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Taliban says conditionally ready to start negotiations after Eid al-Adha
Suhail Shaheen, a spokesman for the Taliban’s political office in Qatar, said the group is ready to release the remaining government prisoners by Eid al-Adha, in case the government also releases the remaining 600 prisoners of the Taliban according to the list already shared with the government.
The Taliban are ready to start negotiations between Afghans immediately after Eid, provided the government releases the group’s 600 prisoners on a pre-arranged list.
Shaheen said in a tweet that the group is “ready to release all remaining prisoners of the #Afghan gov’t before the eve of Eid al-Adha provided they release our prisoners as per our list already delivered to them.”
However, the government says the Taliban must reduce violence to start peace talks.
The failure to release some 600 Taliban prisoners from government custody is a controversial issue, and the Independent Human Rights Commission has backed the decision.
“We call on the government to investigate the situation of 592 prisoners. Prisoners who violate human rights and civil rights should not be released at all,” said Zabihullah Farhang, spokesman for the Human Rights Commission.
Some experts say the government is challenging the peace talks by not releasing 600 Taliban prisoners.
“We urge the Afghan government and the US Special Representative for the Afghan peace to take a major action that can be taken to start inter-Afghan talks,” said Negina Yari, a member of the Afghanistan Peace House board.
“There is a good opportunity for negotiations and the demand for the release of their prisoners is a legitimate demand and the government must act,” said Shahzada Massoud, a political analyst.
But the NSC office said that although Taliban prisoners had promised not to return to the war after their release, a number of released prisoners are now fighting against security forces.
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IEA leaders contact Maulana Fazlur Rehman to express condolences over Sheikh Idris’s death
According to a statement issued by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Pakistan (JUI-F), senior leaders of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) contacted JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to express condolences following the killing of prominent religious scholar Sheikh Muhammad Idris in Charsadda.
The statement said that the callers included Defense Minister Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid, Interior Minister Khalifa Sirajuddin Haqqani, Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, and spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid.
According to JUI-F media cell, the Afghan leadership expressed sorrow over Sheikh Idris’s death and prayed for his elevated status. They also strongly condemned his killing and said they share the grief of the bereaved family and religious community.
The statement further added that the Islamic Emirate expressed solidarity with JUI-F, religious scholars, and students, and said that the people of Afghanistan share the grief of the Pakistani people over the incident.
Sheikh Idris, a senior member of JUI-F was shot dead by armed motorcyclists in the Utmanzai area of Charsadda on May 5, while he was traveling to a madressah. Daesh claimed responsibility for the attack.
Hundreds of former U.S. officials are calling on Washington to cancel a reported plan to relocate Afghan refugees from Qatar to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
In an open letter addressed to the U.S. State Department, more than 600 former civilian and military officials, along with around 100 organizations, urged the administration to stop the proposed transfer. The letter was sent to Marco Rubio.
The signatories argue that the Afghan nationals in question were brought to Qatar by the United States to complete legal immigration procedures after undergoing extensive security vetting. The letter states that while the individuals were cleared for resettlement in the United States, they are now being considered for relocation to Congo, a country for which they were never screened.
“Those individuals were vetted and approved for the United States, not for the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” the letter reads.
According to the report, more than 1,100 Afghan allies and their family members are currently being held at Camp As Sayliyah in Qatar under U.S. supervision. Around 800 of them have already completed all security checks and received authorization to travel to the United States. More than half are women and children, and many have remained in transit limbo for over 15 months.
The situation has drawn criticism from former officials and policy observers, who describe the proposed relocation as a betrayal of Afghan allies who supported U.S. missions and risked their lives during the war in Afghanistan. Critics also warn that the move could damage U.S. credibility with future partners.
Several members of the U.S. Congress had previously expressed opposition to the proposal, cautioning that it could significantly undermine trust in the United States among its allies.
Asif Durrani, Pakistan’s former special envoy for Afghanistan, has said that no country should interfere in Afghanistan’s internal affairs, stressing that it is up to Afghans themselves to bring about any change in their country.
In a post on X, Durrani said Afghans should be “left to their own devices” and that they would eventually “find the way out” of their challenges.
However, he warned that instability inside Afghanistan could have negative consequences for neighbouring countries, adding that Afghan leaders and their supporters should take responsibility to address such risks.
Durrani described his remarks as a simple expression of goodwill and best wishes for the Afghan people and their future.
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