Moscow Ready To Mediate Between Pakistan & Taliban

The two sides met on Wednesday on the sidelines of the 14th International Meeting of High Representatives for Security Issues in Moscow.

Iran's state news agency IRNA wrote that Bagheri told Mujahid that America and Israel are the common enemies of the countries of the region.

Bagheri said foreign intervention is the main cause of instability in the region.

He added that only regional countries have the right to decide on their own security and strategic affairs.

IRNA reported that Mullah Yaqoob expressed solidarity with the Iranian people over recent US and Israeli military actions.

He also offered condolences for the killing of Ali Khamenei, Iran's leader.

Mujahid said Afghan soil, airspace and borders have never been a source of threat against Iran.

He stressed that Kabul had demonstrated this during the recent conflict involving Iran.

IRNA added that counterterrorism cooperation and strengthening border security were also discussed during the meeting.

The Taliban have not yet publicly commented on the details of the talks.

Catherine Russell, UNICEF's Executive Director, wrote in a post on X: “Any law that contains provisions that appear to permit child marriage or interpret a girl's silence as consent is unacceptable.”

Human rights groups and international monitoring organisations have also warned that the regulations open the door to child marriage and could significantly further weaken the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan.

The decree, introduced as part of regulations concerning family matters and marital separation, has already drawn criticism from the European Union and human rights organisations.

UNICEF stressed that such regulations could have serious long-term consequences for children, particularly girls, and are incompatible with international principles protecting children’s rights.

Speaking during Eid al-Adha prayers at the Eidgah Mosque in Kandahar, the Taliban leader said unity and cohesion in Islamic societies cannot be maintained without an emir.

He stressed that this is why God has commanded Muslims to appoint a ruler for themselves.

During nearly five years of Taliban rule in Afghanistan, Hibatullah has repeatedly stressed the importance of obedience to his authority.

Most recently, on April 17, he told Taliban finance ministry officials that obeying his orders was “like obeying God and the Prophet”.

He also described disobedience to his directives as equivalent to religious disobedience.

At that meeting, the Taliban leader warned that “disobedience” would henceforth be dealt with seriously and instructed his officials to support his actions without mediation if investigations began.

Earlier, on April, in a message marking the implementation of his decrees in Herat Province, he wrote that history had shown that whenever people disobeyed their rulers, even major caliphates such as the Umayyads, Abbasids and Ottomans eventually collapsed.

He warned that if people failed to obey the current system, unrest and discord would emerge.

Analysts say Hibatullah’s repeated emphasis on obedience reflects internal divisions and resistance among some Taliban officials.

Previously, Sirajuddin Haqqani, the interior minister; Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid, the defence minister; Abbas Stanikzai, the former deputy foreign minister; and a number of other Taliban administration officials have criticised Hibatullah's orders and policies.

According to the report, Chinese officials are preparing a new round of negotiations aimed at creating a lasting framework to ease tensions that have strained relations between Islamabad and the Taliban over the past year.

The tensions, largely linked to security issues, have also disrupted trade, transit and cross-border movement, with border closures reducing economic exchanges and worsening insecurity along frontier areas.

In such circumstances, bilateral efforts to resolve the disputes have effectively reached a deadlock, pushing Pakistan to rely increasingly on third-party mediation, particularly from China.

China’s special envoy for Afghanistan has travelled to Kabul in recent weeks and held meetings with Taliban officials, including the group’s foreign minister.

According to official statements, both sides described the discussions as “positive” and stressed continued cooperation to achieve peace and stability.

The Taliban has also spoken of progress in the process, although it has not provided details of any concrete measures.

Dawn reported that some unofficial accounts suggest Taliban forces have taken limited action against certain armed groups in border regions, though the claims have not been independently verified.

The report added that local sources have described a relative reduction in clashes in some border areas in recent months, partly attributing the trend to local tribal agreements on both sides of the frontier.

Dispute Over Armed Groups

Pakistan is demanding decisive Taliban action against militant groups, including possible arrests, disarmament or extradition of fighters.

The Taliban, however, appears reluctant to engage in direct confrontation with such groups and prefers to avoid escalating internal tensions.

Shift Towards Multilateral Diplomacy

The failure of bilateral efforts, as well as previous mediation attempts by countries such as Qatar, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia, has led to the emergence of a new multilateral diplomatic track.

China is seen as particularly well placed to play this role because of its economic influence, close ties with Pakistan and expanding relations with the Taliban.

Pakistani analysts believe Beijing is seeking not only to reduce security tensions but also to advance broader goals such as strengthening regional connectivity and protecting major economic projects, especially the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Dawn said continued Urumqi talks could offer an important opportunity to rebuild trust between Islamabad and Kabul. However, the newspaper noted that success would depend on factors including flexibility from both sides, practical security measures and the creation of sustainable mechanisms for dialogue.

In a report, RaazNet said its technical analysis of the “National Keyboard” app, developed by the Taliban-controlled National Radio and Television, showed the software could pose serious risks to security, privacy and digital surveillance.

After examining the Android version of the app, the RaazNet team said it could not definitively classify the programme as spyware. However, it warned that “the combination of identified behaviours and technical decisions creates a high-risk environment for abuse, surveillance or unintended exposure of sensitive user data”.

It stressed that until comprehensive and transparent reforms are introduced, it does not recommend the application for journalists, civil society activists, women, Taliban opponents or other vulnerable users.

RaazNet said one of the most significant findings was the presence of a hardcoded artificial intelligence API key embedded directly in the app’s code.

According to the report, the application uses the key to connect to AI infrastructure and provide translation features within the keyboard.

The report said the app converts users’ typed text into prompts and sends them to external AI systems. RaazNet noted that even in ordinary translation software, such behaviour would require transparency and informed user consent.

It warned that the issue is especially sensitive in a keyboard application because users may type personal messages, passwords, financial information or confidential communications.

RaazNet said another major concern was the insecure logging of sensitive data in Android system logs.

According to the organisation, the app records information including the API key, AI responses, translated text and technical error details.

RaazNet stressed that based on current evidence it could not definitively label the “National Keyboard” as spyware. However, it said the processing of user text, transmission of data to external services and identified security weaknesses made the app high risk from a privacy and cybersecurity perspective.

Taliban-Iran Cooperation on Software Development

Last month, informed sources told Afghanistan International that the Taliban and the Islamic Republic had collaborated on developing a mobile application capable of monitoring users in Afghanistan. The software reportedly exposes smartphones and internet-connected devices to Taliban surveillance systems.

Sources speaking anonymously said the application included monitoring capabilities that could expose users’ smartphones and other connected devices to Taliban intelligence tracking systems.

Cybersecurity experts in London also warned that suspicious applications can collect sensitive data such as location, contacts, messages, browsing history and device access permissions.

They noted that in countries with severe restrictions on digital privacy, such tools can be used for surveillance and intelligence gathering.

At the same time, Hedayatullah Hedayat, head of the Taliban-controlled Bakhtar News Agency, announced that the “National Keyboard” software had been developed by the Taliban-run National Radio and Television.

RaazNet also warned about what it described as the “export of Iran’s repression and digital surveillance technologies” through cooperation between the Taliban and the Islamic Republic in software development.