Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities ordered all Afghan women to wear head-to-toe garments in public on Saturday, confirming rights campaigners’ worst concerns and complicating Taliban relations with an already hostile international world. According to the order, women should leave the house only when absolutely necessary, and male relatives who violate the clothing code would face penalties ranging from a summons to court hearings and jail time.
It was the latest in a series of severe edicts issued by the Taliban leadership, not all of which were carried out. For example, the Taliban barred women from traveling alone last month, but after a day of protest, this was quietly ignored. The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan expressed grave worry over what seemed to be a formal instruction that would be adopted and enforced, adding that it would seek clarity from the Taliban regarding the decision.
‘This decision defies many guarantees offered to the international community by Taliban leaders during conversations and negotiations over the last decade guaranteeing respect for and preservation of all Afghans’ human rights, including those of women and girls,’ it said in a statement. Women were subjected to similar restrictions under the Taliban’s previous regime, which lasted from 1996 to 2001. ‘We want our ladies to live in dignity and safety,’ said Khalid Hanafi, interim minister for the Taliban’s vice and virtue ministry.
The Taliban previously opted against reopening schools for females above the sixth grade, breaking a previous pledge and choosing to please their hard-line supporters at the price of further alienating the international world. However, this directive is not widely supported by a leadership divided between pragmatists and hardliners. This move jeopardized the Taliban’s efforts to gain recognition from possible international donors at a time when the country is suffering from a rising humanitarian catastrophe.
The Taliban were deposed by a US-led coalition in 2001 for harboring al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, but they reclaimed control following America’s tumultuous exit last year. The White House National Security Council criticized the Taliban’s order on Saturday and asked them to revoke it immediately. ‘This is being discussed with other countries and partners. The Taliban’s international credibility and support are totally dependent on their activities, notably their ability to back up stated promises with deeds’, It said in a statement.
The Taliban leadership has been arguing among itself since gaining control in August, as they attempt to adapt from combat to governance. It has pitted hardliners against the more pragmatic among them. Pangea, an Italian non-governmental group that has been assisting women in Afghanistan for years, said the new edict would be especially difficult for them to stomach because they had lived in relative freedom before the Taliban takeover.
Since the Taliban’s return, girls have been barred from attending school past the sixth grade in the majority of the country. Universities opened earlier this year across parts of the nation, although Taliban edicts have been inconsistent since assuming power. While a few provinces continued to give education to all, the majority of provinces shuttered educational facilities for girls and women. According to Hashmi, the religiously motivated Taliban leadership is concerned that admitting girls beyond the sixth grade may alienate its rural base. Private schools and universities have operated in Kabul, the capital.
Post Your Comments