Raid on Mazar-i-Sharif Moneychangers’ Union؛ Chairman and Eight Members Arrested.
Haji Abdul Qayum, head of the Moneychangers’ Union, along with eight other members, has been detained by the Taliban.
The arrests come amid heightened tensions over relocating moneychanger markets in Mazar-i-Sharif, inflaming the local market.
Sources say the crisis started after moneychangers opposed the local administration’s plan to move the exchange complex from “Kifayat Market” to the “Mazar Hotel” building.
The union described the decision as sudden and without consultation, warning it could undermine financial stability and public trust.
Reports indicate the “Mazar Hotel” was built by investors from Kandahar, and local authorities are aiming to fully transfer moneychanger operations there.
Some market actors consider this organized pressure to enforce a particular plan.
Taliban officials in Balkh have not provided an official explanation for the arrests, a silence that has increased concerns over administrative and security interventions in local markets.
