The Taliban’s Ministry of Interior has announced that, under an order issued by Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, the official title “Traffic Police” has been changed to “Shurta-ye Obour wa Morour” (Traffic Constabulary).
The new designation was officially introduced for the first time in a public notice released on Monday. The same notice also banned tractors, rickshaws and other vehicles without functioning lights from traveling on highways at night.
The Taliban have not provided an official explanation for the decision. However, sources say the change is part of Hibatullah Akhundzada’s broader policy of replacing government terminology with expressions he considers to have a stronger Islamic character.
The Taliban have previously changed the name of the Border Police to the Border Constabulary and removed the word “National” from the titles of several state institutions.
According to official documents, 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 familiar with the matter also told Nimruz TV that Hibatullah Akhundzada is seeking to rename Afghanistan’s state broadcaster, National Television, as “Voice of Sharia.” However, the Taliban have not officially confirmed that proposal.
