The Taliban are insisting that the Uzbek border town prohibit music; otherwise, Afghan traders will be prohibited from entering

Image: Jihad Watch

The idea of Afghan traders dancing at music concerts in the Uzbek border town of Termez seems to be causing sleepless nights for the Taliban regime in Kabul. 

Officials from Afghanistan’s Islamic fundamentalist Taliban government have cautioned Uzbekistan that the music must cease in the city’s new Airitom Free Economic Zone (FEZ), or Afghans will face a ban on travel to the special zone.

Currently, Afghan citizens enjoy 15-day visa-free access to Airitom, a 36-hectare duty-free area located near the "Freedom Bridge," which crosses the Amu-Darya river, marking the border between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan.

If the Taliban’s objections to the musical events violating their "morality laws" aren't addressed, the future of the Airitom FEZ could be at risk.

Constructed at a cost of $70 million by private holding Afka, owned by Jahongir Artikkhodjayev, a prominent businessman and former mayor of Tashkent, the zone features four large retail blocks, a hospital, and even a Hilton hotel.

In late August, the Taliban formalized morality laws for their Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, including a ban on playing music in vehicles, restrictions on women traveling without male guardians, and a prohibition on media outlets displaying images of living beings.

(This Article was originally published by Jihad Watch)