Taliban Orders Closure Of Hezb-e-Islami Offices & Arrest Of Staff

The Taliban has ordered the closure of all Hezb-e-Islami offices across Afghanistan, the arrest of its staff, and the confiscation of its office equipment, according to a document shared by Habib-ur-Rahman Hekmatyar, son of party leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar.

The directive, issued by the Taliban’s Directorate of Justice in Kunduz province on 29 March, cites the continued operation of Hezb-e-Islami despite the official ban on political party activities.

“If there is any office of Hezb-e-Islami in any province, its equipment must be handed over to the relevant authorities and the office closed. The staff should be detained until they repent from their activities,” the letter states. It further orders that individuals operating under the party’s name, even in areas without a formal office, must be identified and arrested.

The directive also instructs that the measures be implemented in coordination with provincial governors and the Taliban intelligence agency.

On Monday, Habib-ur-Rahman posted a photo of the document on the social media platform X, sharply criticising the Taliban for what he described as a campaign to silence opposition and suppress political expression.

In his post, he wrote, “The Taliban are ignorant of justice and Islamic rights. They do not tolerate advice, criticism, or dissent.”

He further likened the Taliban’s rule to that of Afghanistan’s former communist regime, questioning their legitimacy. “Only the Taliban have the right to govern, while hundreds of thousands of young people are fleeing the country. The communists failed and were disgraced — and the Taliban are repeating the same failed and shameful experiment,” he wrote.

The Taliban dissolved the political parties department within the Ministry of Justice in April 2022 and dismissed its staff. Since then, the ministry has repeatedly asserted that political party activity is illegal under the current regime.