In recent months, Kabul residents have turned to the spectacle of public executions, amputations and floggings as virtually their sole form of entertainment.
Television is banned.
There is no music, apart from verses from the Koran, sung without instrumental accompaniment. Kabul's 16 cinemas have been closed, and football supporters are prohibited from barracking, which the Muslim fundamentalist Government says might disturb people at prayer. The pre-execution entertainment had consisted of the flogging of two young men who had been caught drinking whisky, much to the amusement of the crowd. Then Wali Mohammed, hands tied and feet in chains, was made to kneel as his victim's brother shot him three times with a Kalashnikov automatic rifle. As the gunshots rang out, the crowd surged out of the stands, eager for a closer look at the dead man.