Human Rights | Doctors tell the Telegraph and Afghanistan International the Taliban banned corneal transplants, denying hundreds of patients sight-saving surgery

ACW | October 28, 2026 — Doctors in Afghanistan told The Telegraph and Afghanistan International that the Taliban have ruled corneal transplants incompatible with Islamic teachings and ordered surgeons to stop performing them.

The Telegraph reported on Tuesday, October 27, that Taliban officials do not consider the operation permitted under Islamic teachings. It did not name the officials or give the date of the order. One doctor told the paper the instruction was given verbally and that staff fear "severe punishment" for defying it.

Dr Noor Zaman Hashim of Noor Eye Hospital in Kabul said the hospital had carried out 90 transplants in recent months and has a growing waiting list. The Telegraph reports that a programme run by the Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America (APPNA) had enabled more than 150 operations in Afghanistan this year, and that three Afghan ophthalmologists were trained in Peshawar to perform them.

Afghanistan International, also citing doctors, reported that the order halted a newly launched programme offering free treatment to needy patients, and that hundreds of patients have been denied treatment that could restore their sight.

Published reports contain no response from the Taliban authorities.

Background: In December 2024, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported that the Taliban had banned transplants of vital organs such as the heart, kidneys and lungs, calling them "un-Islamic"; that report did not mention corneas. ACW earlier reported on Taliban orders on treating women without a mahram in Kandahar hospitals.

Why it matters: According to the Telegraph, the ban is part of a series of edicts restricting health care since 2021; doctors say hundreds of patients a year will be denied the operation.

ACW will continue to follow this story.

Sources: The Telegraph (Yahoo News copy) — Taliban forbids "un-Islamic" sight-saving operations; Afghanistan International — Doctors: Taliban have banned corneal transplant operations

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