Afghan Government Workers Ordered to Ditch Smartphones or Face Prison
Afghanistan's supreme leader has banned smartphones for all government employees, with violators facing up to six months in prison. The move has disrupted work and communication, drawing complaints from workers.
Government employees across Afghanistan have begun turning off their smartphones after a ban was imposed on Wednesday, reportedly on the orders of Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada. A letter bearing the Supreme Court emblem circulated on social media last week, announcing that smartphones are strictly banned for all military and civilian government staff as of June 17. Exemptions can only be granted by the supreme leader himself.
Despite the ban, several central government departments were still using WhatsApp groups to publish information as of Wednesday afternoon. Two government spokesmen declined to comment on the decision.
In Ghazni province, located between the capital Kabul and the seat of the supreme leader in Kandahar, officials started signing off from smartphones on Tuesday evening. Irfan Andarh, an official from the mines and petroleum department, wrote in a WhatsApp group that smartphone use is prohibited in all offices in Ghazni from Wednesday, and employees will be reachable by phone calls and email. A municipal worker who spoke anonymously for security reasons said they had been warned that anyone using a smartphone would be fired and face legal action.
In remote Badakhshan province in the northeast, an employee of the provincial information department said the penalty for breaking the rule is six months in prison. A verbal decree from the Islamic Emirate was read out, ordering that no government employee may use smartphones.
The full extent of the ban's implementation is unclear, but three government workers in Badakhshan told AFP it would hinder their work. A transport department employee said he relied on WhatsApp to coordinate cargo movements, and the ban could make his job impossible. A teacher described the decision as heartbreaking, saying his smartphone was confiscated and returned with a warning. He used apps to stay connected with students and address their problems. An education department employee said he used AI tools on his smartphone to translate between Dari and Pashto for government communications, and now he doesn't know how to proceed.
The Taliban have ruled for nearly five years under a strict interpretation of Islamic law. Last year, broadband access was restricted in several provinces for weeks, and the government cut off internet and phone networks nationwide for two days, causing widespread disruption.
