KABUL — The Taliban’s Ministry of Justice has moved to dissolve Afghanistan’s Supreme Shia Commission and has barred its members from continuing their activities, according to information obtained by journalists, as the commission’s chairman and several senior members reportedly remain in detention.
A source familiar with the developments, who asked not to be identified for security reasons, shared by journalists, the officials from the Ministry of Justice contacted members of the commission on Wednesday, 16 September, asking a delegation of around 25 members, including senior deputies, to report to the ministry. According to the source, the members were told that if they appeared at the ministry, Mohammad Ali Akhlaqi, chairman of the Supreme Shia Commission, and his detained colleagues would be released.
The following day, Thursday, 17 September, a delegation of about 25 Shia representatives and commission members went to the Ministry of Justice. The delegation included prominent figures such as Mohammad Akbari, Sayed Hussain Alemi Balkhi and Dr. Safdari, the source said. However, Akhlaqi and the other detainees were not released.
Instead, according to the source, ministry officials collected the commission members’ identification cards and required them to sign written undertakings pledging that they would no longer participate in the activities of the Supreme Shia Commission. The source said Taliban Justice Minister Abdul Hakim Sharaee informed the delegation that the commission had been dissolved.
Akhlaqi allegedly held over demand to vacate his house
The source also told that Taliban authorities have linked Akhlaqi’s release to the evacuation of his residence in Haji Nabi Township in Kabul. According to the source, Justice Ministry officials have said Akhlaqi will not be released until the house is vacated. Akhlaqi and several other senior members of the commission therefore remain in detention, the source said.
Reports of their detention first emerged on 14 September. Amu TV reported that Taliban Justice Ministry personnel had detained Akhlaqi and several members of the commission, identifying Sayed Nader Shah Bahr, Mohammad Amir Bazel, Sayed Mohsen Hosseini and Sayed Abdullah Hashemi among those taken into custody.
Etilaat Roz separately reported that Akhlaqi and other commission members had been detained after going to the Ministry of Justice, where they had sought to mediate for the release of other Shia figures who had previously been arrested.
The source said Ali Akbar Jamshidi, a former member of Afghanistan’s Wolesi Jirga and a deputy of the Supreme Shia Commission, is also being sought by Taliban authorities.
Earlier reports had already named Jamshidi among senior commission figures reportedly wanted by the Justice Ministry. Other figures identified in those reports included Sayed Hayatullah Alemi, Fakori Beheshti and Sayed Daoud Naseri.
Afghanistan International reported in April that Jamshidi served as a deputy of the commission and was involved in presenting the Shia community’s demands to the Taliban authorities.
Property disputes involving Shia and Hazara figures
The source also said disputes over a number of homes and properties associated with prominent Shia and Hazara figures have become a serious issue in discussions with the Justice Ministry.
According to the information provided to Dehmazang, properties associated with Asadullah Saadati, Jafar Mahdawi, Sayed Nader Bahr, Fakori Beheshti and Gen. Ghulam Ali Wahdat are among those facing demands for evacuation. Dehmazang has not independently verified the legal status or ownership claims concerning these individual properties. The developments come amid a broader series of disputes between the Taliban’s Justice Ministry and Shia institutions in Kabul.
On 8 September, Justice Ministry forces surrounded the office of the Supreme Shia Commission in Kabul. The confrontation ended after reported intervention by the Taliban’s intelligence authorities, and no commission members were detained during that particular incident. The commission reopened its office the following day and said at the time that its activities were continuing without interruption.
Only days later, however, Akhlaqi and several senior commission members were detained. The arrests occurred amid other actions affecting Shia institutions and figures in Kabul, including the evacuation of the Khatam al-Nabieen religious complex and the detention of teachers and students there. Amu TV reported that 28 instructors and students had initially been detained during the operation, with 24 remaining in custody at the time of its report.
Earlier this month, Taliban authorities also detained several Hazara and Shia community figures following a meeting in Kabul. Afghanistan International reported that Mohammad Akbari and Sayed Hussain Alemi Balkhi had attended the meeting but had left before the subsequent arrests.
The latest developments mark a significant change for the Supreme Shia Commission, which had previously operated with the knowledge and approval of Taliban authorities. In March 2026, Akhlaqi and other commission members met Taliban Minister for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice Mohammad Khalid Hanafi, with the ministry publicly reporting the meeting and discussions on cooperation and social cohesion.
As of 20 September, Taliban authorities have not publicly provided a detailed explanation for the continued detention of Akhlaqi and the other commission members, nor publicly confirmed the reported order dissolving the Supreme Shia Commission.
Dehmazang will continue to follow the case and update this report as further information becomes available.
Taliban Justice Ministry Moves to Dissolve Shia Commission as Senior Members Remain Detained
