In Afghanistan, Taliban announces plan to recruit civil servants, excludes women: Report

Ever since the Taliban takeover, the caretaker government has been increasing the restrictions on women. In the latest development, the Taliban caretaker government has announced plans to recruit government employees. However, Afghan women have been excluded from the hirings, ANI cited Khaama Press report. The Administrative Reform Commission of Afghanistan has informed that it is working on a policy to resume the process for hiring civil servants. 

The officials of the Commission told reporters in Kabul on Monday, 10 January, that they will begin the process for recruiting civil servants through open competition. Kiramatullah Akhundzada, the head of the Administrative Reform Commission announced that the government will work for reforms in the administration. The officials further added that they have not made a decision regarding female government employees and insisted that it will take time, reported Khaama Press. Furthermore, the officials of the commission revealed that they had recruited some Taliban affiliates during the last 5 months. The officials added that they were hired for filling the posts as it was an emergency.

Restrictions on Afghan women

Even though the Taliban had promised it would run an inclusive government; however, not a single woman has yet been included in the cabinet. Instead, the caretaker government has been curbing the rights of women in the country. Last week, the Taliban announced the shutdown of all general baths for women in northern Balkh province, which borders Uzbekistan. The decision was taken unanimously by religious scholars as well as provincial authorities of the Directorate of Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in the province. According to the new rules, women can only take showers in private baths while wearing hijab and not in public baths. 

The Taliban’s Ministry of Virtue and Prevention of Vice announced restrictions on women’s travelling. According to the new rules, women travelling long distances by road need to be accompanied by male relatives. The women while travelling need to wear a hijab for covering their heads and faces. The new order also banned drivers from playing music in the vehicles, ANI cited TOLO News report. The Afghan media has been barred from showing advertisements that show women wearing trendy clothes. Taliban has directed the TV channels to stop showing soap operas featuring women and female journalists need to follow a dress code.

Inputs from ANI

Image: AP