NANGARHAR, Afghanistan — Taliban has detained Izatullah Zwab, a well-known poet and founder of the Meena magazine, in Nangarhar province in eastern Afghanistan for the past four months, his family and local sources reported.
Zwab was arrested in late January by Taliban forces. His son, Nusrat Arman, expressed concerns about his father’s health, stating, “My father was arrested on January 24. Initially, the Taliban said he would be released soon, but it is still unclear when he will be freed.”
Local cultural figures and journalists in Nangarhar have called for Zwab’s immediate release, highlighting his contributions to society through his writings.
“Journalists, poets, and writers are defenseless in every society; they only write about their heartfelt pains. Izatullah has always presented the societal issues to the people under every government,” said Rahmatullah Yarmal, a former official for writers and journalists in the eastern zone.
Friends and relatives of Zwab mentioned that the reasons for his detention have not been disclosed by the Taliban.
Shukrullah Pasoon, a journalist who has known Zwab for over twenty years, described him as a realist poet whose arrest has upset not only him but all journalists and cultural figures in Afghanistan.
As of this report, the Taliban has not provided any comments regarding Zawab’s detention, but his family continues to worry about his health, noting that he was already ill at the time of his arrest.
