In what comes as a new diktat in Afghanistan, the Taliban has asked all national and foreign nongovernmental groups to stop employing women, threatening to close those which don't follow the latest orders. The Taliban's order comes as it alleges that 'women didn't wear the Islamic headscarf correctly'.
In a letter posted on social media, Afghanistan's economy ministry said that if NGOs fail to comply with the latest order, they will lose their license to operate in the country.
The ministry added that it was responsible for the registration, coordination, leadership and supervision of all activities carried out by national and foreign organisations.
The letter further adds that the government is again ordering the stoppage of all female work in institutions not controlled by the Taliban, according to the letter.
“In case of lack of cooperation, all activities of that institution will be cancelled and the activity license of that institution, granted by the ministry, will also be cancelled.”
Condition of women under Taliban
Notably, the Taliban have already restricted women's engagement in many jobs and most public places. It also barred them from education beyond the sixth grade.
Earlier this month, the UN Security Council heard that an increasing proportion of female Afghan humanitarian workers were prevented from doing their work even though relief work remains essential.
According to Tom Fletcher, a senior UN official, the proportion of humanitarian organisations reporting that their female or male staff were stopped by the Taliban's morality police has also increased.
The Taliban deny they are stopping aid agencies from carrying out their work or interfering with their activities.
What is Taliban's new 'windows' order?
In another development, the Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has ordered that buildings should not have windows looking into places where a woman might sit or stand.
According to a four-clause decree posted on X late Saturday, the order applies to new buildings as well as existing ones.
Windows should not overlook or look into areas like yards or kitchens. Where a window looks into such a space then the person responsible for that property must find a way to obscure this view to “remove harm,” by installing a wall, fence or screen.
Municipalities and other authorities must supervise the construction of new buildings to avoid installing windows that look into or over residential properties, the decree added. A spokesman for the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing was not immediately available for comment on Akhundzada's instructions.
(With agency inputs)
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