EU to Soon Invite Taliban Officials to Brussels for Migration Talks

According to the sources, officials from the Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice detained a young man and woman in Kabul’s Dasht-e-Barchi area on Wednesday while they were shopping for their wedding, accusing them of having an unlawful relationship.

The couple, who were engaged, were taken to Police District 18.

Sources close to the family said Sharifi had previously conducted the Islamic marriage ceremony and that legal religious documents had been presented to Taliban officials.

However, the officials reportedly rejected the validity of the marriage certificate and summoned the cleric for punishment.

According to the sources, Sharifi was released only after being forced to sign a written pledge.

Pressure On Religious Minorities

The incident comes amid growing reports of pressure on the Hazara community and Shia Muslims in Afghanistan.

Earlier, several students at Balkh University said the Taliban had pressured them to abandon their religious beliefs.

Taliban authorities have also instructed university students to follow Sunni Islamic jurisprudence in religious practices, including communal prayers.

Human rights activists say the Taliban are disregarding the “Shia Personal Status Law” and attempting to impose Hanafi jurisprudence across public life, including in matters of marriage and divorce.

Taliban officials have not formally commented on the reports, though the group has repeatedly claimed that the rights of all ethnic and religious communities are protected under Islamic law.

International organisations and human rights groups have widely criticised those claims.

During nearly five years of Taliban rule, the group has repeatedly detained and harassed Shia clerics and community leaders for various reasons.

Mujahid’s audio statement was broadcast on Monday by Radio Television Afghanistan, the Taliban-controlled state broadcaster.

He said the Taliban administration would not allow Afghan territory to be used against any country, including Pakistan.

The response came after Munir said on Sunday, during an event marking the first anniversary of the four-day conflict between Pakistan and India, that militant activity originating from Afghan territory continued and that the Taliban must dismantle terrorist sanctuaries.

Speaking in Rawalpindi, Munir also accused India of returning to what he described as a long-standing policy of supporting militancy after failing on the battlefield.

He added that security threats to Pakistan continued not only from India but also from Afghanistan.

Speaking on Monday at a meeting in Geneva titled “Accountability, Truth-Seeking, and Reconciliation: Foundations for the Return to Constitutional Governance in Afghanistan”, Bennett described the current situation in Afghanistan as gender apartheid.

He said Afghan women themselves regard the term as an accurate reflection of their lived reality.

Referring to the scale of violence and repression in the country, Bennett said Afghans had endured decades of war and instability, with many people under the age of 50 never having experienced life without violence.

He also highlighted sexual violence, ethnic and religious discrimination, pressure on sexual minorities and widespread injustice under Taliban rule, saying the group had imposed sweeping restrictions on nearly every aspect of public life.

Bennett stressed that human rights must remain central to Afghanistan’s future, adding that breaking the cycle of violence and impunity requires a comprehensive approach and accountability for abuses.

He also called for gender apartheid to be recognised as a crime against humanity in international legal frameworks, describing such recognition as an important step towards closing the gap between documentation and justice.

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.