RASC News Agency: The Taliban has announced the closure of six additional real estate offices in Kabul, subjecting their operators to interrogation and legal scrutiny as part of an ongoing crackdown on property businesses. In a statement issued on Thursday, March 27, the Taliban’s Ministry of Justice confirmed that its Supervisory Commission for Real Estate Affairs and Petition Writers, under the General Directorate of Administration, inspected and shut down 131 real estate offices across Kabul in February. The closures, the statement noted, were carried out under direct orders from the Minister of Justice.
According to reports, the Taliban forcibly sealed many of these offices, with several business owners arrested and detained without due process. Earlier, it was revealed that the Taliban had ordered real estate office owners to remove all photographs from their premises and fully comply with the group’s strict regulations. Affected business owners have since voiced grievances, accusing the Taliban of arbitrary enforcement, mistreatment, and economic repression. In its latest move, the Taliban justified the closure of six additional offices by claiming they were involved in illegal activities. However, independent sources suggest that these enforcement actions are often driven by ideological motives rather than legal violations.
The Taliban is known for shutting down businesses that fail to display the group’s flag or whose owners do not conform to their rigid personal grooming standards, such as growing a beard. Observers argue that these closures are not based on legitimate regulatory oversight but rather reflect the Taliban’s authoritarian approach to economic control. With little understanding of proper governance, the group is accused of weaponizing bureaucracy to impose ideological dominance, systematically dismantling businesses and livelihoods under the pretense of law enforcement.
