First Vice President Amrullah Saleh on Sunday said Hizb ut-Tahrir is not registered with the Ministry of Justice in Afghanistan and it does not have the right to hold gatherings or spread propaganda. 

Saleh said in a Facebook post that the Afghan government does not recognize Hizb ut-Tahrir, therefore any activity by the group is illegal. 

He added that some activists from the group have a similar mindset to those in terrorist groups. He warns supporters of Hizb ut-Tahrir to stop anti-government activity and propaganda. 

The move comes after an increase in anti-government slogans by members and supporters of Hizb ut-Tahrir in the country. 

“The party will not have the right to hold gatherings or create propaganda. In other words, this party is not recognized by the government of Afghanistan,” said Mohammad Baqir Kazimi, a member of the media office of the first vice president. 

Meanwhile, the Justice Ministry said that the mindset of members of Hizb ut-Tahrir is similar to that of terrorist groups; therefore, they are deemed as a threat to the country. 

“They have a tendency toward Daesh, they have a Daesh-like mindset as Daesh also insists on an Islamic caliphate. It is also not far from a Taliban mindset,” said the deputy minister of justice for social affairs, Zakia Adeli.

Some supporters of Hizb ut-Tahrir recently urged like-minded Afghans to establish an Islamic caliphate in Afghanistan.  

“Hizb ut-Tahrir is mostly focused on changing the mindset of youth to drive their attention toward extremist thoughts,” Adeli said. 

Sources said that Hizb ut-Tahrir operates in Kapisa, Panjshir, Baghlan, Badakhshan, Kunduz, Herat and Ghor provinces and is encouraging youth in religious education centers and universities to join the party. 

“There are some who have not felt the reality of Islam and have decided immediately and think that killing is everything,” said Mustafa Daud, a university lecturer in Baghlan.  

“There is a fear that they might have entered the (Kabul) university through different groups to inform their members about what happens in the university as a spy,” said Bahija Aman, a student.

“I found out that they are similar to some terrorist groups and that they might seek the collapse of the government; therefore, I decided not to join them,” said Mohammad Masih, a student.

Hizb ut-Tahrir is an international pan-Islamist and fundamentalist political organization that was established in 1953 and its stated aim is the re-establishment of the Islamic caliphate to unite the Muslim community and implement Shariah.