Taliban authorities dissolved the United States (US)-backed Human Rights Commission in Afghanistan and other five key departments on Monday as the country faces an economic crisis.
The Afghan government’s spokesman Inamullah Samangani told Reuters, “These departments were not deemed necessary and were not included in the budget, they have been dissolved.”
However, he added that these departments could be reactivated in the future “if needed”.
The announcement was made in the country’s first annual budget since the Taliban takeover. The budget stated that Afghanistan faces a budget deficit of 44 billion Afghanis ($501 million) this financial year.
Samangani said the budget was “based on objective facts” and intended only for departments that had been active and productive.
The High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR), the National Security Council, and the commission for overseeing the implementation of the Afghan Constitution have also been dissolved. It is pertinent to mention that HCNR was last headed by former Chief Executive Officer of Afghanistan Abdullah Abdullah who was working to negotiate peace between the US-backed government of former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and the then-insurgent Taliban.
Last week, the Taliban ordered women to cover themselves from head to toe in public, expanding a series of oppressive restrictions on women.
