Tag: Taliban

  • Taliban ask female TV anchors to cover faces, male anchors wear face masks in solidarity

    Taliban ask female TV anchors to cover faces, male anchors wear face masks in solidarity

    Days after the Taliban issued an order requiring female TV presenters to cover their faces at work, their male colleagues went on air wearing face masks in solidarity. Male anchors from numerous major news organisations, including TOLO News and 1TV News, have initiated a social media campaign posting images of themselves with the hashtag #FreeHerFace.

    https://twitter.com/heatherbarr1/status/1529158595773771776

    In the pictures circulating on social media, male and female staff members of a news channel can be seen sitting together in an office full of screens, all wearing black masks.

    Male anchors of TOLO News and 1TV News went on air with their face masks on.

    Taliban officials announced earlier this month that all women and girls must leave home only when necessary and wear head-to-toe clothing when out in public.

    Read more- Taliban orders TV presenters to cover their faces on air, Twitter protests

    Taliban authorities have also prohibited girls from attending school after sixth grade, reversing previous Taliban promises that girls of all ages would be permitted to attend school.

  • Taliban orders TV presenters to cover their faces on air, Twitter protests

    Taliban orders TV presenters to cover their faces on air, Twitter protests

    Taliban authorities issued a decree on Wednesday, ordering female Afghan TV presenters and other women on screen to cover their faces while appearing on air.

    The Afghan spokesman of the Ministry for the Prevention of Vice and Promotion of Virtue announced that it will be mandatory for all women in the country to cover their faces in public, including those who appear on the screen. The new decree will take effect from 21 May, reports Reuters.

    One female Afghan journalist working for a local TV station in Kabul told BBC, “They are putting indirect pressure on us to stop us presenting on TV.”

    “How can I read the news with my mouth covered? I don’t know what to do now but I must work, I am the breadwinner of my family,” she added.

    The spokesman referred to the ruling as “advice” as it is not clear what will happen to anyone who fails to comply. “Based on information received by Tolo news, the order has been issued to all media outlets in Afghanistan.”

    The decision is being widely criticised on Twitter, many people calling it another step by the Taliban to promote extremism.

    https://twitter.com/GirlFrmKandahar/status/1527314957603586048?s=20&t=r4iohvWbRdMzY75VbhVVPQ
    https://twitter.com/Zhalsarmast/status/1527575760705204225?s=20&t=r4iohvWbRdMzY75VbhVVPQ

    https://twitter.com/GaheezSaapai/status/1527434149362946048?s=20&t=r4iohvWbRdMzY75VbhVVPQ

    It is pertinent to mention that this recent ruling has come two weeks after all women were ordered to cover themselves from head to toe in public.

  • Pakistan wants to ensure rights to the women of Afghanistan: Bilawal Bhutto

    Pakistan wants to ensure rights to the women of Afghanistan: Bilawal Bhutto

     Foreign Minister (FM) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said that Pakistan wants to ensure rights to the women of Afghanistan.

     The foreign minister in an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour said, “I see women’s rights or women’s rights to education as rights granted to us in Islam. We’ll be emphasising that the Taliban keep their international commitments and ensure rights to the women of Afghanistan because these are rights guaranteed to women in Islam,” Bilawal said when he was asked if Islamabad had engaged with the Afghan Taliban on how Muslim countries can give rights to women.

    The minister said it wasn’t an issue of the West. He also said that the first word in Quran is ‘Iqra’, which means to read. “Nowhere is it written that only men should read. We are all meant to pursue our path to education.”

    FM Bilawal said that Islamabad is looking to the Taliban regime in Afghanistan to play its role in discouraging the increase in terrorist activity on Pakistan’s side of the border.

    “We continue to not only monitor this situation but work on our side to ensure that we can try to tackle the threat of terrorism and hope that the regime in Afghanistan lives up to their international commitment to not allow their soil to be used for terrorism.”

    “We must prioritise, alleviate the humanitarian crisis, ensure there’s no economic collapse and hold the Taliban regime to the international commitments. It was not Pakistan, but the United States who had direct communication with the Taliban regime before their takeover of Kabul. Pakistan and the international community believe it will not serve any of our interests if we abandon the people of Afghanistan once again,” said Bilawal.

    “We all believe, Pakistan believes and the international community believes, they will not serve any of our interests if we abandon the people of Afghanistan, once again,” said Bilawal.

  • Taliban dissolve US-backed Human Rights Commission in Afghanistan

    Taliban dissolve US-backed Human Rights Commission in Afghanistan

    Taliban authorities dissolved the United States (US)-backed Human Rights Commission in Afghanistan and other five key departments on Monday as the country faces an economic crisis.

    The Afghan government’s spokesman Inamullah Samangani told Reuters, “These departments were not deemed necessary and were not included in the budget, they have been dissolved.”

    However, he added that these departments could be reactivated in the future “if needed”.

    The announcement was made in the country’s first annual budget since the Taliban takeover. The budget stated that Afghanistan faces a budget deficit of 44 billion Afghanis ($501 million) this financial year.

    Samangani said the budget was “based on objective facts” and intended only for departments that had been active and productive.

    The High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR), the National Security Council, and the commission for overseeing the implementation of the Afghan Constitution have also been dissolved. It is pertinent to mention that HCNR was last headed by former Chief Executive Officer of Afghanistan Abdullah Abdullah who was working to negotiate peace between the US-backed government of former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and the then-insurgent Taliban.

    Last week, the Taliban ordered women to cover themselves from head to toe in public, expanding a series of oppressive restrictions on women.

  • US to pressure Taliban if they don’t remove restrictions on women

    US to pressure Taliban if they don’t remove restrictions on women

    The United States (US) has said that it will put pressure on Afghanistan’s Taliban government if the group does not reverse some of its recent restrictions on Afghan women, reports Reuters.

    US State Department spokesperson Ned Price reported saying on Monday: “We have addressed it directly with the Taliban. We have a number of tools that, if we feel these won’t be reversed, these won’t be undone, that we are prepared to move forward with.”

    Last week, the hardline group ordered women to cover themselves from head to toe in public, expanding a series of oppressive restrictions on women that dictate nearly every aspect of public life.

    Recently, the Taliban has reportedly stopped issuing driving licenses to women. However, there has been no official confirmation. Local media reports, cited by news agencies, said verbal orders have been issued to stop giving driving licenses to women, according to the Independent UK.

    Despite the fact that the international community, has on multiple occasions, made the education of girls a key demand for any future recognition of the Taliban administration, the group has barred Afghan girls from going to school beyond the seventh grade. Moreover, they have restricted women and girls from working and have limited their travel unless accompanied by a close male relative.

  • Taliban ban Afghan women from flying without male relative

    Taliban ban Afghan women from flying without male relative

    The Taliban has informed Afghan airlines that women will not be allowed to board domestic or international flights unless accompanied by a male chaperone, Reuters has reported.

    Sources told Reuters that the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice sent a letter to airlines on Saturday informing them of the new restrictions.

    They also stated that unaccompanied women who had already purchased tickets would be permitted to travel on Sunday and Monday. According to them, some women with tickets were turned away at Kabul’s airport on Saturday.

    Previously, a Taliban administration spokesman stated that women travelling abroad to study should be accompanied by a male relative.

    Read more- ‘Taliban didn’t keep their promise’: Malala reacts to closing of girls’ high schools in Afghanistan

    Earlier, the Taliban administration ruled that no female child above the sixth grade will be allowed to attend school. The announcement came only a few hours after they reopened for the first time in nearly seven months.

  • Chinese Foreign Minister pays unannounced visit to Kabul

    Chinese Foreign Minister pays unannounced visit to Kabul

    Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister (FM) Wang Yi arrived in Kabul on Thursday after attending the three-day Organisation on of Islamic Conference (OIC) in Islamabad, which ended on Wednesday. His visit was not announced earlier.

    Yi is the first senior Chinese leader to visit Afghanistan after the Taliban’s takeover in August. He was received by Afghanistan’s acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.

    The two sides will hold talks on important issues, focusing on China’s role in stability and development, reports Afghan state-run Bakhtar News Agency.

    On March 30-31 Beijing is set to host a two-day conference to discuss the Afghan situation. It is pertinent to mention that the Taliban government is yet to be recognised by any country.

    Foreign Minister Yi last visited Kabul in 2017 after a huge bombing incident after which he tried to ease tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

    China has been involved in the Afghan peace process since the US started its withdrawal of troops in 2014. Moreover, in the past few years, Taliban political representatives have paid several visits to China.

  • ‘Taliban didn’t keep their promise’: Malala reacts to closing of girls’ high schools in Afghanistan

    ‘Taliban didn’t keep their promise’: Malala reacts to closing of girls’ high schools in Afghanistan

    Nobel Laureate and Women’s Education Rights Activist Malala Yousafzai has reacted to the closing of girls’ high schools in Afghanistan. Taking to Twitter, Malala wrote, “I had one hope for today: that Afghan girls walking to school would not be sent back home. But the Taliban did not keep their promise. They will keep finding excuses to stop girls from learning – because they are afraid of educated girls and empowering women.”

    She also used the hashtag #LetAfghanGirlsLearn

    The Taliban administration yesterday announced that girls’ high schools in Afghanistan will be closed, and no female child above the sixth grade will be allowed to attend school. The announcement came only a few hours after they reopened for the first time in nearly seven months.

    Read more- Taliban close girls’ high schools

  • Taliban close girls’ high schools

    Taliban close girls’ high schools

    The Taliban administration has announced that girls’ high schools in Afghanistan will be closed, and no female child above the sixth grade will be allowed to attend school. The announcement came only few hours after they reopened for the first time in nearly seven months.

    As per a government news agency, Ministry of Education notice said on Wednesday that schools for girls would be closed until a plan was drawn up in accordance with Islamic law and Afghan culture.

    “We inform all girls high schools and those schools that are having female students above class six that they are off until the next order,” said the notice.

    Taliban spokesman Inamullah Samangani confirmed the news to AFP.

    The United Nations’ Mission to Afghanistan in a tweet said, : “The UN in Afghanistan deplores today’s reported announcement by the Taliban that they are further extending their indefinite ban on female students above the 6th grade being permitted to return school.”

  • Taliban leader Sirajuddin Haqqani makes first public appearance

    Taliban leader Sirajuddin Haqqani makes first public appearance

    Afghanistan’s Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, who also heads the feared Haqqani Network, was photographed openly for the first time Saturday at a passing-out parade for new Afghan police recruits.

    “For your satisfaction and for building your trust… I am appearing in the media in a public meeting with you,” he said in a speech at the parade.

    Before the Taliban’s return, Haqqani was the most senior of the three deputies to leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.

    Haqqani heads a powerful subset of the Taliban blamed for some of the worst violence of the past 20 years.

    The Haqqani Network, founded in the 1970s by Jalaluddin Haqqani, was heavily supported by the CIA during the Mujahideen war against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.

    Sirajuddin Haqqani, who is believed to be in his 40s, is his son and succeeded him following his death in 2018.

    Sirajuddin was blamed for the deadly 2008 attack on Kabul’s Serena Hotel that killed six people, as well as at least one assassination attempt against former Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

    He is reported to have been the target of several US drone strikes — in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and in the rugged terrain between them that is the heartland of the Haqqani Network.

    He was also credited as the author of a New York Times opinion piece in 2020 titled “What We, the Taliban, Want”, sparking controversy that the newspaper had given “terrorists” a public platform.