A Taliban leader who created headlines on Friday by saying that the Taliban would reintroduce strict punishments and execution has also said that television and smartphones were a necessity in today’s advanced world and the Taliban would not ban them.
Mullah Nooruddin Turabi made both statements in the same interview to the Associated Press.
Mullah Turabi was the justice minister and the head of the Ministry of Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in the former Taliban government that lasted from 1996 to 2001.
In the interview, he defended the implementation of strict punishments under Sharia and said the Afghan government would reapply harsh sentences, including hand-chopping, because the implementation of Sharia is important for security and has a role to play in preventing crime.
Turabi said the strict punishments would be applied after the government formulates a policy and decides whether the punishments should be imposed in public.
Under the previous Taliban regime, executions were carried out in stadiums where thousands gathered to witness.
‘Taliban have changed’
Most media outlets highlighted only one part of the Taliban leader’s interview that revolved around strict punishments. Turabi, however, also spoke about how the Taliban had changed.
He said the Taliban would allow television, smartphones, videos, and photos “because this is the necessity of the people, and we are serious about it.” He said these digital media devices could help the Taliban to spread their message and allow them to reach thousands instead of hundreds.
“Turabi was notorious for ripping music tapes from cars, stringing up hundreds of meters of destroyed cassettes in trees and signposts,” the Associated Press said adding that he imposed turbans and beards on men and banned all sports.
For the interview, Turabi spoke to a woman journalist, said the news agency.
The Associated Press also said that some Kabul residents admitted that the capital had become safer after the Taliban takeover.
“Before the Taliban takeover, bands of thieves roamed the streets, and relentless crime had driven most people off the streets after dark,” the American news agency said.
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