Reward for killing; A Taliban commander became the president of Faryab University.
In clear contradiction with scientific and academic standards, the Taliban’s Ministry of Higher Education has appointed Maulvi Mohammad Mohaq, one of the group’s local commanders, as the head of Faryab University; A choice not based on academic merit, but on the extent of his involvement in the killing of former government soldiers.
Informed sources told the media that the Taliban, after consulting with local commanders, decided to appoint a person to head the scientific institution who had killed the most number of “local police” or “Arbaki” forces during the war. Accordingly, Maulvi Mohaq, who has a prominent military background in Garziwan district and is known among the Taliban for killing former security forces, was appointed to the post.
The appointment comes as Mohaq has no academic qualifications or educational background and has previously served as a military officer and accountant for enjoining good. Students at the university have expressed their dissatisfaction with the appointment, saying, “The man who killed our family has become our president today.”
Reports indicate that the Taliban have appointed people loyal to them as professors and heads of academic institutions across the country, ignoring academic standards. Analysts see this approach as part of an organized project to suppress thought, eliminate elites and weaken Afghanistan’s intellectual infrastructure.
