Azernews.Az

Ulviyya Poladova

Read more

Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has reportedly issued a verbal directive banning smartphones for Taliban members and government employees. The information comes from Afghanistan International, which cites an unspecified document, while noting that the order itself is said to have been given orally.

The document allegedly classifies violators as offenders and warns that they could be subject to military court proceedings.

It further states that the Taliban Justice Ministry distributed the order to heads of military courts under the Taliban Supreme Court’s military branch across eight regional zones. Police and intelligence chiefs in those regions were also informed.

According to the directive, military court officials are instructed to fully enforce the ban and report back to the leadership on its implementation. A monitoring system has also been introduced, compiling detailed records such as names, positions, workplaces, mobile network providers, and phone numbers of those under oversight.

Authorities are also required to confirm that the order has been implemented among all relevant staff and personnel.

More recently, the Taliban’s Islamic Education Department instructed students not to bring smartphones to schools and religious seminaries. The Taliban’s higher education minister has also previously called smartphones "one of the three main enemies of Muslims" and had earlier banned their use during working hours at universities, except for senior administrators.

Image: Qudratullah Razwan / EPA / Shutterstock