the statement, the discussions focused on security developments, counter-narcotics efforts, challenges facing Afghan migrants returning from neighbouring countries, and measures to facilitate trade and economic activity.

The statement said the governors, who under a decree by Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada are responsible for provincial administration at the zonal level, also stressed the importance of implementing his decrees consistently across all provinces.

It added that several key issues raised during the meeting were referred to Akhundzada’s office in Kandahar for final guidance and instructions.

Lindsay said the meeting took place during his visit to the Pakistani capital and focused on security developments in the region as well as restrictions imposed by the Taliban on women and girls in Afghanistan.

During the same visit, Lindsay also met Mohammad Sadiq Khan, Pakistan’s special envoy for Afghanistan. The two discussed regional security concerns, including cross-border militant attacks.

Britain, like most Western countries, does not recognise the Taliban administration. However, through its special envoy, London continues to engage with Taliban officials and regional governments on issues including counterterrorism, human rights and humanitarian access for Afghans.

In public remarks, the British envoy referred to Shakeeb as the “Taliban representative in Pakistan,” reflecting the UK’s policy of engaging with the Taliban as a ruling group rather than recognising them as Afghanistan’s legitimate government.

Some human rights organisations and activists have criticised official meetings with Taliban representatives, arguing that such engagements risk normalising the group’s rule.

The Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly rejected claims that the group is internationally isolated, saying it maintains broad relations with various countries, which it says refrain from announcing formal ties due to pressure from the United States.

Speaking at a White House press conference on Tuesday, Trump described the withdrawal and the killing of 13 US service members in the Kabul airport bombing as “the lowest point” in American history.

Referring to his previous term in office, Trump said he had also been in the process of withdrawing US forces from Afghanistan but would have done so “with dignity and strength”. He added: “We were the boss. They wouldn’t do a thing against us.”

Trump said the United States should not have abandoned Bagram Air Base, which he described as a major military installation spanning hundreds of acres.

He also said Washington handed over large amounts of military equipment to the Taliban, calling the outcome a “disaster”. Trump said it was shameful to see the Taliban parading annually through streets with American military equipment.

At the same time, Trump said that during his previous presidency he rebuilt the US military, and that the equipment left behind in Afghanistan represented only a small fraction of that effort. He added that he continues to rebuild the US armed forces.

Trump has repeatedly criticised the Biden administration’s handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal, both before and after returning to the White House.

Following the US withdrawal, large quantities of advanced American military equipment were left behind and fell into Taliban hands. According to a US Department of Defense assessment, the value of the equipment is estimated at more than $7 billion and includes military vehicles, advanced weapons, biometric devices and other technologies.

The Taliban have since repaired and reused some of the damaged US military equipment.

Ministers and senior officials from ECO member states, along with representatives of regional and international partner organisations, are attending the gathering.

The Taliban have not commented publicly on their absence. Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority, which is hosting the meeting, has also not explained why no Taliban representative is present.

Images released from the meeting show Afghanistan’s seat left empty among the participants, with the country’s national flag placed in front of it. At the same time, some media outlets and social media users close to the Taliban reported on X that the group did not attend the Islamabad meeting.

The Economic Cooperation Organization is a regional body aimed at promoting economic, trade, cultural and technical cooperation among its member states.

Ahead of the meeting, organisers had said delegations from all ECO members including Pakistan, Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan were expected to take part.

At a previous ECO meeting held in Azerbaijan, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban’s deputy prime minister for economic affairs, attended and called on member states to take positive and practical steps towards recognising the Taliban, following Russia’s decision to do so.

Speaking on Tuesday, Sharif said the fight against terrorism is a collective national decision and vowed that his government would continue its campaign until terrorism is completely eradicated. He said militant groups continue to operate from Afghanistan despite repeated assurances from the Taliban authorities.

Trade Suspended Over Security Concerns

The prime minister said Islamabad had been forced to suspend all trade with Afghanistan because of what he described as Kabul’s inaction against terrorist groups. He said the closure of the Pakistan–Afghanistan border to trade was an unwanted but unavoidable step.

Trade across the border has been suspended since mid-October 2025 following clashes along the frontier. Several rounds of talks on counterterrorism mechanisms, including mediation efforts by Türkiye and Qatar, have failed to yield concrete results.

Sharif said the 2020 Doha agreement clearly stipulates that Afghan territory must not be used to threaten other countries. He added that despite numerous meetings between officials from both sides, Pakistan’s proposals to curb militancy have not been implemented.

He also said Islamabad had expected the Taliban administration to take decisive action against militant groups, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, but said no such commitment has been demonstrated in practice.

Traders on both sides of the border, particularly in Pakistan, have repeatedly protested the prolonged closure and the suspension of cross-border trade, warning of mounting economic losses.