Taliban Militia ‘Massacred’ 13 To Silence Music In Wedding Party, Claims Ex-Afghan VP Amrullah Saleh

This comes as Afghan musicians urge the Taliban to facilitate alternative jobs for them as music is no longer allowed in the country. 

New Delhi: Former Vice President of Afghanistan, Amrullah Saleh, on Saturday claimed that the Taliban had killed thirteen people to “silence music at a wedding party” in Nangarhar province.

In a tweet, Amrullah Saleh claimed: “Taliban militiamen have massacred 13 persons to silence music in a wedding party in Nengarhar. We can't express our rage only by condemnation”.

He further targetted Pakistan for training the Taliban militants “to kill Afghan culture”.  

“For 25 years Pak trained them to kill Afg culture & replace it with ISI tailored fanaticism to control our soil. It is now in works. This regime won't last but unfortunately until the moment of its demise the Afghans will continue paying a price again,” the former vice president who currently identifies himself as the “Acting President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan” wrote.

Afghan Musicians Urge Taliban To Facilitate Alternative Jobs

This comes as Afghan musicians urge the Taliban to facilitate alternative jobs for them as music is no longer allowed in the country. 

According to a report published by TOLO News on October 21, musicians and singers complained that they have been grappling with severe economic challenges as music is no longer allowed in Afghanistan. A number of Afghan musicians also expressed concerns over their future, saying that music is the only way they can earn an income. 

“We are related to the Ministry of Information and Culture, and we live in exile and our destiny must be clear,” TOLO News quoted Ghazi, a musician, as saying. 

The musicians had to abandon their art form when the Islamic Emirate seized power in Afghanistan in August.

While the “Islamic Emirate” has so far not declared its stance toward music in Afghanistan, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid had told The New York Times in an interview in August: “Music is forbidden in Islam. But we’re hoping that we can persuade people not to do such things, instead of pressuring them”.