At Economic Summit, Taliban Leader Decides On Various Issues

The Taliban announced the holding of a special meeting of the Economic Commission chaired by Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada.

In this meeting, the Taliban leader has decided on various issues, from burning human hair, allocating land for an industrial city, exporting and importing, to reforming "bad customs”.

The Taliban's office of deputy prime minister for economic affairs on Tuesday issued a statement saying that 20,000 acres of land in each province should be allocated for the establishment of industrial zones in three provinces of Nangarhar, Kandahar and Balkh.

The Taliban leader has allocated 10,000 acres of land for Kunduz province to establish an industrial park. In addition to Kabul, Nangarhar, Kandahar, Balkh and Kunduz provinces, he has allocated 1,000 acres of land for each province. The Taliban leader has also allocated 10 to 50 acres of land for small industries in each province.

According to the Taliban's statement, Mullah Hibatullah has ordered that the lands along the highways allocated for the construction of mosques be handed over to the private sector.

The Ministry of Agriculture has been asked to prepare a comprehensive plan for the effective use and leasing of government lands to the people.

The Ministry of Mines and the National Development Company should prepare a plan for the Hajigak iron mine and submit it to Mullah Hibatullah for approval.

The Taliban leader also said that in provinces where "human hair has been confiscated by security officials", the Taliban's Interior Ministry should propose a plan to Mullah Hibatullah about burning it.

Mullah Hibatullah said that government agencies should formulate procedures for all goods that are prohibited or authorised by the Ministry of Finance. According to the Taliban leader's decision, those who smuggle iron will be imprisoned from six months to two years.

The Taliban leader has also tasked several of the group's ministries with pinpointing out "bad customs" throughout Afghanistan. The Taliban has said that these customs are not allowed in terms of Sharia, and to prevent it, they should prepare a method and then submit it to Mullah Hibatullah for approval.

The Taliban did not provide details about the time and place of the meeting.