Taliban Information Minister Issues Directive to Poets in Parwan
Sheer Ahmad Haqqani, the Taliban’s Minister of Information and Culture, announced at the 14th Gol Arghawan Poetry Festival in Parwan province that poets should not incorporate “any subject” into their poetry and that their compositions must align with the values endorsed by the Taliban administration. According to an official statement, he emphasized that reflecting the activities and perspectives of the Taliban administration is a responsibility of poets.
Atiqullah Azizi, the deputy minister, also stated that poets should express “the achievements of this regime and the sacrifices of the martyrs” through poetry, and compose verses about the Taliban’s combat and suicide forces. These remarks come amid widespread restrictions imposed on cultural and artistic activities in the country over recent months.
The Gol Arghawan Festival, which has a history of more than a decade, was traditionally held every spring on the Arghandi hill in Parwan. However, the Taliban administration has renamed it the “Gol Arghawan Poetry Festival.” Following the enforcement of the law on promoting virtue and preventing vice and the ban on live broadcast images, the ministry has only released a photograph of the event’s stage.
Additionally, in early September last year, Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada ratified the “Poetry Regulation Law,” which prohibits writing romantic poems, praising a beloved, and criticizing his decrees and decisions. The Ministry of Information and Culture has been designated as the authority responsible for enforcing this law — a move that many cultural figures view as further constricting freedom of expression and literary creativity.
