‘Taliban disbands five key departments’; Includes Afghan human rights commission

Since taking over the nation, the Taliban have made a lot of changes to the administrative structure, and in a fresh round of reforms, they have chosen to entirely disband five ministries established by the previous administration. The human rights commission, a critical element of the US-backed administration, was one of the major agencies that faced the axe. The major reason for the decision was a lack of cash since the departments’ upkeep was judged ‘unnecessary’ due to the country’s budget shortfall of roughly $501 million.

‘These departments have been disbanded because they were not judged necessary and were not included in the budget,’ said Innamullah Samangani, the Taliban government’s deputy spokesperson, according to Reuters. The commission in charge of supervising the implementation of the Afghan constitution was the second key agency to lose support. After seizing control of the country in 2021, the Taliban pledged to govern in a moderate manner. However, the dissolution of these two critical agencies has raised serious concerns about the nation’s administration.

The high council for national reconciliation (HCNR) and the national security council were also among the departments that were disbanded as a result of the proposed budget. This was the Taliban government’s first national budget presentation since taking over the country in August 2021, and Samangani stated that the decisions were made ‘based on objective facts’.  The representative further stated that departments might be reactivated ‘if necessary’.