Afghan government employees stop using smartphones after alleged order from the supreme leader.

Government employees across Afghanistan have begun disabling their smartphones after an order, reportedly issued by Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, took effect on Wednesday.

A letter announcing a ban on smartphones for all government workers circulated on social media last week under the seal of the Supreme Court. The court has not responded to requests for comment.

“All heads of departments in their respective provinces are advised to inform their staff, higher‑ranking or lower‑ranking, that using smartphones is strictly banned effective 17 June,” the letter states.

The directive covers employees of both military and civilian departments, noting that any exemptions would only be granted by the supreme leader.

As of Wednesday afternoon, several central government departments were still disseminating information through WhatsApp groups.

Two spokesmen for the Afghan government did not reply to AFP’s requests for comment on the decision.

In Ghazni province, situated between Kabul and Kandahar, government workers began logging off their smartphones on Tuesday evening.

“It has been decided that from Wednesday, the use of smartphones inside all offices in Ghazni province is prohibited,” Irfan Andarh, an official from the mines and petroleum department, wrote in a WhatsApp group seen by AFP.

Referencing the supreme leader’s decision, he added that employees would be reachable “via telephone calls and email.”

A municipal worker in Ghazni, who asked to remain anonymous for security reasons, said they had been warned that anyone who uses a smartphone would be fired and face legal action.

– ‘Truly heartbreaking’ –

In the remote province of Badakhshan in northeastern Afghanistan, an employee of the provincial information department said the penalty for violating the rule was six months in prison.

“A verbal decree of the Islamic Emirate (of Afghanistan) was read out, and all heads of government departments were ordered that from today onwards, none of the employees of Taliban offices are allowed to use smartphones,” he said.

The extent of the rule’s implementation across the country and its overall impact remain unclear.

However, three government workers in Badakhshan told AFP that the ban would make their jobs difficult, speaking anonymously due to safety concerns.

A transport department employee said he had been using WhatsApp to share information on cargo movements.

“Now, with this ban, our work can be disrupted and can even be made impossible,” he said.

A teacher described the decision as “truly heartbreaking” and said his smartphone was confiscated on Wednesday, only to be returned with a warning not to carry it again.

“We need apps to stay connected with the students and hear their problems, for example, in the WhatsApp groups, they can share their classroom problems, questions related to their homework,” he said.

An employee from the provincial education department said he had been using AI tools on his smartphone to translate between his native Dari and Pashto, the language used in government communications.

“Then I would send the replies to the ministry. Now I don’t know what will happen,” he told AFP.

The Taliban authorities have governed for nearly five years according to a strict interpretation of Islamic law.

Last year, broadband access was restricted in several provinces for weeks before the government unexpectedly cut off the internet and phone networks nationwide.

Life ground to a halt for two days, paralysing banks, grounding planes and causing chaos at hospitals, before communications were restored.

AFP

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