Taliban ban smartphone for officials

KABUL:

Afghanistan's Taliban government has ordered a nationwide ban on civil servants' smartphone use, a military court order showed, prompting warnings from rights activists that the move could further restrict access to information.

The court order seen by Reuters states that smartphone use by "all officials of the military and civilian institutions, including judges" will be prohibited from June 16. Violators will have their cellphones smashed and face punishment under the law, the order said.

The Taliban administration did not respond to a request for comment.

Government employees said the restriction had already disrupted official work, while at least one provincial authority has announced an immediate implementation of the ban. "The impact has been so significant that many administrative processes have effectively come to a halt, because most official work was previously carried out through mobile phones, WhatsApp, and email," a government employee said.

The governor of Panjshir province said in a statement the ban would be implemented inside all its offices.