Russia’s transport minister, Andrey Nikitin, has described Uzbekistan as a key partner in developing relations with the Taliban, highlighting cooperation on regional transport projects.
Speaking at a press conference in St Petersburg on Wednesday, April 1, he said Uzbekistan is Russia’s partner within the Commonwealth of Independent States and an important partner in developing ties with Afghanistan. "We are building a partnership to develop the Afghan-Trans corridor," he said.
The Russian official added that there are many projects in Uzbekistan and Russia expects its companies to take part in them. Nikitin specifically referred to the Afghan-Trans railway project.
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev had earlier signed an international agreement on a feasibility study for the Afghan-Trans railway project.
The agreement outlines a framework for a regional transport corridor linking Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said a delegation of senior officials has travelled to Urumqi, China, for talks with the Afghan Taliban.
Tahir Andrabi said the delegation is in Urumqi to explore a “sustainable solution” to stop cross-border terrorism from Afghanistan.
Speaking at a weekly briefing on Thursday, Andrabi said the talks between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban were being held at a working level and led by senior officials. He did not provide details on which officials were involved or how long the talks would continue.
He said the discussions reiterated Islamabad’s core concerns, adding that responsibility for meaningful progress lay with Afghanistan, which must take visible and verifiable action against militant groups using its territory to target Pakistan.
Andrabi also said Pakistan’s “Ghazab lil Haq” operation would continue alongside the talks.
Diplomatic sources had earlier told Afghanistan International that a new round of talks between the Taliban and Pakistan was taking place in Urumqi. According to the sources, participants include Pakistan’s deputy foreign minister and Taliban officials from the ministries of foreign affairs, defence, interior and intelligence.
Andrabi also referred to the recent visit of Pakistan’s foreign minister to China, during which the two sides discussed tensions with the Taliban and China’s call for an immediate halt to the fighting.
Tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban have escalated since late February, following Pakistani strikes in Kabul and Kandahar and retaliatory attacks by Taliban forces.
China has stepped in as a mediator amid concerns over regional stability and its economic interests, including the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and potential Belt and Road projects in Afghanistan.
Talks between Pakistani officials and Taliban representatives in the Chinese city of Urumqi have made no progress, sources said.
The negotiations, held on Wednesday, focused on reducing tensions, establishing a ceasefire and reopening border crossings.
Delegations from Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban met in Urumqi under China’s auspices following deadly clashes between the two sides. A source told Dawn newspaper the meeting produced no breakthrough.
The source said China would continue engaging with both sides, with initial discussions centred on a ceasefire and reopening crossings for trade and movement.
The meeting marked the first since heavy fighting in recent months and Pakistan’s “Ghazab lil Haq” operation against the Taliban. Pakistan had previously ruled out direct negotiations with the Taliban, although a Pakistani official said the meeting was not specifically intended as a mediation effort.
According to Dawn, the talks focused on exchanging views on recent tensions, with no major outcome expected. China appeared to prioritise confidence-building measures and reopening trade routes.
Pakistani sources said Islamabad again raised concerns about the presence of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) sanctuaries inside Afghanistan. Taliban representatives expressed willingness to address the concerns but maintained that TTP activities inside Pakistan were not their responsibility.
Pakistan is said to have indicated readiness to reopen trade routes and expand economic cooperation. A Pakistani official told Dawn the effort was aimed at managing tensions and exploring economic opportunities, despite ongoing core security disagreements.
The official added that China also has concerns about the presence of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement in Afghanistan.
Sources said the Taliban delegation showed greater willingness this time to act on commitments and agreed to consider a verifiable mechanism to address key demands from Pakistan and China regarding TTP and the East Turkestan Islamic Movement.
Islamabad accuses the Taliban of harbouring anti-Pakistan militants, an allegation the Taliban deny, describing it as an internal matter for Pakistan.
Reuters, citing four Taliban sources, reported that the delegations in Urumqi were at a mid-level and, unlike previous meetings in Turkiye, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, did not include decision-makers.
Previous rounds of talks mediated by Qatar, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia had failed to yield results.
The Taliban’s Supreme Court said 30 people were publicly flogged in Nimruz, Nangarhar, Farah and Paktika provinces on charges including extramarital relations, theft, and violence against parents.
In separate statements issued on Wednesday, the court said the punishments were carried out by local courts in Farah and Paktika after receiving approval from the Supreme Court.
In Paktika, two people were sentenced to two years in prison and 35 lashes on charges described as extramarital relations. In Bala Buluk district of Farah province, five people were flogged with between 20 and 39 lashes on charges of theft and extramarital relations.
The Taliban also reported that 17 people were flogged in Nimruz province on charges including assaulting a parent, extramarital relations and theft. Those individuals were sentenced to prison terms ranging from five months to eight years, along with 15 to 39 lashes.
In Nangarhar province, six people were sentenced to two months in prison and 20 lashes on charges of not fasting during Ramadan.
On Tuesday, the Taliban also announced the public flogging of two women and four men in Samangan and Balkh. According to the Supreme Court, at least 57 people have been flogged on various charges over the past week.
The United Nations has previously reported that punishments such as executions and public floggings continue in Afghanistan, describing such practices as serious human rights violations.
Richard Lindsay, the United Kingdom’s special envoy for Afghanistan, has called on the Taliban to lift restrictions preventing female staff from accessing United Nations offices.
He said the UK joined UN experts in condemning restrictions on women’s access to these spaces. Writing on X on Wednesday, Lindsay added that without women, the ability to support vulnerable communities and individuals would be severely limited.
He shared a report by UN experts, stressing that the rights of Afghan women must be upheld.
United Nations experts said on Tuesday they were deeply concerned about increasing Taliban restrictions on working women, describing them as a direct attack on women’s rights, particularly the right to work.
They said the ban on women working in UN offices in Afghanistan had no religious, cultural or administrative justification and called for sustained diplomatic pressure on the Taliban to reverse the policy.
The Taliban banned female staff from entering UN offices in Afghanistan in September last year, a move UN experts say has worsened the social and economic conditions of women.
The Taliban’s disaster management authority says at least six people have died and seven others were injured in flooding over the past 24 hours, with 533 homes damaged and more than 1,000 families displaced.
Yousuf Hammad, spokesperson for the Taliban’s disaster management authority, said on Wednesday, April 1, in a video that heavy rainfall over the past day caused flooding in Kabul, Parwan, Baghlan, Logar, Panjshir, Kapisa, Paktia, Paktika, Khost, Maidan Wardak, Zabul, Uruzgan, Ghor, Laghman, Badghis, Samangan, Kunar and Faryab.
He said 139 homes were completely destroyed, 349 partially damaged, 13 shops affected and 10 kilometres of road destroyed.
Hammad added that more than 1,000 families had been displaced overall and more than 1,100 jeribs of agricultural land damaged.
He said emergency aid had been provided to some flood-affected people in Logar.
In recent days, heavy rain and flooding have affected large parts of the country, impacting at least 25 provinces.
Figures from Taliban authorities show that the death toll from recent floods across Afghanistan has risen to at least 48.
The Taliban’s meteorological department had warned a day earlier possibility of the heavy rainfall in 32 provinces across the country.