Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Supreme Leader of the Taliban, has recently issued a directive stating that government positions should only be assigned to those who are loyal to the Taliban regime. This order comes at a time when, over the past three and a half years, the Taliban have extensively employed their fighters and affiliated clerics in government institutions. The majority of former government employees complain that the Taliban, disregarding the qualifications and educational backgrounds of individuals, are appointing their members to key and specialized positions who have no knowledge of management principles or working in government offices. Currently, all government departments, from the third level to ministers, are managed by Taliban members, with former government employees relegated to lower-level positions. Sources confirm that the Taliban place their fighters and clerics alongside former government employees in state institutions, and once these new appointees become familiar with basic procedures, they replace former government officials. Several citizens and employees who have been dismissed by the Taliban emphasize that the systematic process of removing former employees continues, and this will be exacerbated by Hibatullah’s new decree.
The process of “Talibanization” of government offices under the Taliban’s control has been ongoing on a large scale for the past three and a half years. Many experienced and specialized workers have left the country due to the Taliban’s retaliatory actions and discriminatory treatment. Most employees who cooperate with the Taliban say they are compelled to do so due to unemployment and a lack of alternatives. According to them, the Taliban only care about their chosen people in government institutions and view other employees with disdain, even considering them enemies.
These concerns come at a time when the Taliban have recently released an audio recording attributed to Akhundzada, in which he states that government jobs should be given to those who are loyal to the Taliban regime. According to the Taliban Supreme Leader, government positions should not be assigned to those who are not loyal to the group.
In this speech, Akhundzada emphasizes that “loyalty to the system” must be the Taliban’s priority. He says to senior Taliban officials: “If anyone [likely referring to a Taliban member] asks for a job and you are too reluctant to reject their request, introduce them to me so I can provide them with a salary and other benefits at home.”
He attributes the collapse of the former government to the appointment of incompetent people, stating that in the previous government, individuals would appoint their relatives and friends to positions within ministries and provinces, leading to public disillusionment with the system. The Taliban Supreme Leader stresses: “If work is not assigned to the qualified, as was the case with the previous government, even with global support, the system will collapse.
Meanwhile, some citizens and government employees under the Taliban’s control say that government management requires professional knowledge, specialization, and experience. According to them, the Taliban have reserved all key and managerial positions for their fighters and affiliated clerics. They report that the Taliban view most government employees with contempt, occasionally calling them “servants and spies of the West,” while pointing out that they have spared their lives and allowed them to work.
Baktash (pseudonym), one of the government employees under Taliban control, says that the management of all departments has been handed over to Taliban members. He adds that former government employees have been placed in lower-level roles, where they are forced to perform tasks that the Taliban members cannot handle. He further notes that the Taliban have no trust in former government employees and that anyone who is not a Taliban member is either not hired or, if hired, is placed in the fifth or sixth levels.
Another former government employee, who previously worked in a key position, says on the condition of anonymity that not only are they not hired in government institutions, but most institutions do not even consider them qualified for shortlisting in their exams. He emphasizes that currently, all institutions, both governmental and non-governmental, are refusing to hire experienced and professional former employees, and as he puts it, “the market for clerics and Taliban members is thriving.
Another former government employee confirms that the majority of previous employees have been replaced by Taliban fighters and clerics. According to him, the process of purging government institutions of non-Taliban individuals has been intensifying over the past three years and will be further escalated by Hibatullah’s statements. He adds: “Some former employees still work, but once the Taliban members become familiar with the work, the previous employees are dismissed. Only in technical sections where they don’t understand the work are former employees allowed to continue.
On the other hand, two sources have strongly criticized the condition of cleanliness in government offices under the Taliban’s control. They report that order and cleanliness have significantly declined. They say that “mattresses, blankets, and spittoons” are now common inside official offices, with no regard for cleanliness.
One person, who recently entered a Taliban office, tells the Hasht-e Subh Daily: “The office condition is very poor. When you enter, you find the Taliban lying in the offices with blankets over their legs. The offices smell unpleasant. Previously, when it was the Women’s Affairs, you’d visit and be welcomed by the pleasant scent of perfume and cleanliness.
The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum under the Taliban had previously announced that 10 clerics loyal to the group, who are also Quran memorizers, were appointed to oversee the mining process in Afghanistan. Additionally, in 2023, the group appointed one of its fighters, who was also a gardener, as the head of education in Bamyan. Currently, dozens of Taliban fighters have been appointed to specialized and academic positions that require professional knowledge, expertise, and experience.
Previously, the Middle East Research Institute (MERI) reported that of the 1,137 senior Taliban officials, 891 were Pashtun, 53 Tajik, 28 Uzbek, and 6 Hazara. According to this research, 40 of the top-tier Taliban Supreme Leaders, including the Supreme Leader, prime minister, and ministers of defense, higher education, education, culture, rural development, labor and social affairs, public utilities, and chief justice, are from Kandahar, and 19 others are from Paktia.
Previously, the Taliban Minister of Higher Education, who is a close associate of the group’s leader, stated at Herat University that the academic degrees of Taliban fighters should be calculated based on the landmines they had planted over the past 20 years. He stressed that testing the Taliban in government institutions would be disrespectful to them.
You can read the Persian version of this daily report here:
نگرانی هبتالله از سقوط رژیم طالبان؛ وظایف دولتی به وفاداران این گروه سپرده میشود | روزنامه ۸صبح
