EU Foreign Policy Chief Calls Dialogue Best Solution To Taliban-Pakistan Conflict

Tatar-Inform news agency reported on Sunday, May 31, that Rustam Khabibullin, head of the Russian Trade Centre in Afghanistan, said Tatarstan could cooperate in repairing and maintaining the Taliban administration’s military equipment, as well as supplying spare parts, specialised equipment and vehicles.

He added that the cooperation could include restoring after-sales service and warranty centres for Russian equipment manufactured in Tatarstan, launching training centres for Afghan specialists and establishing dealership networks.

According to Khabibullin, Afghanistan currently has more than 100 Mi-17 helicopters in various models, over 30,000 KamAZ trucks and around 2,000 other heavy vehicles manufactured in Russia and Tatarstan.

The remarks came after the signing of a military-technical agreement between Russia and the Taliban administration. The deal was signed on May 27 on the sidelines of the International Security Forum in Moscow, in the presence of Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu and Taliban Defence Minister Mullah Yaqoob Mujahid.

During his visit to Moscow, Mullah Yaqoob Mujahid stressed cooperation with Russia is of great importance to Taliban, and Afghanistan and Russia have long-standing historical relations, and the group want to take further steps along this path.

The ministry said the law consists of four chapters and 31 articles, and its implementation will be overseen by the Directorate for the Assessment of Movable and Immovable Assets of Absent Persons under the deputy chief justice for military affairs.

According to the announcement, the law sets out the framework for the registration, transfer, certification, and management of the movable and immovable property of persons who are absent or whose whereabouts are unknown.

Under the law, the conditions for entrusting the property of absent persons to the "state treasury" (Bayt al-Mal) and the rules for restoring it to the owners or their heirs have been laid out, and the relevant directorate is obliged to protect property that is not in anyone's possession and is at risk of being seized.

Article 9 of the law states that if the owner, heirs or a legal representative come forward, the property must be returned to them by order of a judge.

However, entrusting the property or its benefits to individuals whom the Taliban describe as "agents of corruption" is subject to a direct order from the Taliban's leader. Likewise, property whose owners have died and who have no eligible heirs will become part of the state treasury.

Article 29 of the law also states that homes which, either after the Taliban's takeover or before it, have been arbitrarily seized by individuals or institutions, must, by order of a judge, be returned to their original owner or to his lawful representative.

The law also addresses such matters as the registration of property, leasing, sale and purchase, the obligations of tenants, the conditions for lawful representation, and the validity of powers of attorney issued abroad.

Yaqobi responded on Sunday, May 31, to recent remarks by Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid in a post on X. She said that, as a former prisoner, she could confirm that torture is widespread in Taliban-run detention centres.

Speaking to Afghanistan International on Saturday, Mujahid rejected reports of torture in prisons and detention facilities, saying that any mistreatment of detainees is prohibited under Taliban laws.

Yaqobi wrote: “My colleagues and I were among those detained for seeking justice. We were held for 41 days in the worst conditions, including solitary confinement, and experienced various forms of torture and forced confessions in Directorate 40 of the intelligence agency.”

Mujahid said: “There is absolutely no torture in prisons and such acts are completely forbidden. According to our laws, from the moment of arrest until detention and release, no torture is carried out.”

The Taliban spokesman distinguished between “torture” and “legal punishment”, saying individuals are punished only in accordance with Sharia rulings and in proportion to their crimes, not arbitrarily.

In November 2022, the Taliban arrested Zarifa Yaqobi i, a women’s rights activist, along with several of her colleagues during a press conference in the Dasht-e-Barchi area of Kabul.

Yaqobi said: “As someone who knows the conditions inside Taliban prisons, I confirm that various forms of torture exist there, and I reject the statements made by the Taliban spokesman.”

The remarks come as the United Nations Security Council reported on May 29 that Taliban officials and forces had committed sexual violence against women. The report stated that the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) documented 21 cases of sexual violence, including gang rape, against 15 women and six girls in 2025.

Zarifa Yaqobi, a human rights activist, was arrested by the Taliban following street protests in November 2022 and released after 40 days in detention.

Sources close to Katawazai said on Saturday, May 30, that his wife was travelling with him, but US security officials allowed her to leave Washington Dulles Airport.

According to the sources, several other Afghan migrants with US green cards were also detained after travelling to Afghanistan.

Reports indicate that two days have passed since the detention of the former Afghan official and businessman, but US security agencies and authorities have not yet made any official statement regarding his arrest.

Mirza Katawazai, who served for a period as deputy speaker of Afghanistan’s House of Representatives under the former government, continued his business activities inside Afghanistan after the Taliban returned to power.

Previously, in early August last year, informed sources told Afghanistan International that the Taliban had arrested around 20 associates of Mohammad Mirza Katawazai on accusations of forging land documents. Sources at the time said the individuals had been detained on the orders of Taliban Justice Minister Abdul Hakim Sharayi and transferred to his personal prison.

Last August, Afghanistan International obtained an official letter from the Taliban’s Commission for the Prevention of Land Grabbing, in which Abdul Hakim Sharayi, head of the commission, instructed various institutions to cancel Katawazai’s contracts. The letter stated that Mirza Katawazai was involved in smuggling various goods.

Meanwhile, some social media users have accused Mirza Katawazai of laundering money for certain Taliban officials, including Sirajuddin Haqqani.

Sources say Katawazai maintained close ties with several Taliban officials, including the group’s interior minister. Some photographs published by the Taliban’s Interior Ministry show Katawazai alongside Sirajuddin Haqqani.

So far, neither Mirza Katawazai nor his family members have publicly commented on his detention or responded to the allegations against him.

At the same time, he stressed that the agreement was not a defence-security pact and should not cause concern for other countries.

Speaking to reporters at Kabul airport on Saturday, the Taliban defence minister described his visit to Moscow as successful and shared details of the military and technical cooperation agreement signed with Russia.

He said the agreement focuses solely on the repair and maintenance of Russian-made weapons systems. “As you can see, there are many Russian weapons in Afghanistan, including helicopters and aircraft, which need repair. We are obliged to sign agreements with the countries that manufactured these weapons so that we can use this equipment properly,” he said.

On Wednesday, May 27, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu and Taliban Defence Minister Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid signed a security agreement on the sidelines of the International Security Forum near Moscow. The details of the document have not yet been made public.

The security agreements between Russia and the Taliban have fuelled speculation about the nature of the cooperation.

“We Can Also Reach Agreements With the US”

In another part of his remarks, Yaqoob Mujahid sought to reduce international concerns surrounding the agreement. He insisted the document posed no threat or danger to any country and would instead contribute to regional security.

He even referred to the possibility of cooperation with Washington, saying: “We can have such agreements with the United States as well, since many American weapons were also left here.”

However, he stressed that Afghanistan needs an “air defence system” and said the Taliban would later consider from which countries such a system could be imported. He added that implementation of the agreement with Russia would begin soon.

Responding to Pakistan’s Concerns

The Taliban defence minister openly referred to Islamabad’s anger and concern over Kabul’s recent actions, saying the agreement had caused unease in Pakistan. In a warning tone, he added: “In the near future, we will try to ensure that Pakistan no longer dares to attack [Afghan territory].”

The remarks come amid growing tensions after Pakistani military rocket and air strikes targeted border areas inside Afghanistan in recent months.

On May 11, Pakistan’s defence minister warned that the country could launch decisive operations against the Afghan Taliban in response to militant attacks on a police post in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Khawaja Asif said Pakistan would treat the Taliban in Afghanistan the same way it had dealt with India during last year’s conflict.

Pakistan has consistently accused the Taliban of sheltering militants from Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and in recent months has carried out air strikes deep inside Afghanistan, including in Kabul.

During the international security conference in Moscow, the Taliban defence minister also said the Taliban administration needed a professional defence system. “We want a professional defence system that ensures Afghanistan’s security and plays a positive role in regional stability,” he said.