Taliban Treatment Of Women May Amount To Crime Against Humanity, Says UN Rapporteur

Representatives of internet providers said the Taliban-controlled Afghanistan Telecom Regulatory Authority summoned them to a meeting on Monday regarding new internet restrictions.

According to the officials, participants at the meeting were informed that, on the orders of Mullah Abdul Ahad Fazli, public access to the internet would be further restricted and residential fibre-optic internet services disconnected.

One company official said the move could have serious economic consequences.

“If this order is implemented, not only will residential Wi-Fi services be cut off, but hundreds of employees will lose their jobs and companies will suffer heavy financial losses,” the official said.

Taliban authorities have not officially commented on the reports.

However, informed sources within the Taliban said Hibatullah Akhundzada appointed Fazli specifically to tighten internet restrictions across the country.

This is not the first time restrictions on fibre-optic internet have been discussed under Taliban rule.

In late September 2025, the Taliban shut down fibre-optic internet and telecommunications networks across Afghanistan.

Services resumed after 48 hours, but nearly seven months later the Taliban have still not explained the reason for the nationwide outage.

The shutdown marked the first nationwide suspension of internet and telecom services since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, disrupting communications for families, businesses and public institutions across the country.

Madani was previously a member of the Taliban’s negotiating team in Doha and is currently part of the Darul Ifta religious council in Kandahar.

According to sources, he had long been considered one of the close associates of Hibatullah Akhundzada.

At least three sources, including Taliban-linked figures in Kandahar, told Afghanistan International that he was detained four days ago by Taliban intelligence in the province and is currently being held in prison.

One informed source said some legal cases had previously been referred to Madani for settlement.

According to the source, he was arrested on allegations of receiving an 800,000 Pakistani rupee bribe in connection with a murder case.

Sources said he had privileged access to the Taliban leader and regularly advised him on important matters.

He is also said to run a religious school in Kandahar with hundreds of students.

Madani was a former member of the Taliban political office in Doha and travelled to Islamabad in 2016 as part of a three-member delegation before talks with the former Afghan government began.

Sources added that some members of his family still live in Qatar, while others remain in Kandahar.

He is originally from Panjwayi district of Kandahar province and completed his religious education in Medina, Saudi Arabia.

During the Taliban’s first rule, Madani served in Kandahar overseeing foreign affairs and later worked as the Taliban’s chargé d’affaires in Saudi Arabia.

The Taliban media office in Herat said governor Islamjar discussed the issue during a meeting with a Turkmen delegation.

According to the statement, the talks focused on speeding up round-the-clock operations at Torghundi port, constructing 1,250 metres of railway track for loading and unloading goods, and transferring two locomotives for technical operations.

Islamjar also stressed the importance of expanding trade and transit links between Afghanistan and Turkmenistan, saying the Taliban administration in Herat was ready to support such efforts.

The Taliban statement did not include comments from the Turkmen delegation.

Taliban authorities and Turkmenistan had previously signed two agreements related to the development of Torghundi port and the construction of a railway line linking Torghundi to the Sanobar area of Herat province.

The two sides have also held several meetings on railway development and the TAPI Pipeline project in Afghanistan.

Torghundi is one of Afghanistan’s main border crossings in Herat province, linking the country with Turkmenistan and serving as a key route for the transfer of goods, fuel and regional transit trade between Afghanistan and Central Asia.

The Taliban had earlier announced the signing of an agreement with Turkmenistan to expand the port, though it remains unclear how much progress has been made and at what stage the project currently stands.

At the same time, rising tensions with Pakistan and disruptions to parts of bilateral trade have pushed the Taliban to strengthen economic ties with Central Asian countries and Iran.

Meanwhile, Pakistan has also expanded its economic engagement with Central Asia. Leaders from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan visited Pakistan last year and signed several trade and economic agreements with Islamabad.

Pakistan’s National Logistics Corporation also announced on 23 April that the first transit shipment from Kyrgyzstan, travelling via China and bypassing Afghanistan, had successfully reached Pakistan’s Gilgit region.

In a statement, the organisation expressed concern over the arrests of Afghan journalists, Mansoor Niazi, Imran Danish and Javid Niazi.

The group urged United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and the EU delegation in Kabul to engage with Taliban authorities and secure the journalists’ immediate and unconditional release.

Nai in Exile described the detention of journalists as a “repeated practice” under Taliban rule and said that since the group returned to power nearly five years ago, around 400 journalists and media workers had been imprisoned, with at least six still in detention.

The organisation added that, on average, the Taliban arrest at least three journalists or media workers every two weeks.

Taliban authorities had not issued any official statement regarding the arrests or the allegations against the journalists at the time of publication.

Earlier, sources told Afghanistan International that Mansoor Niazi had been detained in Kabul’s Karte Char area and taken to an unknown location. TOLOnews has also confirmed the detention of its two journalists.

According to the 2026 World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders, Afghanistan ranked 175th out of 180 countries, falling 53 places over the past five years.

Speaking at an event marking the first anniversary of the four-day conflict between Pakistan and India, the Pakistani diplomat warned the Taliban not to interpret Islamabad’s desire for peace as a sign of weakness.

According to a statement issued by the Pakistani embassy in Kabul on Sunday, Nizamani said Pakistan remains committed to brotherly relations with Afghanistan, but added that concrete action was needed to curb threats emanating from Afghan territory.

Hours earlier, Asim Munir said in a speech in Rawalpindi that terrorism from Afghanistan continued and that the Taliban must dismantle terrorist sanctuaries.

He also accused India of returning to its previous policy of supporting militancy after what he described as failure on the battlefield, adding that security threats persisted not only from India but also from Afghan soil.

Taliban officials have not yet responded to the remarks. The Taliban administration has repeatedly claimed that Afghan territory is not being used against any country.