Atmar condemns anti-Persian remarks by Taliban official

Muhammad Hanif Atmar, the former acting foreign minister, has condemned what he called “hate speech” against the identity, ethnic groups and languages of the people of Afghanistan, in response to remarks by a Taliban administration official about the country’s languages.

Without naming the official, he said insulting the language or identity of any section of the Afghan people, as well as any form of “chauvinism and monopolisation,” harms social cohesion and national unity.

Atmar also pointed to the 2004 constitution, stressing that linguistic and cultural diversity in Afghanistan is considered a “national asset.”

His remarks came after comments by a Taliban administration official about the country’s languages drew reactions. Afghanistan is a multilingual and multiethnic society, and issues of language and identity are among the sensitive topics in the country’s political and social sphere.