The Taliban leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada, said on Sunday that democracy has come to an end in Afghanistan and there was no need for Western laws at all since sharia was already in effect.
“Democracy has come to an end in Afghanistan, and sharia is in effect,” said Akhundzada during a sermon marking Eid ul-Fitr in Kandahar’s Eidgah Mosque.
“There is no need for laws that originate from the West. We will create our own laws,” Akhundzada said, speaking in Pashto while emphasising the importance of Islamic laws.

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Akhundzada also criticised the West, saying ‘non-believers’ had united against Muslims and that the U.S. and others were united in their hostility toward Islam, citing the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
He added that those who supported democracy were trying to create a divide between the people of Afghanistan and the Taliban government.
The 50-minute audio of Akhundzada’s message was published on X by the Taliban government’s chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid.

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Akhundzada has taken a stronger hand in directing policy since the Taliban regained control of the country in 2021 even though some officials had initially promised a more moderate rule.

The Taliban’s interpretation of sharia has led to several bans on Afghan women and girls, prohibiting them from education, many jobs, and public spaces. These measures have drawn a flak and isolated the Taliban on the world stage, although they have succeeded in establishing diplomatic ties with countries including China and the United Arab Emirates.

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Some senior figures in the Afghanistan administration, though, criticise the Taliban leadership’s decision-making and concentration of power, but there is no challenge to the latter’s authority.

Some Taliban want more engagement with the international community and seek the scrapping of harsh policies to get more outside support. In recent months, however, there has been increased engagement between the Taliban and the U.S. under President Donald Trump, mostly because of prisoner exchanges and releases.

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(With inputs from agencies)