The Taliban’s Ministry of Interior has announced that, under an order from Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, the official title “Traffic Police” has been changed to “Shurta-ye Obour wa Morour” (Traffic Constabulary).
The new designation appeared for the first time in an official public notice issued on Monday. The notice also announced a ban on nighttime travel by tractors, rickshaws and other vehicles without functioning lights on highways.
The Taliban have not officially explained the reason for the change. However, sources say the move is part of a broader directive by Hibatullah Akhundzada to replace certain administrative terms with expressions he considers to have a stronger Islamic character.
The Taliban have previously renamed the Border Police as the Border Constabulary and removed the word “National” from the titles of several government institutions.
Official documents show that the National Statistics and Information Authority was renamed the General Statistics and Information Authority, while the National Examination Authority became the General Examination Authority.
Sources have also told Afghanistan International that the Taliban leader is seeking to rename the state broadcaster “National Television” as “Voice of Sharia.” However, that report has not been officially confirmed.
