Taliban authorities in Parwan province say they have burned about 500 musical instruments collected from across the province, while officials in neighbouring Laghman reported destroying more than 100 instruments.
Afghanistan’s National Television, a broadcaster controlled by the Taliban, reported on Tuesday that morality police in Parwan had gathered the instruments over the past year from the provincial centre and surrounding districts. The report said a Taliban committee later set the items on fire.
Abdul Mojib Hanafi, a Taliban morality official in Parwan, said the instruments included harmoniums, tablas, tombaks, dafs, loudspeakers and other audio equipment. He added that hundreds of musical instruments had previously been destroyed in the province.
Since returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban have banned the production and listening of music. Over the past four years, authorities have detained dozens of people accused of producing, broadcasting or listening to music and have destroyed thousands of musical instruments and sound systems.
Taliban officials have also warned hotel owners across Afghanistan to prevent music from being played at social gatherings. The group considers music production and performance to be forbidden and has removed fine arts faculties from the education system.
