In an official letter issued on Monday, October 28, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has prohibited all permanent and sub-contracted employees of the foreign ministry of making political and security related comments on social media.
In a letter issued by the MFA’s political deputy, Idress Zaman, the ministry has ordered all its employees and Afghan embassies in abroad not comment on security and political issues.
Any employee who makes political comments will be punished, the letter read.
Reacting against the letter, NAI, an organization supporting open media in Afghanistan, described it against freedom of speech in the country.
“This order is in contradiction to the article 34 of Constitution that guarantee the freedom of speech,” part of NAI’s statement, issued on Tuesday, October 29, read.
Executive director of the media watchdog, Abdul Mujib Khalwatgar, regarded to the move as an attempt to restrict the freedom of expression, notifying that every institution needs to make its policies in line with the country’s endorsed laws.
NAI further asked the MFA to provide clarifications on why the ministry violated the laws.
The ministry has recently come under attention as the differences between president Ghani and former minister, Sallahuddin Rabbani, who resigned few days ago, suffered.
President Ghani separately met with deputy ministers of the MFA, including Idrees Zaman, on Monday night, October 28.
According to the presidential palace, the deputy ministers offered their plans for bringing reforms in the ministry and briefed Ghani in details.
