Taliban Removes ‘National’ from Names of Several Afghan Government Offices

The Taliban administration has removed the word “National” from the official titles of Afghanistan’s Central Statistics and Information Authority and the Examination Department, changing the names of these institutions. According to this decision, the “National Statistics and Information Authority” has been renamed the “General Statistics and Information Authority,” and the “National Examination Department” is now the “General Examination Department.”

Earlier, Afghanistan International reported, citing documents, that Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban leader, had banned the use of the word “National” within the administrative structure. Despite implementing this directive, the Taliban administration has yet to provide an official explanation for removing the term from department names.

Following this order, the word “National” has also been dropped from the names of several other departments, replaced instead with the term “General.” Observers view this action as part of structural and identity shifts within the country’s administrative system.

Additionally, sources within Taliban-controlled media told Afghanistan International that the group is planning to rename the “National Television” network to “Voice of Sharia.” According to these sources, all government radio stations have already been renamed “Voice of Sharia.”

In recent months, the Taliban has also changed the names of several institutions, including military corps, to Arabic terms. Critics see this trend as an indication of the administration’s growing detachment from national and inclusive concepts within the country’s administrative framework.