The Taliban on Wednesday banned all political parties in Afghanistan, stating that such activities are against Islamic law, or Sharia.
The move comes a day after the de facto Afghan leaders marked the second anniversary of returning to power in Kabul.
Abdul Hakim Sharaee, the Taliban minister of justice, announced the ban at a news conference in the Afghan capital, Kabul.
“Political parties’ activities have been completely stopped in the country because neither do these parties have any standing in Sharia, any place in Sharia nor are any national interests attached to these parties or the nation liked them,” Interim Minister for Justice, Shaikh Maulavi Abdul Hakeem Sharae said while presenting annual report of his ministry in Kabul, according to a statement issued by the Afghan Taliban’s media outlet.
The statement demonstrates that the Afghan Taliban may continue to monopolise power as a movement and have no intention of allowing political plurality in the country.