Despite Taliban’s Dissolution of Parties, Hekmatyar Appears With Party Flag

Members of Hezb-e-Islami party have shared images on social media showing Gulbuddin Hekmatyar receiving his supporters at his new home with his party's flag behind him.

These images surfaced even though the Taliban's Ministry of Justice has emphasised on the prohibition of activities of political parties in Afghanistan through a statement.

On Thursday, the Taliban's Ministry of Justice declared that political party activities are "illegal”. The ministry warned political activists of "legal and religious" consequences for repeating political activities.

This Taliban ministry stated that political party activities have been declared as a prohibited act following the group’s takeover of power in 2021, and the directorate of political parties has been revoked and removed from the ministry's structures.

The ministry noted that some officials of political parties have recently "taken action and performed activities from their dissolved party addresses”.

Shortly after the official warning from the Ministry of Justice, promotional pages belonging to the Hezb-e-Islami Party, led by Hekmatyar, published photos of the party leader meeting with his guests at his new residence.

In these images, Hekmatyar is seen with the flag of the party next to his chair.

Previously, Habib-ur-Rahman Hekmatyar, the son of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, responded to the statements made by the Taliban's Minister of Justice, highlighting that numerous past regimes had opposed Hezb-e-Islami. However, rather than fading away, the party has grown stronger. He underscored that Hezb-e-Islami "will not dissolve or be erased by mere speeches”.

Last week, Abdul Hakim Sharei, the Taliban’s Minister of Justice warned Gulbuddin Hekmatyar that mentioning a political party in Afghanistan under the control of the group is considered a "crime”.

After several days of verbal confrontation, it seems that both sides are steadfast in their stances. The Taliban's insistence on banning political parties appears to be aimed at curbing Hekmatyar's political activities and disrupting his relations with party supporters.

However, Hekmatyar is also trying to show that he is not paying attention to the Taliban's ban on party activities and is persisting with his political endeavours.