New Delhi: Taliban held their first press conference today after capturing Kabul. It became clear that the Taliban will run their country according to Islamic laws and sooner or later the people of Afghanistan will have to follow Sharia. The Taliban made tall promises saying they have changed and that they will honour women’s rights. The question is – Can they be trusted?
Zee News Editor-in-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary on Tuesday (August 17) discussed what the Taliban rule would really mean for the Afghans, especially the women.
In the presser, the Taliban said that they have no enmity with anyone and have forgiven everyone including those who opposed them previously. It appeared that the Taliban now want to behave like a dictator who would punish and forgive people according to their will.
The Taliban said that it will soon form an Islamic government in Afghanistan and added that the country’s soil will not be used for terrorism or against any country.
They said there will be no discrimination against women, but whatever rights will be given to them, will be according to Islam. Women will be allowed to work in health, education and other areas.
They claimed that the Afghans will be completely safe under their rule.
Some countries such as Russia and Pakistan have even welcomed the Taliban. Russia said that since the arrival of the Taliban, Kabul has become more secure than before.
Pakistan went as far as saying that the Taliban have broken “shackles of slavery” by overthrowing the US-backed government in Afghanistan.
However, the history of the Taliban reveals a contradictory tale. At present, there is immense fear in Afghan women and rightly so.
The Taliban claim that they have changed. They say women will be given more freedom. In today’s presser, a woman journalist interviewed the Taliban spokesperson. It was viewed all over the world, with some hoping that the attitude of the Taliban has changed towards women. However, this is far from the truth.
In the previous Taliban regime, Sharia laws were strictly implemented. Girls were barred from going to school. Women were not allowed to go out of the house alone. They were forced to wear burqa, failing to do so meant brutal beating. Women were not allowed to drive. Women were not allowed to go to work. In all likelihood, all of this could happen again.
