Local sources have confirmed that a folk singer identified as Muslim Nuristani along with his brother was killed by unknown gunmen Monday in the eastern Nuristan province.
According to one source, Nuristani and his brother were shot dead near their home in the Mandol district.
Muslim Nuristani was a popular folk singer who often entertained people in local wedding ceremonies in the district but also attended music shows on TV. His killing has sparked widespread condemnation on social media.
In a video that is circulating on social media, Nuristani is singing and playing the traditional ghichak, a double-chambered bowl lute, while women and girls are seen cheering.
“Eid has arrived, oh people, oh friends,” he sings livelily. “Congratulations to people in Kabul jan, to people in Nuristan, to people in Afghanistan.”
Following the take over of the Taliban in August 2021, the folk singer fled to Pakistan. But he had recently returned to his district and resumed a normal life.
Saifuddin Latun, Taliban’s spokesman for the Nuristan governor, confirmed the killing and stated that an investigation has begun by officials into the matter.
The motive behind the Monday killing is unclear.
However, the Taliban clamped down on music and called it haram or “forbidden” in Islam in the months following the takeover. The group has been accused of torturing and executing several musicians since then.
Fearful of Taliban retribution, most singers and musicians fled the country, many in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad and Quetta city.
