The Taliban have declared any form of political, critical, or protest activity in the country to be prohibited. The group has repeatedly warned that even mentioning the name of a political party is considered a “crime,” and no one is allowed to engage in political activity. Over this period, numerous social media users have been arrested, tortured, and forced into making coerced confessions simply for expressing opinions. In the latest development, the Taliban have banned the activities of the Islamic Party or also known as the Hezb-e Islami Afghanistan, led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar—a group that had fought against the former government’s security forces over the past two decades and claimed responsibility for several suicide attacks. The Taliban, in an official letter, ordered that all equipment belonging to the party be confiscated and that its members be detained and imprisoned until they “repent” from their activities. Despite having once fought alongside the Taliban against the previous government and taking responsibility for suicide bombings, the Islamic Party has now been labeled a “political apostate” by the same group. This decision comes despite a history of close security and ideological cooperation between the two factions.
Habiburrahman Hekmatyar, son of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, has criticized the Taliban’s actions by posting the official letter on social media. On his X page, he wrote that the Taliban have even launched an inquisition of beliefs on social networks, branding those who disagree with them or support other parties as “political apostates.” He added: “If you do not agree with them [the Taliban] and support another party, the Taliban will label you a political apostate, imprison you, and force you to repent.”
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar’s son also published a letter showing that the Taliban’s Ministry of Justice has ordered the closure of the Islamic Party’s offices, the arrest of its staff, and the confiscation of its equipment. According to the letter, despite the ban on political party activities, the Islamic Party has continued operating. The document instructs all Taliban-controlled provincial justice departments: “If an office of the Islamic Party exists in any province, its equipment must be transferred to the relevant authority, the office must be shut down, and its staff must be detained until they repent from their activities.”
In response to this letter, Habiburrahman Hekmatyar likened Taliban rule to that of the communist regime, writing: “Only the Taliban have the right to rule, and hundreds of thousands of young people are fleeing the country. The communists failed and were shamed, and [the Taliban] are repeating the same disgraceful and failed experiment.”
Tensions Between the Taliban and the Hezb-e Islami Afghanistan
Last year, the Taliban evicted Gulbuddin Hekmatyar from his residence in Darulaman, Kabul—a property granted to him by the previous government following the signing of a peace agreement. This move sparked widespread reactions and harsh criticism from members of the Islamic Party. At the time, the Taliban’s Minister of Justice stated that ample time had been given for Hekmatyar to relocate. He added that several weeks were provided for the move, during which Hekmatyar’s dignity was preserved. The Taliban official stressed that if Hekmatyar considered this relocation disrespectful, “then he neither understands respect nor uses his intellect.”
Previously, the Taliban’s Ministry of Justice had claimed that political parties have no basis in Islamic law and do not serve the interests of the people; therefore, their activities are completely banned in Afghanistan. On Wednesday, August 16, 2023, Abdul Hakim Shara’i, the Taliban’s Minister of Justice, stated during a program in Kabul that not only the Taliban but also the Afghan people oppose the existence of political parties. Later, on Saturday, March 30, 2024, at a graduation ceremony for madrassa students at the Justice School in Kabul, he reiterated that the Taliban had decided political parties have no legal status under their regime, and that even mentioning the name of a party is a “legal offense.”
Responsibility for Suicide Attacks and Fighting Alongside the Taliban
The Islamic Party, led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, has claimed responsibility for several suicide attacks in Afghanistan over the past two decades, particularly in Kabul, which have killed and wounded dozens of people, both military and civilian. Additionally, reports by the former government indicated that fighters from the Islamic Party fought alongside the Taliban against state security forces. Like the Taliban, the party’s leader referred to suicide attacks as “martyrdom operations,” saying they were conducted for “noble and sacred” goals and were legitimate.
In January 2011, the Islamic Party of Afghanistan claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on the “Finest” supermarket. That attack resulted in the death of human rights activist Hamida Barmaki, along with her four children and husband. At the time, police commanders reported that eight people were killed in the bombing.
The Islamic Party also claimed responsibility for another suicide attack on Thursday, May 16, 2013, in the “Shah Shaheed” area of Kabul. In that attack, 12 people were killed and 35 others injured. According to former security officials, most of the victims were civilians, including children. Haroon Zarghoon, spokesperson for the Islamic Party at the time, said the suicide bomber was named Qudratullah and was a resident of Logar province.
Former government security officials had repeatedly reported that Islamic Party fighters fought alongside the Taliban against state forces and government targets. Even after signing a peace agreement with the former government, some of these fighters continued to engage in combat. Security officials in Laghman province had also confirmed that certain fighters from the Islamic Party were coordinating with the Taliban to fight government forces in the region.
Sarhadi Zawak, spokesperson for the former Laghman governor, stated: “Islamic Party officials claimed that some individuals fighting alongside the Taliban were former members of their party and no longer affiliated with it. However, some residents insist that these individuals are still linked to the party.”
Hekmatyar: The Taliban and ISIS are the same
After his return to Kabul, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, in a speech in 2018, described ISIS and the Taliban as being essentially the same. He said that Taliban members had simply changed their flags and that the operations of both groups were identical. An audio recording of this speech, which has resurfaced on social media in recent days, shows Hekmatyar saying: “You all know the truth—that the Taliban and ISIS are the same. Only their names and flags have changed. Yesterday, they were comrades in the same trench. Their goals and slogans are also identical.”
In a recent statement, Neda Mohammad Nadeem, the Taliban’s Minister of Higher Education, likened Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban Supreme Leader, to the Prophet of Islam, claiming that obeying Hibatullah is “obligatory” and insulting him is “forbidden.” The Ministry of Higher Education published an audio recording of Nadeem’s remarks on its X page, in which Nadeem asserts that obedience to Hibatullah is equivalent to obedience to the Prophet.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
«مرتد سیاسی» امروز و همسنگر دیروز؛ طالبان از حزب اسلامی چه میخواهند؟ | روزنامه ۸صبح
