Hibatullah Akhundzada, the leader of the Taliban, in recent remarks addressed the group’s officials, stating that obedience to his orders is “like obedience to God and the Prophet,” and he equated disobedience to his commands with religious disobedience.
He also warned that from now on, “disobedience” would be dealt with seriously and urged his officials to support his actions directly, without any mediation, should investigations begin.
These remarks were made during a recent meeting with the heads of the Ministry of Finance. Sources familiar with the meeting have told the media that the main aim of these statements was to combat administrative and financial corruption among certain Taliban officials.
Akhundzada emphasized during the meeting that anyone appointed to a position within the Taliban administration must register their assets at the start of their tenure and undergo an audit when leaving office. According to him, if an individual’s assets exceed their initial wealth, the excess should be deposited in the state treasury.
The Taliban leader also ordered that the use of the term “police” be stopped and replaced with “Shurti” (a local term for law enforcement), adding that a law related to this change will soon be enacted.
He announced that all “past disobedience” would be forgiven, seeking forgiveness from God for these actions, but warned that any future violations would be dealt with accordingly.
Akhundzada instructed Taliban officials not to accept “gifts” and emphasized that privileges and gifts are due to the “power of the Emirate.” He also reminded them that such privileges did not exist for them in the past.
In another part of his speech, he stated that officials should not establish independent religious schools and that such initiatives should be referred to the Ministry of Education, as he believes that this could lead to corruption and bribery.
However, reports indicate that many Taliban officials have private religious schools, and a significant number of students are being educated in these institutions.
The Taliban leader also stressed that religious scholars’ presence is essential in all “technical and non-technical” meetings, as, according to him, all worldly matters require religious guidance.
Referring to reports of “disobedience,” he once again emphasized the need for direct support for his decisions and stated that there should be no mediation in the process of addressing violations.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
