The key facts

  • The ban was announced on October 27 by the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and covers the use, production, import, sale and distribution of pyrotechnics
  • Previously, the restriction applied only at night (from 9:00 PM to 7:00 AM) in certain cities, including Kabul
  • Specific punishments for violators have not been specified

Complete ban on fireworks

The government of Afghanistan has completely banned the use of fireworks, firecrackers and other types of pyrotechnics at weddings and festive events across the country. The relevant order was announced on October 27 by the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, as reported by Pajhwok Afghan News. The ban covers not only the use, but also the production, import, sale, purchase and distribution of pyrotechnic products.

What changes compared to the previous rules

This is not the first attempt by the authorities to restrict pyrotechnics, but the new measure noticeably expands the previous framework: previously the ban applied only in certain cities, including Kabul, and only at night — from 9:00 PM to 7:00 AM. Now the restriction has become nationwide and around the clock. According to the authorities, violators will face measures in accordance with the country's legislation and Sharia norms; specific punishments have not been specified. The ministry justified the decision by saying that loud explosion sounds cause fear and psychological stress, affecting children, women, the elderly and hospital patients especially severely.

Context: a series of bans since 2021

The ban on pyrotechnics fits into a years-long series of restrictions previously reported by Gazeta.uz: at various times, playing chess, the use of smartphones by civil servants, women appearing in public places with their faces uncovered, teaching books written by women at universities, and listening to music in cars were banned, and ministers were prohibited from meeting with foreign diplomats. In December 2022, the Ministry of Higher Education ordered the suspension of female students' education at universities, and in July 2023 the Taliban leadership ordered all women's beauty salons to be closed. According to UNICEF, after the ban on girls' education from the sixth grade onward, by August 2026 more than 2.6 million Afghan girls have been deprived of the opportunity to receive a secondary education.