The Islamic Emirate’s spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid says Afghanistan is confronting a propaganda war, stating that intelligence circles from several major and powerful countries are spending heavily through various channels to distort the positive efforts of the Islamic Emirate and portray the situation as hopeless for the people.

Mujahid made these remarks in an interview with Ariana News.

“Afghanistan is facing a propaganda war. Intelligence agencies of major countries and powers are attempting to launch extensive propaganda campaigns through strong media channels, misrepresenting positive developments as negative, sowing discord, disheartening the people, and disregarding progress,” Mujahid added.

In response to global concerns over increasing restrictions on women and girls, he said that women’s rights in Afghanistan are “more secure than ever,” asserting that any existing limitations are based on Islamic Sharia.

He also confirmed that US financial aid packages to Afghanistan continue, though their scale has diminished.

He, however, clarified that these funds do not belong to the IEA and are instead allocated as humanitarian aid through relief organizations.

“This money is sent to support institutions, and the US collaborates with them as a donor. Yes, the funds are flowing, but I believe the amount has decreased. Let me reiterate: this money does not go to the Afghan government, nor is it used for the country’s reconstruction. It is purely humanitarian aid, which has been ongoing for years,” he added.

In this interview, Mujahid also accused Pakistan of supporting Daesh, saying that Islamabad provides safe havens for the group in the Mastung region, from where Daesh organizes attacks against other nations, particularly Afghanistan.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur on Wednesday reiterated that a solution to terrorism cannot be found without engaging in talks with Afghanistan.

“We have sent the Terms of Reference (TORs) for talks with Afghanistan to the federal government but despite repeated reminders, no response has been received. Terrorism is not just an issue for our province but for the entire country,” he told reporters, according to Pakistan’s The News International.

He said that the Afghan government had agreed to negotiations, and a committee was formed to determine the course of action. However, Pakistan’s federal government had not responded despite repeated reminders. He expressed confusion over the decision-making process of those sitting in Islamabad, saying that they did not care about Pakistan.

He urged the federal government to take the provincial government’s recommendations seriously and respond to the TORs they sent, as terrorism was a national issue. He warned that if the issue of terrorism was not taken seriously, it could spread to the entire country.

Pakistani officials have repeatedly claimed that attacks in the country are planned in Afghanistan.

The Islamic Emirate, however, has rejected the claim and has said that Afghanistan is not responsible for Pakistan’s “security failure”.

Noting that the mistreatment of Afghan refugees has increased in Pakistan and Iran recently, Acting Minister of Refugees and Repatriation Maulawi Abdul Kabir has called on the neighboring countries to respect international laws in this regard.

Maulawi Abdul Kabir, in separate meetings with diplomatic representatives of Pakistan and Iran in Kabul, called these countries friends of Afghanistan and urged “humane and Islamic treatment” of refugees.

He pointed out that the Islamic Emirate will encourage Afghan refugees to return to the country, but due to unfavorable conditions inside Afghanistan, the hosting countries should act based on an organized and gradual mechanism instead of forced deportation.

He stressed that it will be difficult for Afghan refugees to return by the end of June, because they cannot collect all their belongings in a short period of time.

He asked the host countries to give time to the refugees and hold bilateral and trilateral meetings in this regard.

Maulawi Abdul Kabir also said that the closure of Torkham crossing, war and violence is not the solution, rather dialogue should be chosen.

He emphasized that thousands of passengers, patients, dead bodies and goods have been stranded on both sides of Torkham crossing.

Meanwhile, Ubaid Ur Rahman Nizamani, the Charge d’affaires of Pakistan for Afghanistan, said that the future of Pakistan is linked to Afghanistan, that is why it does not use the Afghan refugees as a political tool, but wants to solve the problems through dialogue, according to a statement issued by the Afghan Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation.

Acting Ambassador of Iran Alireza Bekdeli also said that Tehran would help legal refugees, but there needs to be a permanent solution for the problem of illegal refugees.

He added that considering the good relations between Afghanistan and Iran, it is necessary that both countries jointly take necessary measures to solve the problems of Afghan refugees.

The Iranian diplomat praised the decree of the leader of the Islamic Emirate regarding the prevention of human trafficking and said that this move will strengthen cooperation between the two countries.