Ban on Persian Language in Offices Untrue, says Caretaker Government

DIDPress: Spokesperson of Afghanistan’s acting Interior Ministry denied reports alleging a ban on the use of Persian (Dari) in official correspondence.

Abdul Matin Qane dismissed circulating claims—attributed to Sirajuddin Haqqani—that administrative communications must be conducted exclusively in Pashto.

“The Interior Minister has directed that the spokesperson’s office and other departments conduct their correspondence in Persian to the greatest extent possible,” Qane underlined in a statement to media.

He further clarified that the caretaker government has no official policy to eliminate or restrict Persian, warning that such misinformation fuels ethnic and linguistic divisions in Afghanistan.

The denial comes amid widespread reports of Persian-language signs being removed from government offices and universities since the Taliban’s return to power.