The strictness launched by the Taliban in Afghanistan in the name of 'prevention of immoral activities' is now spreading throughout the country. The country's highest leadership has completely banned the fiber-optic Internet, due to which this service has been discontinued in many provinces. This is the first time the Taliban has taken such a step after coming to power in August 2021.
Due to this decision, Wi-Fi service has come to a standstill in government offices, private companies, public institutions and common homes. However, the Internet is still on through mobile data. Officials say other options are being searched for "necessary needs".
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The Balkh province located in the north confirmed the shutdown of Wi-Fi on Tuesday, while other areas of the country are also seeing serious interruptions in connectivity. On Thursday, officials from eastern and northern regions said that internet service has also been cut in Baglan, Badakhshan, Kunduz, Nangarhar and Tkhar provinces.
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Siddicullah Qureshi of the Directorate of Culture of Nangarhar confirmed the internet closure to the Associated Press. The Governor's Office of Kunduz shared this information in an official WhatsApp group.
The Afghanistan Media Support Organization has expressed serious concern by criticizing the decision. The organization said,
"This decision taken on the orders of Taliban leadership not only affects the information of millions of people and affects essential services, but it is also a big threat to freedom of expression and functioning of the media."
Earlier, the Taliban had expressed concern about online vulgarity and dialogue between men and women on the Internet. It has already prohibited girls from higher education and women working in many fields.
According to officials, this restriction is applicable only to internet services from fiber-optic networks. The Internet will still be operational through mobile networks.
A statement issued by the provincial authorities said, "This step has been taken to prevent immoral activities in the society," as well as said that options would be provided for the necessary needs.
Ministry of Communications, a spokesman for the Ministry of Communications, told Tolo News last year that the country has a fiber-optic network more than 1,800 km long, and the construction of an additional network of 488 km has been approved. Till now this service was available in most provinces of Afghanistan.
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