In a controversial move, the Taliban’s Prime Minister Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund has appointed Ikramuddin Maftoon, a well-known propaganda poet, as the Head of Revenue and Accounting for Jalalabad Municipality. Maftoon, who gained fame during the insurgency for his praise-filled anthems under the alias “Maftoon Gharq o Parq,” officially assumed his office on February 9 .
The appointment has sparked widespread criticism across social media and among local residents. Critics argue that while countless educated and specialized Afghan youth are suffering from unemployment, the Taliban group is handing over crucial technical positions to individuals whose only qualification is their ideological loyalty and history of reciting poetry for the group .
Observers believe this decision highlights the Taliban’s disregard for technocratic expertise in favor of rewarding loyalists. Many say that placing a poet in charge of municipal finances demonstrates that the group values poetic praise more than actual administrative efficiency, raising concerns about future mismanagement in Nangarhar’s local governance .
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