The Taliban’s Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs has announced that it will no longer sign agreements with Sweden-linked entities.
In a Pashto statement on Thursday, citing recent incidents of burning of the Quran in Sweden, the group’s ministry said that Muslim’s feelings around the world had been hurt.
The statement said that seven Sweden backed projects in the country will not be implemented.
The burning of copies of the Quran by two people in Stockholm last month triggered widespread condemnations and protests in the Muslim world. In response, the Taliban banned all Swedish activities in Afghanistan.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s long-time spokesman, stated in a statement that unless Sweden issues an apology, the suspension of activities by Sweden and Swedish organisations will continue.
The Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA), which has been operating in Afghanistan since 1980, is one of the organisations affected by the group’s decision.
In a statement on Tuesday, the SCA stated that it is not a Swedish government entity and was seeking clarification from the Taliban.
