During peace talks in Doha, the Taliban claimed to recognize political pluralism in Afghanistan. However, since seizing power, they have banned political activities. The Taliban-controlled Ministry of Justice has removed the Directorate of Parties from its structure, stating that party affiliation is a crime under their regime, asserting that there is no place for parties in their system. This statement comes amid tensions between the Taliban and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. The Taliban official stated they do not accept that there is a vacuum of laws in Afghanistan and urged those claiming a legal vacuum to reconsider their beliefs. Nevertheless, some citizens express concerns that such decrees will lead to increased suppression and imprisonment of political activists by the Taliban. Afghan citizens emphasize that the Taliban have established an absolute dictatorship, where freedom and behavior are restricted except for their members, creating a highly oppressive and police-controlled environment.
The global community and neighboring countries have continuously called for the establishment of an all-inclusive political structure in Afghanistan, where all political factions, ethnicities, and religious groups have a role in the country’s political power and major decisions. However, the Taliban have not responded to any of these international demands and have even declared mentioning names of the political parties as a crime.
Abdul Hakim Shar’ee, the acting head of the Taliban-controlled Ministry of Justice, stated that “there is no place for parties in the regime of this group, and mentioning a party name is a crime.” He made these remarks two days ago at a meeting in Kabul, referring to recent tensions between the Taliban and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the leader of the Islamic Party.
The Taliban expelled Gulbuddin Hekmatyar from a house that the previous government had given him under a peace agreement. So far, the leader of the Islamic Party has not commented on this matter, but his son, Habib Al-Rahman, strongly criticized the Taliban’s behavior and called it shameful.
The acting head of the Taliban’s Ministry of Justice stated that the group had given Hekmatyar weeks and months to vacate the house, and although they had found him another residence, he procrastinated. This Taliban official dismissed the supporters of the Islamic Party who accused them of disrespecting the party’s leader, labeling them as “irrational and ignorant.” Shar’ee said, “Now, do you consider this respect or disrespect? If you consider it disrespectful, then it means you do not understand respect and your mind does not work.” He emphasized that Hekmatyar insists on the address of his party, but the party has no legal basis in the Taliban regime.
Addressing Hekmatyar, the Taliban official said, “Sir! The Directorate of Parties was abolished in the structures of the Ministry of Justice last year. Parties have no legal status in this system. Registering parties or having a party name is a legal crime.”
Abdul Hakim Shar’ee, in another stance, has accused Taliban critics who speak of a legal vacuum in the group’s regime of disbelief and stated that their regime does not face legal voids, urging anyone who claims the absence of fundamental law to reconsider their beliefs.
The acting head of the Taliban’s Ministry of Justice stated that the political activities of parties in the country are “completely” prohibited. He further claimed that the existence of political parties in the country “has no legal basis, no benefit to the nation, and the nation does not want it.”
However, some citizens of the country argue that over the past two years, the Taliban have violated their commitments in peace talks and the Doha agreement with the United States, resorting to monopolization, autocracy, and Talibanization of Afghanistan. According to these citizens, Afghanistan is a diverse society with various ethnic, linguistic, and religious groups, where different parties are active, and criminalizing the mentioning of political party names jeopardizes the lives of thousands of party supporters.
Ahmad Reshad, a member of one of the political parties, said that over the past nearly three years, the Taliban have repeatedly resorted to revenge, torture, and imprisonment of political activists, and the group’s recent declaration puts the lives of thousands more at risk.
Ibrahim Ershadi, a citizen, wrote on his X (formerly Twitter) account: “Only one party, one ethnic group, and one official language are recognized and nothing else… Afghanistan has ethnic, party, political, linguistic, and religious diversity.” He emphasized: “Governments that do not understand and respect this diversity are doomed to failure. History has proven this time and again.”
However, some members of political movements, who are currently keeping a terrifying silence due to security threats in Afghanistan, described the Taliban regime as an absolute dictatorship. According to them, dictatorships and totalitarian regimes fear the activities of parties and the reflection of people’s demands.
These political movement members, who want to remain anonymous due to security threats, emphasize that the Taliban have turned Afghanistan into a center for fundamentalism and “anti-human” thinking, viewing all issues from a Taliban perspective. They argue that despite the challenges they face, political parties play a valuable role in reflecting the voices of the people and the demands of the country’s political spectrum.
This comes as, following the fall of the previous government to the Taliban, dozens of political movements and their key members have left Afghanistan due to fear of the Taliban. Of the 72 political parties registered in the previous government’s Ministry of Justice, currently, no party is active in Afghanistan, and the Taliban do not allow any political or civil activities in the country.
Many political analysts say that Talibanism poses a serious threat to Afghanistan’s diversity, and the Taliban’s policies of mono-ethnicity, mono-gender, and anti-civilianism will plunge the country into deeper crises. Despite global pressures and human rights organizations’ demands for creating a comprehensive structure and involving the people in power over the past nearly three years, the Taliban have rejected all these requests and continue ethnic, linguistic, and political purges in the country.
