Taliban Orders End To Medicine Imports From Pakistan

In the video, the girl says she was compelled to work in order to protect and support her sisters.

She says she worked for three years in a café, initially earning 7,000 afghanis per month and later 10,000 afghanis, before being detained by the Taliban.

The video of the confession, recorded while the girl was in Taliban custody, has circulated widely online. In the footage, the girl says she dressed as a boy out of necessity so she could work and provide for her family.

The exact time and location of the recording remain unclear. Spokespersons for the Taliban’s Interior Ministry and the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice did not respond to Afghanistan International’s questions about the reason for her detention or her current situation.

In the video, a man’s voice can be heard questioning the girl about her identity, place of residence and family background.

“Are you a boy or a girl?” the man asks.

The detainee confirms she is female and says she wore boys’ clothing out of necessity because she is responsible for supporting her family.

The man conducting the interrogation asks about her workplace, how long she had worked there, her employer and her salary. She replies that she has worked in a café for three years, earning 7,000 afghanis in the first years and 10,000 afghanis for the past eight months to a year.

After the Taliban entered Kabul in August 2021, women’s right to work came under widespread threat. Female government employees, with the exception of those in the health sector and parts of education, were sent home.

The Taliban also restricted women’s employment in private institutions and international organisations and closed hundreds of women’s beauty salons, decisions that have jeopardised the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of Afghan families.

The Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has also carried out a broad campaign of detaining young women from streets and markets in various cities.

Girls Disguised As Boys: Resistance To Exclusion

The phenomenon of girls dressing as boys was also common during the Taliban’s first period of rule in Afghanistan. Some girls changed their appearance to avoid restrictions so they could attend school, work and participate in society.

Afghan filmmaker Siddiq Barmak later portrayed this reality in the film Osama, which tells the story of a girl forced to disguise herself as a boy during the Taliban’s first government.

The film, released in 2003, depicts the life of a girl compelled to adopt a male identity in order to survive socially under Taliban rule.

Barmak described the film as “a real tragedy from a time when no one had the right to decide for themselves.”

In 2004, Osama won the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film and the Camera d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

According to a statement, the defendants received between 30 and 39 lashes and were sentenced to prison terms ranging from one to four years.

In Parwan province, a Taliban court in Bagram flogged three women and five men in public on accusations of what the group described as “illicit relations.” The statement did not provide further details, but the Taliban criminalise any relationship between unrelated men and women.

Separately, one person was flogged in the centre of Uruzgan province on charges of “disrespect toward a father,” the court said.

The punishments were carried out after being approved by the Taliban Supreme Court.

Over the past five days, the Taliban have flogged at least 73 people across Afghanistan on various charges, according to official statements.

Despite repeated opposition from international organisations and human rights groups, the Taliban have continued to impose corporal punishment, which they say constitutes the implementation of Islamic Sharia within their judicial system.

According to ISIS, the attacker opened fire on mosque guards before detonating a suicide vest. The explosion occurred during Friday prayers, and officials warned the death toll could rise.

The attack has drawn condemnation from several countries.

Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the bombing, saying that targeting innocent civilians is a crime against humanity.

The US embassy in Islamabad also condemned the attack, saying Washington would continue supporting Pakistan’s efforts to promote peace and security and remained committed to cooperation to advance stability. The embassy said the United States stands with Pakistan “at this difficult moment.”

Iran’s ambassador to Islamabad, Reza Amiri-Moghaddam, described the bombing as a terrorist attack and expressed sympathy with the victims’ families.

The Taliban also condemned the attack, calling it “contrary to Islamic and human values.”

Stephen Schneck, a commissioner with the body, told Afghanistan International that the Taliban’s newly introduced penal code raises “deep concern” and threatens religious freedom and human rights in Afghanistan.

According to Schneck, the document recognises only the Taliban’s interpretation of Hanafi Islam and marginalises other religions and sects.

He said the penal code justifies the killing of opponents, recognises slavery and criminalises certain behaviours, including dancing, provisions he described as inconsistent with international law.

The Taliban recently introduced a new penal code for courts under their control in Afghanistan. The document recognises slavery and prescribes the death penalty for opponents. It also includes punishments such as execution, flogging and amputation for various crimes.

Schneck said designating Afghanistan as a “Country of Particular Concern” could help facilitate wider sanctions against the Taliban, adding that the international community should respond in a coordinated manner.

He said the Taliban’s penal code accepts only the Hanafi interpretation of Islam and labels other Islamic traditions and sects as “innovation.” According to him, the document threatens freedom of belief and religious rights in Afghanistan and conflicts with fundamental principles of international law.

Schneck also said the Taliban’s treatment of women and girls, which he said is reinforced by the penal code, amounts to a form of slavery and constitutes a clear violation of international law.

In a statement, the ministry said Pakistani security officials should “reconsider their policies rather than fleeing from security failures,” describing recent remarks by Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja Asif as “irresponsible.”

The Taliban defence ministry said that despite the Taliban foreign ministry condemning Friday’s attack, Pakistani officials once again attributed the incident to the Taliban.

At least 31 people were killed and 169 others injured in the suicide bombing at a Shiite mosque in Islamabad during Friday prayers. The death toll could rise, according to Pakistani authorities.

After the attack, Asif said the suicide bomber had travelled to Afghanistan and claimed there were indications of links and cooperation between India and the Taliban.

The Taliban defence ministry rejected the accusations, saying it was not the first time Pakistani officials had blamed the Taliban for security incidents including attacks in Balochistan and other regions without presenting evidence.

Inayatullah Khwarizmi, spokesperson for the Taliban defence ministry, wrote on X that such claims “have no logic or basis,” adding that “hasty statements cannot conceal security failures or solve problems.”

He questioned why Pakistani security authorities had failed to prevent the attack if they were able to quickly identify the perpetrator.

Khwarizmi called on Pakistani security officials to fulfil their responsibilities in maintaining security, review their policies and pursue engagement and positive cooperation with neighbouring countries rather than creating tensions.