Telephone Etiquette

Written by: Samira Haleemzai

About 5 telecommunication companies are operating in Afghanistan and millions of Afghans use mobile phones for their daily activities in this country. Some mobile phone users annoy others.

AEPO’s writer/producer has talked to some people about this issue.

Rahimgul Rahil, a resident of Paktia province says, “Once I was in a meeting and a call changed the atmosphere of the meeting. The caller and the receiver were talking so loudly on the phone that interrupted the meeting order.”

Arizo, a resident of Maidan-Wardak province says, “Some of my classmates call me at midnight and cause me problems. One night one of my classmates called me and my mother asked me about the caller and a quarrel took place between me and my mother and this call caused my family to lose their trust in me and if someone calls me, my mother asks me to increase the volume of my cell phone.”

What do people think about the causes of this issue?

A woman who doesn’t want to mention her name, says, “Some people suspect that telephone etiquette diminishes their dignity and they do not care about it and it might cause some problems for others.”

Ajmir, a resident of Nangarhar province says, “Most people are not literate and do not know when to call and what to say on the phone and they might cause problems for others.”

How do people solve this issue?

Rahim Shan, a resident of Ahmad Shahbaba Mena, district 12, Kabul city says, “When I am busy or I am in a meeting and could not answer the phone, I keep my phone on silent mode and I reply all calls in my free time later.”

Raimgul Rahil says, “I live in a hostel and no one has the right to disturb others. If someone calls me, I go out of the room and talk slowly on the phone and if I am in the class and someone calls me, I leave him/her a message that I am busy now and I would call him/her later in my free time.”