Some Afghan citizens who have sought official document processing at the Taliban-run courts in Kabul and various provinces have expressed dissatisfaction with the judges’ biased behavior. They report that Taliban judges treat applicants differently when issuing marriage certificates, marriage documentation, single status certificates, and inheritance documents. These citizens claim that judges appointed by the Taliban harass non-Pashtun applicants due to ethnic and regional differences. They urge the Taliban to abandon ethnic, regional, and linguistic biases and provide equal services to all applicants. Political analysts, however, believe such discriminatory practices will persist until the country’s judicial institutions are purged of unqualified and illiterate individuals.
Shekab (pseudonym), a native of Kapisa province who has lived in Kabul for about 25 years, told the Hasht-e Subh Daily that after five months of frustration, he finally obtained a marriage certificate from the Taliban-run court in Kabul. He explains that his wife lives abroad, and he needed this official document to join her.
Shekab, who managed to obtain the marriage certificate after five months, complains about the biased treatment he faced from the Taliban judges: “When I submitted my application to one of the courts, it took three months for my turn to come. I was delayed for about two months before receiving the marriage certificate. Initially, they requested my identity card confirmation from the Civil Registration Authority. When I responded, they required confirmation of my wife’s identity card. After responding to this request, they sent me to the airport to verify my wife’s travel to Kabul.” According to him, obtaining responses to these requests took 2 to 7 days each.
Shekab mentions that a friend from Logar province, who applied for a marriage certificate at the same time, received it just a week after his turn: “Since he was Pashtun, he was not asked for identity verification or sent to the airport. They only required a witness, and I was his witness, and he was simply told to come back the following week to collect the certificate.”
The citizen notes that every time he visited the court for his marriage certificate, he faced strange and insulting questions from the judge and administrative staff. He attributes this mistreatment to the judges’ bias against Tajiks, saying: “The court’s attitude disheartened me until I finally received the certificate. The judge asked me: ‘Is there no one in Afghanistan who would marry you that you had to get a wife from abroad?'”
Sayed Anwar (pseudonym), a resident of a district in Maidan Wardak province, needs a single status certificate to travel abroad. He says that the province courts refuse to issue such a document due to ethnic and religious differences: “Three months ago, I went to the primary court and submitted my application. They requested a confirmation from the mosque’s imam. I provided it, and when I met the judge, he asked why I needed this document. I told him it was for a trip to America. He raised his eyebrows and said: ‘You are single, and we don’t need to issue you a certificate.'”
Sayed Anwar adds that despite explaining and swearing that he is single but needs the official document, the judge ignored his explanations and ordered him to leave immediately and not return for the document. He attributes this treatment to the judge’s ethnic bias against non-Pashtun residents of the province, stating: “The court, passport office, Civil Registration Authority, and all government offices in Maidan Wardak province belong to Pashtuns, and if any work is done for Tajik or Hazara residents, it is either delayed or done with great difficulty.”
These citizens urge the Taliban to address such discriminatory practices in the courts and provide equal services to all applicants regardless of ethnic, regional, religious, or linguistic differences.
Political analysts describe the presence of ethnic, religious, and linguistic biases in Taliban-controlled institutions as unprofessional behavior and suggest that the only way to prevent such discrimination is by employing qualified and educated individuals in government positions.
Farmanullah Hoshmand, a political analyst, tells the Hasht-e Subh Daily: “After the fall of Kabul, the Taliban dismissed professional and educated judges and replaced them with individuals who had only attended religious schools and lacked professional training. Naturally, these individuals will treat people unprofessionally.” He adds: “In my opinion, as long as educated and professional judges are not appointed to the courts, discriminatory practices based on ethnicity, language, and religion will continue, and there will be little that the public can do.”
During their three years of rule, the Taliban have repeatedly been accused of ethnic, linguistic, and religious biases. Reports indicate that Tajik, Uzbek, and Hazara employees in government offices face the constant fear of dismissal and must tolerate the excuses of Taliban officials.
You can read the Persian version of this daily report here:
