KABUL — Taliban have transferred the political responsibilities of their absent deputy foreign minister, Abbas Stanekzai, to Mohammad Naeem, the Taliban’s administrative and financial deputy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to a source familiar with the ministry’s internal operations.
The shift follows the elimination of Stanekzai’s position as part of a broader restructuring, first reported earlier this month. Stanekzai, a senior Taliban figure and longtime diplomat, has not been seen publicly for five months. His absence began shortly after he reportedly criticized the Taliban’s ban on girls’ education.
On May 9, sources in both Kabul and Kandahar told Amu TV that Stanekzai’s position had been formally dissolved, part of what the Taliban describe as an effort to reduce the size of the bureaucracy. Now, a source inside the ministry says Stanekzai’s duties have been handed to Naeem, though the future of the ministry’s political affairs directorate remains unclear.
In the past week alone, Naeem has held at least four meetings with foreign envoys and participated in an international conference, signaling, analysts say, a formal shift of diplomatic authority.
His engagements included meetings with the ambassador of Uzbekistan, the Turkish envoy for Afghanistan, the U.N. Secretary-General’s special representative and head of UNAMA, and representatives of industrial firms. He also took part in the Tirmidh Dialogue, a regional forum hosted in Uzbekistan.
Taliban leaders have not commented publicly on Stanekzai’s status. A spokesperson previously attributed his absence to “leave.”
Stanekzai, once viewed as a moderate voice within the Taliban, played a prominent role in the Doha negotiations with the United States. His disappearance from public life has fueled speculation about growing internal divisions, especially around education policy and international engagement.
“This is not just a bureaucratic reassignment,” said Mohammad Asif Siddiqi, former deputy speaker of the Afghan Senate. “Stanekzai was a central figure. Now he has been removed entirely — and there are even reports of a warrant for his arrest. This reflects how centralized and authoritarian the Taliban’s internal structure has become.”
Taliban have yet to offer a formal explanation for Stanekzai’s removal or the apparent sidelining of the ministry’s political apparatus.
