Taliban’s killing of a local comedian in Kandahar, after humiliating and slapping him on the face, has sparked a nationwide condemnation among social media users and Afghan political figures.
The Taliban militants arrested the comedian, namely Nazar Mohammad Khasha, on July 22, in Dand district of the southern Kandahar province and then shot him dead. A video filmed before his death shows that the Taliban militants humiliate and slap him on the face inside a vehicle.
The video is now circulating widely on social media with everyone expressing pains, lamentation, and condemnation against the act of the Taliban militants.
Some high ranking government officials interpreted the Taliban’s act against freedom of speech, an insult to the human’s dignity, and a sign indicating the Taliban unchanging behavior since militant ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001.
First Vice President Amrullah Saleh, interpreted the death of the local comedian as an attempt to silence the society and suppress the people who dare to raise questions. He urged the Afghan artists and civil society activists to raise their voice against such act.
Slapping Khasha Kandahari on the face is equal to slapping all the Afghan people and an insult to the humanity and human’s dignity, wrote Sarwar Danish, Second Vice President on his Facebook page.
MP Arif Rahmani, who represents Ghazni province in the Parliament, said the Taliban’s killings and slapping of Khasha not only suggest any change in Taliban’s behavior, but indicates that they know nothing about humanity and kindness. “A slap on Khasha’s face was a slap on the face of culture, art, happiness, life, and humanity.”
“We will not forget Khasha and his oppressed looking. He would cultivate happiness in the painful heart of this land,” Homeira Qaderi, an author and human right activist, tweeted.
