Taliban Leader Issues New Directive to Prevent Ethnic and Regional Discrimination

Hibatullah Akhundzada, the leader of the Taliban, has issued a new directive urging his forces to avoid ethnic, regional, linguistic, and tribal favoritism, and to refrain from actions that undermine trust within the Taliban ranks.

The directive emphasizes that discriminatory behaviors and intra-group biases could weaken the organizational cohesion of the Taliban and fuel internal divisions—a concern that has been highlighted in recent months amid reports of dissatisfaction in some areas.

However, critics argue that issuing such directives without clear enforcement mechanisms and accountability measures has limited practical impact, especially as the Taliban administration faces widespread accusations of structural discrimination and marginalization of various social groups.

Observers believe that if the Taliban administration seeks to reduce distrust and internal divisions, it must implement transparent and measurable actions to uphold justice, equality, and accountability at all leadership and provincial levels, in addition to issuing verbal and written orders.