Hibatullah Akhundzada said yesterday in a training seminar for officials of the Taliban’s Finance Ministry that anyone assigned to a position is “obliged” to learn the Sharia rulings related to that job.
He urged Taliban officials to prioritize “public interest” over “personal gain” and to treat people with kindness rather than harshness.
Hibatullah said: “Do not make people lose hope in the mercy of Almighty God. If you want to bring honor to Islam, associate with respected religious scholars. The people in your gatherings should be righteous.”
Akhundzada, who has not appeared in public, added that Taliban officials should not close their doors to the people and stressed that citizens must have access to them and be able to observe their policies closely.
The Taliban leader recommended that responsibilities should not be given to unqualified individuals and that there should be no delays in addressing people’s affairs.
He also urged officials to listen to the advice of religious scholars, heed their counsel, and treat them with respect.
According to Hamdullah Fitrat, the two-day seminar was attended by the Taliban’s finance minister along with his deputies, provincial finance officials, the head of jihadist madrassas, the Taliban governor of Kandahar, heads of the group’s departments in the province, and a number of “religious scholars.”
