Government employees in Afghanistan will be unable to enter offices from now on and would eventually be fired if they were did not meet the dress codes imposed by Taliban authorities.
All government employees were previously instructed by representatives from the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice not to shave their beards, to wear local clothing – long, loose top and trousers- and a hat or turban.
Patrols sent by the Taliban administration’s public morality ministry were sent on Monday to all government offices to check if the employees had grown beards and adhered to a dress code.
The new development comes despite the Taliban’s promises to allow everyone their rights in line with Islamic law and Afghan culture and not to seek reprisals against those they disagree with.
They even promised to investigate any specific incidents of abuse of such kind.
The imposing of the strict Taliban rules spread in more than one segment in Afghan society with the broadcast ban of the BBC television news in three main languages of Afghanistan, a measure that the spokesman for the Taliban administration’s Ministry of Culture and Information refused to comment.
The head of languages at BBC World Service, Tarik Kafala, noted in a statement on Sunday that the Taliban ordered the British broadcaster’s TV partners to remove from the airwaves the international broadcasters, including the BBC’s TV news bulletins in Pashto, Persian, and Uzbek.
Calling for the ban to be lifted, Kafala underscored that this is a worrying development that adds to the uncertainty and turbulence for the people of Afghanistan.
The removal of the BBC bulletins was also condemned by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, which called the measure another repressive step and chilling development against the people of Afghanistan.
The United Nations has criticized the authorities since the Taliban took over in August after several journalists were arrested and many, along with rights groups, have raised concern about prospects for freedom of speech in Afghanistan.
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