Farooq Azam, an advisor to the Ministry of Energy and Water, has been released from a Taliban prison.
Farooq Azam, an advisor to the Taliban Ministry of Energy and Water, was released after two weeks in prison and attended an agricultural exhibition in Kabul on Thursday.
His release appears to be a sign of a return to normal work, but his arrest sent a clear message: In the Taliban system, even those closest to the government are not immune if they express a different opinion.
He was arrested on the direct orders of Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada for simply emphasizing the need for female doctors in society.
This is a clear example of how the Taliban not only silences external dissent, but also sees even the slightest criticism or reformist comments from its own members and advisors as a threat to their power and responds with imprisonment.
Although Zalmay Khalilzad had previously announced the release of Farooq Azam, the Taliban have not yet provided any official explanation for this.
The silence of this group reflects the same policy they have pursued in recent years: suppressing freedom of expression, stifling any dissenting voice, and destroying even the most constructive criticism within their own structure.
