Pharmacy owners and medicine vendors in Taloqan, the capital of Takhar province, have raised complaints about pressures from the Taliban and the closure of their shops by the group. They report that for nearly 40 days, dozens of pharmacies have been shut down following interventions by the Taliban’s Council of Religious Scholars, resulting in significant unemployment among young and educated individuals. Local sources have accused the Taliban of extortion, selling licenses, and abusing their authority, claiming that those who have connections or pay bribes have been allowed to resume operations.
Some pharmacy owners in Takhar province state that their operating licenses have been revoked by the Taliban in Taloqan. According to them, “the powerful and well-connected obtain pharmacy licenses, while the poor are left struggling.” They add that the Taliban’s Council of Religious Scholars, in coordination with the group’s Public Health Directorate and the Taliban’s Police Command, has closed pharmacies in the Khaskapa area and harassed pharmacy owners.
Sources in Taloqan say that for over 40 days, several pharmacies have been closed under the pretext of inspections. According to these sources, some pharmacies have reopened through mediation or connections with local Taliban authorities, while others have been forced to clear out their stock, contributing to rising unemployment in the province. Sources further claim that the Taliban intend to shut down these pharmacies to pave the way for opening pharmacies linked to their associates.
The sources add: “The Taliban want to close pharmacies to force owners to obtain licenses, even though they already hold licenses. They plan to sell these licenses to pharmacy owners. Additionally, some Taliban members own pharmaceutical trading companies and aim to sell their medicines to doctors through these pharmacies.”
The sources state: “Currently, around 150 pharmacies in Taloqan City have been closed. The pharmacies have been emptied, and young people who were educated and worked as pharmacists are now unemployed. We have completed our studies in pharmacy and nursing, but we are neither allowed to work nor able to complain about the situation, and no country accepts us for migration. What does the Council of Religious Scholars have to do with pharmacies and doctors? We are truly stuck in a dire and confusing situation.”
Meanwhile, Bakhter News Agency, which operates under Taliban control, reported that the group’s “Joint Health Committee” has suspended the operations of 70 pharmacies due to what it described as “illegal activities.” According to the agency, the closures were due to the lack of official operating licenses and the absence of certified technical health staff.
The Taliban in Takhar have announced plans to establish a monitoring committee, comprising representatives from all health sectors, to oversee the activities of health centers in all 16 districts of the province.
Previously, some residents of Takhar province had complained about the lack of necessary medicines at the provincial hospital in Taloqan, the capital of the province. They stated that many essential medicines, particularly in the emergency department, and even X-ray films needed for patients, are being sold at the hospital. Complaints have also been raised about the lack of effective oversight by the Taliban’s Public Health Directorate over this public hospital. According to some citizens, certain doctors at the Takhar provincial hospital refer patients to private clinics and hospitals based on personal interests, with pharmacies in these health centers paying a fixed percentage to these doctors for each patient.
Residents of Takhar have repeatedly expressed concerns about the lack of adequate health facilities, poverty, high costs of medical consultations, the arbitrary use of medicines, and the distance of some districts and villages from clinics. They note that many remote areas either lack health centers entirely or have non-functional facilities due to inadequate equipment or a shortage of health staff, leading many people to self-medicate. This practice has sometimes resulted in serious health issues, including death.
Concerns have been raised that the World Health Organization (WHO), in its recent reports, has described the health sector situation in Afghanistan as critical, warning that a lack of financial resources could lead to the closure of 80 percent of health centers supported by the organization. This would cut off access to essential health services for millions of people.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
فشار طالبان بر دوافروشان تخار؛ اتهام فساد و انحصار در صدور جواز
