Taliban Supreme Leader says obeying his orders is ‘obligatory’

KABUL (Khaama Press): The Taliban supreme leader in a meeting with judges stated that enforcing Sharia law and obeying his orders are “Wajib” and stressed that the judges should not hesitate in implementing Hadd and Qisas.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s spokesperson, described the judges’ meeting with Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban’s supreme leader, and quoted him as instructing them to apply Hadd and Qisas punishments in cases that meet the conditions.
Implementing the Hadd and Qisas is “Wajib (obligatory),” Mullah Hibatullah told the judges, adding that following his directives is also obligatory. “The cases of thieves, kidnappers, and seditionists should be carefully investigated,” Mujahid tweeted, citing the Taliban supreme leader. In Islamic jurisprudence, an act is deemed to be wajib if it is a religious obligation, a duty that Muslims must execute, or else it is sinful.
Hadd offenses which are apostasy, rebellion against the ruler, theft, highway robbery, adultery, blasphemy, and drinking alcohol are punishable by death, amputation of hands and feet, whipping, and other severe punishments under Islamic law. By using Qisas, the Taliban’s leader emphasized the Islamic principle of retributive justice, sometimes known as “eye for an eye,” which calls for a punishment analogous to and equivalent to the office under Islamic Sharia.
Mujahid, however, has not explained further if the Taliban supreme leader’s assertion implied modifications in the monitoring and adjudication of criminal cases.