
Taliban FM Meets Indian Envoy In Kabul, Calls For Expanding Ties
Anand Prakash, India’s Special Envoy from the Ministry of External Affairs, met with Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Kabul ahead of Muttaqi’s planned trip to Qatar.

Anand Prakash, India’s Special Envoy from the Ministry of External Affairs, met with Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Kabul ahead of Muttaqi’s planned trip to Qatar.

Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s acting Foreign Minister, held a telephone conversation with Bakhtiyor Saidov, Uzbekistan’s Foreign Minister, to discuss the Trans-Afghan railway project and holding of a trilateral transit meeting with Pakistan.

Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s acting Foreign Minister, is leading a senior delegation to Qatar, according to Zia Ahmad Takal, the deputy spokesperson for the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Sunday that humanitarian aid flights to Afghanistan’s most inaccessible areas may be suspended due to a severe funding shortfall. The United Nations agency stated it requires $10.5 million to maintain these flights throughout 2025.

The Taliban has declared the enforcement of a Sharia-based system in Afghanistan a major success, as the group commemorates the anniversaries of two pivotal events in the country’s history.

A group of retired government employees gathered on Saturday outside the main pension office in Kabul, once again calling on the Taliban authorities to pay their long-overdue pensions.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has announced that reductions in US aid have deprived at least 300,000 Afghan children of access to education.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan has declared that “terrorist activities” threatening Pakistan’s security continue to emanate from Afghan soil.

Hibatullah Akhundzada, the leader of the Taliban, has appointed Mullah Sher Mohammad Sharif as the new governor of Zabul province under a new decree. Sharif previously served as the General Director of Border Police at the Taliban’s Ministry of Interior.

The press office of the Russian Trade Mission in Uzbekistan has announced that specialists from Russia and Uzbekistan will collaborate on the design of the Trans-Afghan railway.

A coalition of women’s rights activists, civil society representatives, and protest movements has criticised the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) for its “Comprehensive Approach” initiative, describing it as a deviation from the UN’s humanitarian mandate.

The Taliban governor of Balkh province has stated that clerics are not only the special representatives of Taliban leader, but also hold responsibilities surpassing those of state officials.

Rangin Dadfar Spanta, Afghanistan’s former National Security Adviser, has strongly criticised Pakistan amid renewed tensions with India, accusing Islamabad of "rewriting history" following its recent shift in stance on terrorism.

The Taliban’s Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, remained silent on a key request made by the High Shia Commission of Afghanistan during a recent meeting, where the commission urged the inclusion of educated individuals in the governing structure.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has reported that almost 120,000 Afghan nationals have been deported from Pakistan since 1 April.

Sergei Shoigu, Secretary of Russia’s Security Council, has emphasised that Moscow’s longstanding priority since the Soviet era has been ensuring the security of Central Asia.

The Taliban’s Ministry of Justice has announced that, over the past three and a half years, it has enacted 10 new laws, all of which have been approved and enforced by the group’s leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada. These laws have been officially published in the national gazette.

The head of the TAPI gas pipeline project in Afghanistan has announced that 14 kilometres of the pipeline have now been completed within Afghan territory.

Dozens of civil society organisations, women’s rights movements, and human rights groups have issued an open letter to the US State Department, urging the immediate resumption of Afghan refugee resettlement programmes.

Pakistan’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan has revealed that the international community has resettled just 86,000 of the approximately 800,000 Afghans who entered Pakistan following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.

The Taliban’s High Commission for Addressing Migrants’ Issues has reported that 6774 Afghan nationals were deported from Pakistan and Iran on Wednesday, 24 April. Around 5391 individuals were expelled from Pakistan, while 1383 were deported from Iran.