The de facto Department of Information and Culture in Kandahar province has announced a sweeping prohibition on public attendance at traditional desert fairs, warning that assemblies held in remote peripheral areas will face immediate legal action.
According to a formal press release issued by the department, the restrictive measure was enacted in response to numerous public grievances and complaints regarding escalating criminal incidents, moral violations, and unlawful activities occurring during these events.
De facto security forces have been instructed to enforce the ban strictly, prohibiting organizers from staging public fairs in the province’s desert regions and threatening legal consequences for any violations.
Heightened Restrictions on Public Assembly
The prohibition reflects the de facto administration’s ongoing efforts to clamp down on informal cultural and recreational gatherings outside urban centers. Over the past year, provincial authorities have systematically increased oversight of public events, restricting entertainment, curbing cultural gatherings, and expanding the enforcement of social mandates across southern provinces.
Local residents and vendors who relied on these seasonal fairs for commerce note that the blanket ban eliminates one of the few remaining recreational outlets in the region, further narrowing public civic space under de facto rule.