Taliban Leader Recalls Cabinet To Kandahar To Tighten Implementation Of Vice & Virtue Law

Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada recalled his cabinet members from Kabul to Kandahar on Sunday, sources told Afghanistan International.

These sources said that stricter implementation of the Law on the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Virtue is on the agenda of the meeting between the Taliban leader and the cabinet.

Taliban sources told Afghanistan International that members of the Taliban's cabinet arrived in Kandahar on Monday, November 4.

According to these sources, one of the main topics of the meeting between Hibatullah Akhundzada and his cabinet members will be the implementation of the law on the promotion of virtue throughout the country, and Akhundzada will issue instructions to the ministers.

Sources among the Taliban said that Hibatullah Akhundzada has banned Taliban members from taking photos and videos at the meeting.

‘Serious Warning About Law On Promotion of Virtue’

Sources close to the Taliban in Kandahar told Afghanistan International that Hibatullah Akhundzada is very serious about implementing the new law on the promotion of virtue and has warned some cabinet members who oppose these decrees.

These sources said that some members of the Taliban cabinet are opposed to the law on the promotion of virtue, but they are "hiding" their opposition from the Taliban leader.

According to the provisions of the Law on the Promotion of Virtue, there is currently an increase in the strictures in about 10 provinces of Afghanistan to prevent the dissemination of images of living beings. For example, Taliban officials in Kandahar are not allowed to post their photos and videos on social media.

‘Signs of Discontent’

Members of the Taliban's Haqqani Network on Sunday (November 3) posted videos on social media of Taliban’s Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani visiting a madrassa in Paktika Province. On the same day, pictures of Haqqani during his visit to Ghazni were also circulated on social media.

Some social media users reposted the images and said that Sirajuddin Haqqani was refusing Hibatullah Akhundzada's orders and the Law for the Promotion of Virtue by circulating these videos and photos.

On October 25, The New York Times published a report calling Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban's interior minister, "the only voice of dissent" among the Taliban.
Some Afghan politicians said that The New York Times interview was an attempt to heroize Sirajuddin Haqqani, who is known to be responsible for the killing of civilians in Afghanistan.

Others, however, said the article was another sign that Sirajuddin Haqqani wanted to replace Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.

About 10 days after the publication of this interview, sources within the Taliban said that the interview of Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban's interior minister, has also become controversial among the group members.

Some sources among the Taliban said that Hibatullah Akhundzada is dissatisfied with this interview and Sirajuddin Haqqani's statements, and believes that this interview has fueled the Taliban's internal disputes.