KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban’s intelligence agency has arrested Sayed Alam Hashemi, a cultural activist and poet from Panjshir, according to local sources in Kabul.
Hashemi was reportedly detained at around 1:30 am on Sunday in the Shahrak-e Arya area of Kabul.
He has since been transferred to the Taliban’s Intelligence Directorate 40.
Sources indicate that Hashemi resided in Kabul and was employed in logistical and administrative roles.
While the exact reason for his arrest remains unclear, some sources suggest it may be linked to his poetry, which praised Ahmad Shah Massoud and Panjshir.
Since regaining control of Afghanistan, the Taliban have repeatedly detained and imprisoned civilians and activists from Panjshir in various provinces.
Rights group reports indicate the Taliban are using arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances to silence critics of its repressive policies.
On Tuesday, Taliban intelligence agents also arrested Shafiullah Athaee, a Panjshiri social activist, in Kabul.
