The Taliban has changed the term “police” to “shurta” in its new law on law enforcement. “Shurta” is an Arabic term used in some Arab countries to refer to police forces, and it will henceforth replace the previous term in the Taliban government’s official documents.
Hafizullah Maroof, a BBC journalist in Kabul, reported citing sources within the Taliban government that discussions about changing the name of the police were raised several months ago during a meeting of senior Taliban officials in Kandahar. According to these sources, the issue of replacing certain administrative and governmental terms was also considered at that meeting.
According to the report, Hibatullah Akhundzada instructed officials during the session to replace a number of names and terms that he believes have foreign origins with words from the national languages, Dari and Pashto. It was also emphasized that the selected terms should have an Islamic background and meaning.
Sources added that several alternatives were proposed to replace the word “police,” including the term “Satandoy,” but it was ultimately decided that “shurta” would be used as the official designation for the police force.
According to these sources, a law approved approximately two weeks ago in Kandahar has now been implemented in Kabul. In the text of the law, the word “police” has been replaced throughout with “shurta,” and relevant institutions have been instructed to apply this change in official correspondence and documentation.
Meanwhile, Zainullah Abar, head of the office of the Taliban’s Minister of Interior, has also used the term “shurta” in a video recording, an indication that the term will gradually replace “police” within the administrative and media structures of the Taliban government.
Critics of the decision argue that in the absence of legislative bodies such as a parliament, changing the names of official institutions through decisions made by a limited number of governing officials could lead to future legal debates and public backlash. They believe such changes require broader review and national consensus.
On the other hand, some experts believe that full implementation of this decision will take time, as the Ministry of Interior must update the new name on vehicles, uniforms, signage, official documents, seals, and other related equipment and materials.
Some critics have also pointed to the financial costs of the change, arguing that implementing such a plan would require significant resources. They maintain that Afghanistan currently has more pressing priorities, and the exact cost of implementing this initiative has not yet been determined.
Reports indicate that renaming the police to “shurta” is only one of several reforms in the Taliban’s new law enforcement legislation. However, details of other amendments in the law have not yet been officially released.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
