Local Taliban officials in Nangarhar have stated that the “Naranj Poetry Festival” has been postponed until further notice.
This festival, which was scheduled to take place today (Sunday, 20th of Hamal) in Nangarhar, has been delayed in order to pay respect to the victims of the recent floods.
Qureshi Badloon, the head of the Taliban’s Information and Culture Department in Nangarhar, stated that the festival was postponed in honor of the flood victims. However, a source told the media that the Taliban postponed the event due to concerns over potential attacks from Pakistan.
According to the source, after talks between the Taliban and Pakistan failed to yield results, the Taliban are now worried that Pakistan may target Afghan provinces, especially Nangarhar, with airstrikes once again.
The “Naranj Poetry Festival” has been held annually in Nangarhar province during the spring season in previous years.
Last year, at this festival, Matiullah Tarab, a well-known Pashto poet, criticized the Taliban’s ban on girls’ education and called for the reopening of schools. His critical poetry was met with a strong reaction from the Taliban, and as a result, Sajad Khokhyani, the former head of the Information and Culture Department in Nangarhar, was dismissed from his position.
The Taliban have also created and approved a “Poetry Regulation Law.” This law stipulates that in poetry gatherings, criticism of the orders, guidance, rulings, and decisions of Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada should be avoided, and the poems must also be free of encouragement for young people to engage in love and “permissible romance.”
