Kabul – A report by the United Nations Security Council has given a sobering analysis of life under the current regime in Afghanistan.
The sixteenth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team addresses a system of politics characterized by centralized ideological governance, the power of which is concentrated in the hands of Hibatullah Akhundzada in Kandahar.
Instead of adopting formal laws or consulting the people, the leadership governs by religious edicts, which permeate all nooks and crannies of the land.
This dictatorial strategy has led to a strict atmosphere in which critical thinking is not accepted, and those who express their opinion, even government officials, are detained or exiled.
Power Struggles and Public Hardship
The leadership is showing a united front, but the UN recognizes there are deep cracks within the background.
There is a strain between the hardliners in Kandahar and more realistic members of Kabul, including Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, who has raised concerns about failures in governance.
However, the pursuit of centralized ideological governance means that ideological purity always comes first.
This was evident when authorities who favored the education of girls were fired. To the common citizen, this is the existence under a government that does not consult with them, as is the case with the abrupt and abrupt national internet blackout in October 2025.
The Transformation of Education
The reengineering of the school system is perhaps the most enduring effect of the existing regime. Education has become indoctrinating, and the programs have been rewritten to exclude references to human rights, morals, and civic virtues.
At least 18 academic subjects have been completely prohibited, among them political science and sociology.
The continued prohibition of the education of girls is still a sore subject of debate, since it contravenes the local customs and endangers the economic future of the nation.
This form of centralized ideological governance focuses on the establishment of religious madrassas rather than on the modern school, draining the intellectual diversity of the nation.
A Fragile Economic and Security Outlook
The human cost of this system is staggering, with unemployment sitting at roughly 75 percent, and the majority of the population relying on international aid to survive.
Security-wise, even though there has been a reduction in large-scale violence, over 20 terrorist groups are still operational in the country.
The UN report concludes that an order of sorts has been imposed, but it is based on repression and not actual legitimacy.
