As tensions within the Taliban leadership intensify, Neda Mohammad Nadim, the Taliban’s higher education minister and a close ally of their supreme leader, said during a session in his Kabul office that criticizing Hibatullah Akhundzada is equivalent to insulting the Prophet Mohammad.
According to an audio recording of the session posted by the Taliban-run TV, RTA, at the session, Nadim spoke in defense of a decree issued by Akhundzada banning what the Taliban consider “un-Islamic customs.”
“Obedience to the Emir [leader] is a command from God and is obligatory,” Nadim said in a speech. “Insulting the Emir of Muslims and rebelling against him is forbidden. The Emir is the caliph of the Prophet, and insulting him is tantamount to insulting the Prophet.”
He further added that “choosing an Emir is obligatory for Muslims, and they are not permitted to live even a single hour without one.”
Nadim’s remarks come at a time of heightened internal friction within the Taliban movement, particularly between Akhundzada’s loyalists in Kandahar and figures associated with the Haqqani network, a powerful faction centered in eastern Afghanistan.
Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, widely seen as a key counterweight to Akhundzada, has in recent months voiced veiled criticism of the supreme leader’s policies. His absence from public events earlier this year fueled speculation about a growing rift. Although Haqqani appeared at a high-level security meeting in Kandahar chaired by Akhundzada, sources told Amu that he openly criticized the leader during the session, warning that continued autocratic rule could deepen the disconnect between the Taliban and the Afghan public.
According to individuals familiar with the matter, Haqqani cautioned that if Akhundzada’s leadership style persisted, it could lead to an eventual fracturing of the Taliban leadership.
In an apparent effort to present a unified front, the Taliban’s Ministry of Refugees recently published a photograph of Haqqani alongside Acting Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Kabir. However, no public images have surfaced in recent months showing Haqqani at the Interior Ministry, fueling further speculation about internal divisions.
