Defence Lawyers Must Support Authorities, Says Taliban Senior Official

The Kandahar governor’s office said on Wednesday, May 6, that governors, police chiefs, intelligence heads, military court officials and brigade commanders from Zabul, Helmand, Uruzgan and Daikundi attended the meeting.

Mullah Shirin Akhund said ensuring security is the Taliban administration’s top priority and urged officials to intensify efforts to improve it further.

According to the statement, he stressed coordination and cooperation among all Taliban officials in the south-west zone, adding that development work carried out in one province should be replicated across others in the region.

Shir Mohammad Sharif, Governor of Zabul, Amanuddin Mansoor, Governor of Helmand, Abdul Rahman Muslim Kunduzi, Governor of Uruzgan, and Torjan Ahmadi, Governor of Daikundi were among those present.

Officials presented their achievements to Mullah Shirin Akhund, though no images of the meeting were released.

Other topics included enforcing the decrees of Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, ensuring security, preventing land grabbing, curbing the cultivation, trafficking and trade of narcotics, and tackling begging.

The Kandahar governor’s office said the meeting also emphasised price controls, aid to the poor, strengthening religious and formal education, and enhancing ties between the public and Taliban authorities.

Mullah Shirin Akhund and Yousuf Wafa, Balkh’s Governor, are considered close and trusted figures of the Taliban leader and have previously chaired similar regional meetings in southern and northern Afghanistan.

According to a statement from the Pakistani military’s press office, army generals said the Taliban’s policy of supporting militant groups has become fully evident and has backfired.

Asim Munir said Operation Ghazab-Lil-Haq has significantly reduced the capabilities of militant networks and their support infrastructure. He added that the operation will continue until these networks are completely dismantled, their support systems disrupted and all operational space denied.

Pakistan’s military has previously launched several operations against Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Baloch militants, but has failed to prevent a rise in attacks, which have intensified since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan.

Islamabad says the reason is the presence of safe havens in Afghanistan and the freedom of these groups to carry out operations against Pakistani forces, an allegation the Afghan Taliban reject.

Following escalating tensions, Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab-Lil-Haq against Taliban-linked targets. Dozens of military and weapon facilities have been hit in airstrikes, with Pakistan claiming hundreds of Taliban fighters have been killed.

The Afghan Taliban have not released figures on casualties or damage to their facilities. They accuse Pakistan of targeting civilian areas and killing non-combatants.

The Taliban have not allowed media to freely cover Pakistan’s strikes inside Afghanistan.

Islamabad has rejected Taliban accusations of targeting civilians in eastern Afghanistan, particularly in Kunar province, calling them a coordinated propaganda campaign and disinformation effort aimed at masking internal failures and portraying themselves as victims.

Pakistan insists its operations are precise, targeted and solely against infiltrators, terrorist hideouts and support infrastructure.

The Taliban have previously said Pakistani attacks in eastern border areas have caused civilian casualties. United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has also confirmed civilian casualties in past reports.

Relations between Afghanistan’s Taliban and Pakistan have remained strained since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.

Despite several rounds of talks on border management and security issues, no lasting agreement has been reached, and tensions remain high amid ongoing military operations and mutual accusations.

The UNICEF Representative to Afghanistan Tajudeen Oyewale shared images on X on Wednesday, May 6, showing Afghan children receiving education kits.

He wrote that distributing learning materials and rebuilding schools has created better environments for children to learn and grow across Afghanistan.

While the UN works to improve educational spaces, Taliban policies, including the continued ban on girls’ education beyond sixth grade, have effectively excluded half of Afghanistan’s student population from formal schooling.

There has also been widespread criticism of curriculum content and Taliban pressure to shift the education system towards more hardline religious teachings.

Critics argue that without an inclusive and standardised education system, children’s futures are at serious risk, and that providing materials alone cannot meet the real needs of a society facing deep social and educational pressures, especially while girls remain barred from returning to classrooms.

In a letter addressed to Baktash Siawash, the parliament said the committee would review the case and issue its decision in writing.

The letter noted that, due to the high number of submissions, the process may take time.

According to the document, the petition is titled “Recognition of Gender Apartheid in Afghanistan and Designation of the Taliban”.

The European Parliament added that registered petitions become public documents, subject to personal data protection regulations.

The Afghanistan–Central Asia Intergovernmental Coordination Cell (ACICC) is a framework for regional cooperation between Afghanistan and Central Asian countries, aimed at strengthening collaboration in trade, transit, connectivity and infrastructure projects, and reducing barriers to practical cooperation.

Mohammad Sadiq Khan wrote on X on Tuesday, May 5, that regional coordination, shared priorities and next steps for cooperation were discussed at the meeting.

He added that the possible inclusion of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in the Quadrilateral Traffic in Transit Agreement (QTTA) involving Pakistan, China, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan was a key topic.

He also said increasing air connectivity between Pakistan and Tajikistan, as well as easing visa procedures for Tajik traders, were discussed.

However, the Pakistani envoy made no mention of Afghanistan’s role or position in the talks.

The meeting comes amid sharply deteriorating relations between the Taliban and Pakistan in recent months, including deadly clashes between the two sides.

In this context, the absence of a Taliban representative at a meeting bearing Afghanistan’s name may signal strained relations and reduced political and diplomatic engagement between Kabul and Islamabad.