Iranian Prez’s Envoy Criticises Taliban Representative's 'Disrespect' To National Anthem

The Iranian president's special envoy for Afghanistan called the behaviour of the Taliban official of not standing up for the national anthem of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Tehran a disrespect of diplomatic principles.

Hassan Kazemi Qomi said, "Lack of respect for diplomatic principles under the pretext of banning music from the principles of Sharia has no meaning."

The ambassador and special representative of the Iranian president on social media network X wrote, "If the ban on music has a religious basis, it also includes listening.”

A Taliban official, Azizur Rahman Mansour, the deputy of the Ministry of Guidance, Hajj and Religious Affairs, headed a delegation to Tehran at the 38th International Islamic Unity Conference. He did not get up during the opening ceremony of the conference in honour of the national anthem of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The Taliban's Ministry of Hajj said that the delegation travelled to Tehran yesterday at the official invitation of the Islamic Republic of Iran and on behalf of the Taliban at the International Islamic Unity Conference.

Recently, the Taliban's consul general in the city of Peshawar also showcased a similar behaviour when he did not get up when the Pakistan's national anthem was played during an official ceremony. Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokesperson strongly condemned the move by the Taliban diplomat, saying, "We will convey our strong protest to the Afghan authorities in Islamabad and Kabul."

The Taliban's consul general in Peshawar has said that he did not get up because of the accompaniment of music during Pakistan's national anthem. "There was no intention to disrespect or humiliate the national anthem of Pakistan," he said.

The Taliban have not yet given an official explanation for the behaviour of the group's representative in Tehran.

The Taliban's Law on the Promotion of Virtue prohibits the playing of music. Article 222 of this law prohibits the playing of music in vehicles and the playing of music outside the home or in the parliament.

Meanwhile, in response to the "disrespect" of the national anthems of Iran and Pakistan by Taliban representatives, the former Iranian ambassador to Azerbaijan said that they did not observe diplomatic decency.

Abbas Mousavi has suggested that "it is best to suspend their invitation to any official ceremonies until their procedures are corrected".
Abbas Mousavi, who was once the deputy foreign minister of the Islamic Republic, wrote on social media platform X, "Recently, the Taliban's so-called diplomatic representatives in Pakistan and Iran did not observe the most obvious diplomatic norm and courtesy, which is to stand up in honour of the playing of the national anthem of the host country in an official ceremony under the pretext of Taliban law. It is best to suspend inviting them to any official event until the procedure is corrected."