Taliban Removes Persian and Uzbek Languages from Faryab Power Project Plaques
Continuing its language policies, the Taliban administration has installed foundation plaques for three electricity projects in Faryab province exclusively in Pashto, with no text in Persian or Uzbek. This move has sparked reactions and concerns among the local residents.
The Taliban administration announced that these three power projects, valued at 1.12 billion Afghanis, were inaugurated in the presence of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar Akhund, Deputy Economic Minister of the Taliban Prime Minister’s office. However, the official plaques for these projects feature only the Pashto language.
Faryab, a northern Afghan province, is home to a significant number of Persian-speaking and Uzbek communities. The omission of the region’s prevalent languages from an official government document is viewed by some cultural activists as disregard for the area’s linguistic diversity and cultural identity.
Before the Taliban’s return to power, texts on plaques of government projects were typically written in the country’s two official languages, Persian (Dari) and Pashto, and occasionally included Uzbek and English. Since the Taliban’s takeover, numerous reports have emerged regarding the removal of Persian and Uzbek from signs, official correspondence, and government institutions.
Critics argue that this trend may deepen social divides and exacerbate feelings of linguistic injustice among different ethnic groups. Despite these concerns, the Taliban administration has yet to provide a clear explanation regarding the language criteria used in official documents and symbols.
