Afghanistan rejected disbanding its Ministry of Vice and Virtue, despite appeals from foreign ministers from several European countries, as well as Canada and Australia, local TOLO News reported on Sunday.

Saif-ul-Islam Khyber, spokesman for the Ministry of Vice and Virtue, said the ministry serves the needs of the Afghan people and functions under the principles of "Islamic Sharia."

He asserted that the rights of both men and women in Afghanistan are guaranteed under the Islamic law.

He urged these countries not to interfere in Afghanistan's internal affairs and criticized negative propaganda that depicted Afghanistan as the most oppressive country for women.

After two decades of war against the United States and its allies, the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan in August 2021, and since then, the Taliban have made drastic changes to the country's governing system, which has drawn criticism from different governments and the United Nations.