Taliban to Sell Confiscated Housing Estates Back to Residents

He said he had recently travelled to Afghanistan again and met with Amir Khan Muttaqi and other Taliban officials.

Writing on X on Wednesday, Yue said: “Good to visit Afghanistan again recent days meeting with Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi 11/5/26 and other high level officials. Both sides give positive assessment of Urumqi process ready working together for peace, security and common development.”

The Urumqi process refers to China-mediated talks between the Afghan Taliban and Pakistan aimed at reducing border and security tensions.

The negotiations between Pakistani and Taliban representatives, held in the Chinese city of Urumqi from April 1-18, ended without tangible results, like previous talks in Doha, Istanbul and Riyadh.

Pakistan wants the Taliban to sever ties with Pakistani militant groups such as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). However, the Afghan Taliban have resisted Islamabad’s demands due to concerns about the consequences of hostility with the TTP and the deep ethnic and ideological ties formed during two decades of war against the United States and the former Afghan government.

China’s envoy said the next round of talks between Pakistan and the Taliban in Urumqi should lead to “practical” outcomes.

A European Commission spokesperson said on Tuesday, May12, that Brussels had sent a letter to Kabul to arrange the meeting, stressing that the contacts are taking place only at a technical level and do not involve senior Taliban leaders.

The meeting is being coordinated by Sweden and follows earlier discussions between European officials and the Taliban on the return of Afghan migrants.

According to AFP, the invitation to Taliban representatives has faced criticism in Europe. Melissa Camara, Member of the European Parliament described the move as a profound retreat from the European Union’s values and fundamental rights and urged the European Commission not to cross the “red line” of legitimising the Taliban.

The Taliban regained power in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of US-led forces in 2021, but the group has not been formally recognised by the European Union.

In recent months, around 20 EU member states seeking tougher migration policies have urged Brussels to find ways to return Afghan migrants, particularly those considered security threats.

Markus Lammert, European Commission spokesperson, said meetings with Taliban officials are taking place within that framework. He added that the talks focus on practical and diplomatic issues linked to deportations.

This comes as Afghanistan faces a severe humanitarian crisis. International organisations estimate that since 2023, more than five million Afghans, mostly forcibly returned, have gone back from Iran and Pakistan, many facing poverty, unemployment and homelessness.

Lisa Owen, an official from the International Rescue Committee, warned that returning Afghans to a country where much of the population faces food insecurity could put lives at risk.

The issue of visas for Taliban delegates has also been raised. Since the EU does not recognise the Taliban government, members of the delegation require special visas to travel to Brussels. Belgium said it was prepared to issue the visas as host of EU institutions.

The European Commission has not yet specified which Taliban representatives were invited or whether it will cover their travel and accommodation costs.

Afghans remain the largest group of asylum seekers in the EU, though many European countries have adopted tougher migration policies towards Afghans in recent years.

Since 2024, Germany has deported around 100 convicted Afghans to Afghanistan with Qatar’s assistance, while Austria previously hosted Taliban representatives in Vienna. Other European countries are now considering similar measures.

Meanwhile, migrant rights organisations have warned that such meetings could allow the Taliban to identify individuals due to be returned to Afghanistan, potentially endangering their rights and safety.

In a statement on Tuesday, the ministry confirmed the detention of Mansoor Niazi and Imran Danish but did not specify the reasons for their arrest.

TOLOnews had officially confirmed the detention of its journalists on Sunday, May 10. The network said Taliban officials told them further details would be released after “legal procedures” were completed.

The Taliban ministry stressed that no court affiliated with the group had yet issued a ruling on the two journalists and claimed reports circulating in the media about them were inaccurate.

Earlier, sources told Afghanistan International that Mansoor Niazi was detained on May 7, in Karte Char, Kabul, and transferred to an undisclosed location. Imran Danish, head of TOLOnews’ political section, was detained late on Saturday, May 9, near the network’s office in Wazir Akbar Khan.

Afghanistan International had also reported that after news of the arrests was published on the outlet’s social media accounts, the Moby Group office was surrounded by Taliban intelligence forces for more than six hours. The Committee to Protect Journalists also confirmed the incident.

Another journalist, Jawid Niazi, was detained on May 6, after being summoned to a Taliban intelligence office in Kabul, and no information about his whereabouts has since emerged.

The arrests have drawn strong reactions from media support organisations and press freedom advocates.

Afghanistan ranks 175th out of 180 countries on the global press freedom index. The Taliban also removed the word “freedom” from World Press Freedom Day observances, and no female journalists attended this year’s ceremony organised by the group.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Taliban spokesperson said: “Afghan soil is not used against any country, and no one will be allowed to carry out activities that harm regional security and stability.”

An explosion in the Fateh Khel area of Bannu district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday night killed 15 police officers and wounded four others, including one civilian.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry later said the attack had been planned by militants based in Afghanistan, citing investigations, evidence and technical intelligence.

Following the attack, Pakistan summoned Sardar Ahmad Shakib, Afghanistan ambassador to Pakistan, and handed him an official protest letter over the incident.

Pakistan’s defence minister also warned that the country could carry out decisive operations against the Afghan Taliban in response to the militant attack on the police post in Bannu.

UNAMA said former government officials and members of the former Afghan National Defence and Security Forces were being forcibly deported to Afghanistan and faced rights abuses upon their return.

Media Freedom

In its latest quarterly report, UNAMA said media freedom in Afghanistan faced growing restrictions and pressure on journalists and media activists continued.

According to the report, the Taliban Ministry of Information and Culture revoked the licences of all media-support organisations except three in January 2026.

The report referred to the case of Mahdi Ansari, who was released in March 2026 after serving an 18-month prison sentence on charges of spreading propaganda against the Taliban. Three other media workers arrested in July 2025 remain in detention.

UNAMA also reported that two local media outlets were suspended by Taliban order during the reporting period.

The television channel Rah-e-Farda TV was suspended after its founder criticised Taliban military policies towards Pakistan.

Meanwhile, the private Khushal Radio in Ghazni was temporarily suspended after female students phoned a male presenter during a live broadcast.

Religious Freedom

UNAMA said Taliban authorities in at least eight provinces ordered Shia communities to observe Eid according to dates announced by the Taliban rather than the Shia calendar.

According to the report, several Shia clerics in one province were arrested for refusing to celebrate Eid on the Taliban-declared date.

UNAMA also reported that Taliban morality officials in Kabul prevented women from entering a shrine during Nowruz celebrations. In Herat, a Shia mosque was ordered to stop women from attending evening prayers.

The report further referred to Decree Number 12 issued by Hibatullah Akhundzada, stating that the new regulations describe Sunni Islam as the “dominant religious doctrine” while labelling other religious beliefs as “heretical.”