A directive circulating on social media under the emblem of Afghanistan’s Supreme Court ordered all military and civilian government employees to stop using smartphones from June 17, with exemptions requiring approval from the supreme leader.

“All the heads of departments in their respective provinces are advised to inform their staff, higher-ranking or lower-ranking, that using smartphones is strictly banned effective 17 June,” the document stated.

The Supreme Court did not respond to requests for comment, while government spokespersons also declined to publicly address the reported measure.

The order appeared to take effect in several provinces, with government workers describing immediate efforts to comply. In Ghazni province, officials were instructed to discontinue smartphone use and rely instead on telephone calls and email for official communication.

Messages seen by AFP showed local administrators informing staff that the ban was being implemented under instructions attributed to the supreme leader.

A municipal employee in Ghazni, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons, said workers had been warned that violating the order could result in dismissal and legal consequences.

In the northeastern province of Badakhshan, a government information department employee said officials had been informed verbally that anyone found using a smartphone could face up to six months in prison.

The move has generated concern among public servants who rely heavily on mobile applications for routine administrative tasks. Several employees said communication, data sharing and coordination could become considerably more difficult without access to smartphones.

A transport department official said WhatsApp had become an essential tool for monitoring cargo movements and coordinating logistics across the province.

“Now, with this ban, our work can be disrupted and can even be made impossible,” he said.

Teachers also expressed concern about the impact on education. One teacher said his smartphone was temporarily confiscated before being returned with instructions not to bring it to work again.

He said messaging applications had enabled communication with students regarding coursework, assignments and classroom concerns.

An employee of the provincial education department said smartphone-based artificial intelligence tools had helped him translate official correspondence between Dari and Pashto, facilitating communication with ministries and government agencies.

The extent of nationwide implementation remained unclear, as several government departments continued to publish updates through WhatsApp groups on Wednesday afternoon.

The Taliban administration, which has governed Afghanistan since returning to power in 2021, has introduced a series of restrictions under its interpretation of Islamic law. Authorities have previously imposed limits on internet access and telecommunications services.

Last year, broadband services were restricted in several provinces before internet and phone networks were temporarily shut down nationwide, disrupting banking services, transportation systems and hospital operations before communications were restored.

The smartphone ban, if enforced uniformly across government institutions, would represent one of the most significant restrictions yet on digital communication within Afghanistan’s public sector.

The planned changes would affect workers across the Department of Health and Human Services, including staff involved in shaping public health policy, regulation and research oversight, the sources said. The move follows Trump’s campaign pledge to reclassify certain federal employees viewed by his advisers as exercising significant influence over government policy.

The proposal is tied to a revived version of “Schedule F,” a federal employment category first introduced during Trump’s first term that would allow agencies to remove some career civil servants from traditional job protections. Critics said the measure could expose career officials to politically motivated dismissals, while supporters argued it would increase accountability within the federal bureaucracy.

Employees at agencies overseen by HHS, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health, could be affected depending on how individual positions are classified, the sources said.

The administration has not publicly disclosed how many employees may lose protections or which roles would be targeted first. HHS did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Trump and allies have argued that career officials across federal agencies have obstructed presidential priorities and insulated policy decisions from elected leadership. During the 2024 election campaign, Trump repeatedly pledged to reshape the federal workforce and remove what he described as entrenched bureaucratic resistance within government institutions.

Federal employee unions and governance watchdog groups have opposed the effort, warning it could weaken the independence of scientific and regulatory agencies responsible for public health oversight, drug approvals and medical research funding.

The issue is expected to draw legal and political scrutiny as the administration moves to implement broader changes across the federal workforce.