A group of Afghan human rights activists, educators and women protesters have called for an end to what they describe as systematic discrimination against the Persian (Dari) language in Afghanistan.
Pakistan’s defence minister has said Islamabad does not trust the Afghan Taliban, citing their growing ties with India. He warned that Pakistan is prepared to confront both India and the Taliban if required.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesperson, has condemned recent comments by Pakistan’s military spokesperson as “irresponsible, provocative and baseless propaganda”, saying they bear no relation to the reality of Afghanistan.
The Taliban have confirmed clashes between local residents and miners over gold extraction in northern Takhar province, saying a delegation has been dispatched to investigate the violence.
Pakistan’s military spokesperson said Afghanistan became the region’s primary hub for terrorism in 2025, accusing militant groups based there of driving a sharp rise in violence. He added that Pakistan’s concerns have gained international acceptance.
Iran’s president has instructed officials to intensify efforts to secure the country’s water rights from Afghanistan, Iran’s energy minister said, amid ongoing negotiations with the Taliban authorities.
Pakistan’s leading business body has named its representatives to a newly formed committee aimed at managing border affairs with Afghanistan and addressing ongoing disruptions to cross-border trade.
The Taliban said its courts publicly flogged nine people in western and eastern Afghanistan this week, continuing the use of corporal punishment under the group’s rule.
The Taliban’s Supreme Court said its primary courts have publicly flogged 16 people in the provinces of Parwan, Kabul, Kunar and Balkh, imposing corporal punishment alongside prison sentences.
Protesters in northern Afghanistan set fire to gold mining equipment linked to the Taliban after clashes with security forces and company personnel escalated in Takhar province, local sources said.
The foreign ministers of China and Pakistan have called for stronger measures to prevent terrorist organisations from using Afghan territory to carry out attacks against other countries.
At least four people were killed during clashes between local residents and a Taliban-linked gold mining company in northern Takhar province, local sources said on Monday.
Abdul Ghani Baradar says the Taliban believe that political and economic participation is essential for Afghanistan’s progress and claims that strong participation has existed during the group’s four years in power.
Sirajuddin Haqqani has ordered the redeployment of a number of Taliban forces previously transferred to “active reserve” status, sources within the Taliban’s Interior Ministry said, citing a growing shortage of personnel.
Business leaders from Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to form a joint committee to review the reopening of key trade crossings between the two countries, following an online meeting between private-sector representatives.
Afghanistan’s ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva said Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has become increasingly isolated and is under constant scrutiny from foreign surveillance and political pressure.
The Taliban’s Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs said an Iranian delegation has arrived in Kabul to discuss labour cooperation, worker exchanges and the protection of Afghan workers’ rights in Iran.
The Taliban have forced schoolteachers in eastern Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province to sign written pledges committing to grow beards, according to a document obtained by Afghanistan International.
The Taliban says their Ministry of Defence carried out more than 500,000 security operations across Afghanistan in 2025, seizing large quantities of weapons, ammunition and narcotics.
Ali Khamenei said on Saturday that Iranian authorities would engage with protesters but warned that what he described as “rioters” must be dealt with firmly.
Hibatullah Akhundzada, the leader of the Taliban, has issued new directives ordering his fighters and officials to refrain from ethnic, regional, linguistic and factional bias.
The Taliban say they are seeking closer cooperation with India in the trade and health sectors, underscoring what they describe as longstanding ties between the two countries.