Taliban announce ban on political parties in Afghanistan

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) – Afghanistan's interim Taliban government Wednesday said no political party is allowed to work in the war-torn country.

Presenting his ministry's one-year performance report in the capital Kabul on Wednesday, Taliban’s Justice Minister Abdul Hakim Sharie said political parties are completely banned in Afghanistan as there is no room for political parties in Shariah, Bakhtar News Agency reported.

The Taliban government will never allow political parties to work, he added.

Earlier, the Taliban’s Deputy Minister for Justice Abdul Karim Hakim had made similar remarks, saying that Afghanistan “does not need” political parties in the given context.

Some 73 different political parties were officially registered before the Taliban stormed back into power in August 2021, according to the Justice Ministry.

However, most of the political parties remained inactive in the country over the past two years with several politicians leaving the country following the withdrawal of the US-led foreign forces.

Except for pro-Taliban rallies, there has been an effective ban on political gatherings and rallies in Afghanistan in the past two years.