Women in Afghanistan have been banned from appearing in television dramas under new rules imposed by the Taliban government. At the same time, female journalists and presenters have been ordered to wear headscarves on screen. It is nothing unusual when a fundamentalist force
takes control of a country, it will try its best to implement religious fundamental rules and regulations for its own existence. The Taliban are not an exception. We do remember the previous Taliban rule when they decreed (on September 30, 1996) that all women should be banned from employment. At that time 25 percent of government employees were women, and the number was not thin in the private sector. It was a big hit for the fragile economic structure, and a big loss for those whom the employed women served. The women were barred from education too. Now history repeats itself.
After the Taliban seized power in mid-August 2021 following backtracking of the US and allied forces, they started imposing harsh restrictions. First they instructed girls and young women to stay home from educational institutions. Now, the latest set of Taliban guidelines include the banning of films considered against the principles of Sharia. What’s of grave concern is that some of the rules are not practical. If these new Taliban rules are implemented, broadcasters may be forced to close. That means, it is not only against women but also against the freedom of media and freedom of expression. A few months ago, the Afghan women tried to register their protest against impractical rules and regulations but were beaten and dispersed by the security personnel. At one stage, several women football players and athletes fled to Pakistan.
The Taliban are not interested in giving general people, especially the women, the facilities that are allowed in Islamic laws. The current political and economic situation is not good in the country. There are many armed rebel groups active against the Taliban government. The financial condition is so weak that the Afghan central bank is unable to fund even tiny projects. The government has already appealed for food and help to the world community. Thousands of Afghan people have been driven out of their ancestral homes and many have taken shelter in foreign countries. Creating an inhuman situation inside the country by killing the dissidents and barring the women from education and jobs, it is not possible for the country to move ahead in the 21st century. The US and its allied force’s backtrack has created such an obnoxious situation in Afghanistan.
