RASC News Agency: Local sources in Kandahar report that Mawlawi Karimullah Faqir, the head of the Taliban’s Department for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, has issued threats of punishment against journalists during a recent meeting. According to sources, on Monday, September 16, Mawlawi Faqir demanded that journalists cease publishing any negative or critical reports regarding the Taliban’s governance and activities.
He warned that the dissemination of what he described as false or negative news about the Taliban would result in grave consequences. Journalists who fail to comply with the group’s directives would face severe repercussions. Faqir further emphasized that no media outlet or journalist is permitted to overstep their boundaries or publish anything that might tarnish the Taliban’s image.
Over the past three years, agents of the Taliban’s Virtue Department have persistently monitored media operations, frequently detaining and punishing journalists for critical reporting. As a rigidly ideological and extremist group, the Taliban maintain the belief that all of their actions and decrees are infallible and should not be questioned. This perspective reflects a deeply entrenched tribal mindset, where the authority of tribal elders is absolute, leaving no space for critique or dissent. The Taliban’s approach to governance mirrors this tribal system, treating the nation as a collective under the rule of a hierarchical and unquestionable tribal leadership.
