Taliban Law Seeks to Erase Women from Public Life, Says Belgian FM

The Bakhtar News Agency, now under Taliban control, reported on Sunday that Haqqani held a meeting with several media executives.

According to the report, the Taliban's Ministry of Information and Culture convened this meeting to coordinate efforts with journalists and media representatives.
Images released from the meeting show no women in attendance.

Concerns over media restrictions have intensified following the implementation of the Taliban's "Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice" law.

Exiled Afghan journalists have highlighted that the Taliban's "Propagation of Virtue" law, particularly the section on "The Information and Press," mandates that the Taliban morality police to ensure media outlets "adhere to virtues." This law restricts the definition of "virtues" to publishing content that excludes images of living beings.

Exiled Afghan journalists argue that the Taliban, through the enactment of the "Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice" law, have imposed unprecedented restrictions on freedom of expression in Afghanistan.

These restrictions have reportedly been implemented on the orders of the Taliban's Ministry of Education.

According to information provided by sources in Khost province, officials from the Taliban's Education Department in Khost informed media managers that this decision was made based on an official letter from the Ministry of Education.

Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, education for girls above grade six has been suspended. However, local media in various provinces, including Khost, have been broadcasting online education programmes that have gained popularity among the public.

Local sources report that during a meeting held last Thursday, attended by officials from the Taliban's Department of Information and Culture in Khost, media managers were instructed to stop broadcasting educational courses for grades above six on the radio.

A media representative in Khost told Afghanistan International that this decision likely originated from Kabul, and they are unable to oppose the order. He added that this move not only extinguishes the last hope for girls' education, but also eliminates a significant source of income for media outlets.

The head of a local radio station in Khost explained to Afghanistan International that with these restrictions, local media, which have already lost income from advertising, have turned to offering online courses and selling educational books, which have become an important source of revenue.

Previously, the Taliban's police command in Khost had issued an official letter banning women and girls from contacting media outlets by phone. Currently, in Khost, there are 15 radio stations and three private television channels operating in addition to the national radio and television.

According to the sources, the commander, named Ahmad Shah, had returned from Iran after coordinating with the Taliban's "Commission for Contact with Afghan Personalities”.

On Friday, August 24, some relatives of Captain Ahmad Shah informed Afghanistan International that the Taliban had detained him on Wednesday evening in the Jungle Bagh area of the seventh district of Jalalabad city.

The relatives of this former military officer provided Afghanistan International with a copy of a card issued by the Taliban's "Commission for Contact with Afghan Personalities”. The card states, "The holder of this card has returned to the country through the Commission for Contact and, based on the general amnesty decree, no agency has the right to arrest this person due to his previous military duties."

However, the relatives also mentioned that the Taliban's commission is now unresponsive to their inquiries about Ahmad Shah's arrest. They added that they have approached the Taliban's security agencies in Nangarhar for information about his fate, but none of the agencies have provided any answers.

Ahmad Shah's relatives noted that he is originally from Laghman province and previously served as the commander of the Fifth Battalion of the Fourth Brigade of the Afghan Army in Nangarhar under the former government.

This incident comes just two days after several former Taliban prisoners in Nangarhar revealed that at least 231 former soldiers and security personnel from the previous government are currently being held in Taliban prisons in the province.

He also emphasised that the Taliban must ensure that Afghan soil is not used for attacks against Pakistan.

The Pakistani newspaper Dawn reported on Saturday, August 24, that Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman supports dialogue between Pakistan and the Taliban.

During a press conference, he said, "Both sides should always keep the doors of dialogue open."
He added that the strained relations between

Pakistan and Afghanistan are due to the actions of their rulers, not the people of the two countries, who have supported each other for nearly 45 years.

The leader of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan stated that the current tension between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban is a sensitive issue, and meaningful dialogue could help find a solution.

Earlier this year, Mansoor Ahmad Khan, Pakistan's former ambassador to Kabul, announced that relations between Islamabad and Afghanistan under Taliban rule have deteriorated significantly.

The main source of tension between the Afghan Taliban and the Pakistani government is the activities of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which, according to Pakistani officials, carries out attacks on Pakistan's security forces from Afghan soil.

Amiri urged the international community to refrain from normalising relations with the Taliban until they improve their human rights practices.

In a post on the social media platform X on Friday, Amiri wrote that the Taliban's decision to ban Richard Bennett's travel and the enactment of the "Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice" law clearly demonstrates that the group is doubling down on the extremist policies they had imposed in the 1990s.

The US Special Envoy advised the global community to maintain distance from the Taliban until there is significant improvement in their human rights record. She added that this is crucial for the international community in terms of norms, economics, and security.

On Tuesday, August 21, the Taliban banned the UN Special Rapporteur from entering Afghanistan. A day later, on August 22, they announced that the group's leader had enacted the "Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice" law.

Human rights organisations and women's rights activists have strongly condemned the recent actions of the Taliban.