Taliban orders women to wear all-covering burqa; violation to attract punishment

Kabul (Afghanistan), May 7: Taliban has issued a fresh decree ordering women in Afghanistan to wear the all-covering burqa in public places, adding that if violated a male member of the family will be imprisoned for three days. If the woman is found guilty again, her guardian will be produced before the court for further punishment. Additionally, female public employees who do not wear the hijab will be fired. According to the orders issued, if female members of their families do not wear hijab, male employees in government offices will be fired. Even though the decree is new, the Taliban have been forcing women to cover themselves up since regaining power in August. Earlier, the Taliban's religious police put up posters around the capital ordering women to cover up. Also Read | Elon Musk aims to quintuple Twitter’s revenue to $26.4 billion by 2028: Report Hibatullah Akhundzada, Afghanistan's supreme leader and Taliban chief, announced a severe dress code for women in public on Saturday. "They should wear a chadori (head-to-toe burqa) as it is traditional and respectful," said a decree in his name. "Those women who are not too old or young must cover their face, except the eyes, as per sharia directives, in order to avoid provocation when meeting men who are not mahram (adult close male relatives)," it further mentioned. The decree was likely to be met with widespread outcry around the world. Many in the international community want humanitarian aid for Afghanistan to be linked to the restoration of women's rights, as well as recognition of the Taliban regime. Also Read | Sri Lanka crisis: PM Mahinda Rajapaksa likely to resign -PTC News