Representational image of Pakistan and Afghanistan flags. File
| Photo Credit: GettyImages/iStockphoto

The chants were familiar. But this time, they echoed not in Tehran, but in Herat.

In mid-June, Afghanistan’s western city of Herat witnessed a rare display of public defiance against the Taliban. Women, and this time, men too, marched through the streets chanting “Women, Work and Freedom”, a slogan probably inspired by Iran’s 2022 “Woman, Life and Freedom” movement that emerged after the death of the 22-year-old Mahsa Amini.

The protests did not unfold overnight.

The spark in Herat

According to Zan Times, an exiled media organisation run by Afghan women journalists, the latest crackdown appears to have been planned days in advance. On June 4, Herat’s governor Noor Ahmad Islamjar reportedly met with a group of morality enforcers.

On the afternoon of June 5, Taliban officials used the end of Friday prayers to announce that women who failed to comply with the Islamic dress code would be arrested. The following morning, the arrests began.

On June 6, dozens of women were detained across several neighbourhoods, including Darb-e-Malik, Shahr-e-Naw, Ab Burda, Jibrayil and Haji Abbas. By June 7, the United Nations had confirmed that at least 30 women were in custody for alleged dress code violations. “Dozens more women reportedly received verbal warnings,” United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said.

Then came the backlash.

On June 9, men and women took to the streets together in a rare act of collective defiance. The Taliban’s response was swift; within minutes, they reportedly opened fire on demonstrators, killing at least two people, including a child according to some reports, and injuring more than 20 others.

Four days later, on June 13, demonstrators returned to the streets.

Abdul Salam Hanafi, the Taliban Deputy Prime Minister for administrative affairs, praised the performance of Herat’s local administration amid widespread protests over the detention of women in the province, according to Afghanistan International.

The immediate trigger for the unrest was a series of arrests carried out by the Taliban’s morality police. Women and girls were detained for allegedly violating the regime’s dress code in a city that has historically been regarded as one of the country’s more progressive and culturally vibrant centres.

Under Taliban regulations, women should cover their entire bodies, usually with a burqa, and are prohibited from wearing perfume or anything capable of ‘attracting’ public attention.

Witnesses described women being pulled into police vans, including some who were already fully covered. Among those detained were reportedly pregnant women. The Taliban initially dismissed reports of the arrests as rumours before later defending the operation as the enforcement of Islamic law.

The Sharia law

To understand about these arrests, one has to understand the role Sharia plays in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.

The Taliban returned to power in 2021. Since then, it has governed through its interpretation of Sharia, or better known as Islamic law. While Afghanistan has historically followed the Hanafi school of Sunni jurisprudence (fiqh), often regarded as one of the more flexible traditions within Sunni Islam, the Taliban has adopted a far stricter, Deobandi-influenced interpretation.

Under this system, women face extensive restrictions on education, employment and public life. Girls are barred from secondary and higher education. Women face severe limitations on work opportunities and are often required to travel with a male guardian. Even ordinary social interactions and movement outside the home are heavily scrutinised.

The morality police enforce these rules through patrols, arrests and detentions.

Since 2021, when the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan, women across the country have lived under a system of surveillance and punishment over both their dress and their presence in public. What began as verbal guidance evolved into a decree by the Taliban’s Supreme Leader in 2022, Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada, declaring burqa the preferred form of hijab. In 2024, it was codified through the Law on the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, giving morality police sweeping powers to detain, intimidate and punish women whose appearance failed to meet Taliban standards.

Earlier this year, as Zan Times reported, morality police established checkpoints across the city, pulling women from taxis and detaining those wearing a manto (a traditional long coat worn by generations of Afghan women) instead of the Taliban-approved black chador or burqa.

Supporters of the Taliban argue that these measures represent a return to authentic Islamic governance after decades of war, corruption and foreign intervention. But critics, including many Muslim scholars, argue that the Taliban’s interpretation represents an extreme and selective reading of Islamic law.

Human rights organisations estimate that millions of Afghan girls remain locked out of secondary education. Large numbers of women have lost employment opportunities. Restrictions on movement, healthcare and public participation have deepened both economic hardship and social isolation across the country.

But in the latest Herat demonstrations, perhaps the most striking element was not the slogan but the people. Since the Taliban takeover, public protests have been rare and led by women. One of the examples being the nationwide protests against the closure of women’s beauty salons. This time, however, many Afghan men appeared willing to publicly challenge the authorities as well.

A rare act

As one Zan Times newsletter observed, that they (men) did so this time says something important. What is being done to Afghan women is no longer viewed as a women’s issue alone. It has become unbearable for entire families and entire communities.

The June 5 story, however, does not end with the arrests. While some of the women detained in Herat have since been released, little is known about what they experienced inside Taliban detention facilities. What happened inside the detention centres? How were they treated? Activists and rights groups are now seeking answers as they attempt to document the experiences of those who were taken into custody.

International organisations were quick to condemn the crackdown. The United Nations, along with UN Women and the UNAMA, expressed concern over detentions, restrictions on freedom of expression and the use of ‘excessive force’ against demonstrators. They also called for the release of detainees and urged the Taliban to respect basic rights.

Yet there is little indication that the Taliban intends to alter course.

The Herat protests were relatively small, with estimates ranging from 70 to 150 participants. On the face of it, the protests were triggered by the arrest of dozens of women accused of violating the Taliban’s dress code. But it is one of the clearest signs yet that frustration with Taliban rule is no longer confined to private conversations.

A Taliban fighter stands guard as women wait to receive food rations distributed by a humanitarian aid group in Kabul, Afghanistan. Female participation in sport has effectively been outlawed since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, a move that puts the Afghanistan Cricket Board in contravention of International Cricket Council rules. File photo
| Photo Credit: AP

England should refuse to play the Champions Trophy cricket match against Afghanistan next month according to a letter signed by more than 160 U.K. politicians.

The politicians want the England and Wales Cricket Board to take a stand against the Taliban regime’s assault on women’s rights and boycott the men’s one-day international against Afghanistan in Lahore, Pakistan, on Feb. 26.

Female participation in sport has effectively been outlawed since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, a move that puts the Afghanistan Cricket Board in contravention of International Cricket Council rules.

Because Afghanistan’s men are still allowed to compete by the ICC, a strongly worded letter has emerged from the U.K. parliament pleading for the ECB to make its own moral objection.

Penned by Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi and signed by a cross-party group from the House of Commons and House of Lords including Nigel Farage and Jeremy Corbyn, it raises the “insidious dystopia” unfolding in Afghanistan.

The statement, addressed to ECB chief executive Richard Gould, concludes: “We strongly urge the England men’s team players and officials to speak out against the horrific treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan under the Taliban.

“We also urge the ECB to consider a boycott of the upcoming match against Afghanistan… to send a clear signal that such grotesque abuses will not be tolerated.

“We must stand against sex apartheid and we implore the ECB to deliver a firm message of solidarity and hope to Afghan women and girls that their suffering has not been overlooked.” Gould issued a swift response, reaffirming ECB principles while suggesting it favoured a uniform approach from all member nations rather than acting alone.

“The ECB strongly condemns the treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime,” he said.

“The ICC constitution mandates that all member nations are committed to the growth and development of women’s cricket. In line with this commitment, the ECB has maintained its position of not scheduling any bilateral cricket matches against Afghanistan.

“A coordinated, ICC-wide approach would be significantly more impactful than unilateral actions by individual members.

“We understand the concerns raised by those who believe that a boycott of men’s cricket could inadvertently support the Taliban’s efforts to suppress freedoms and isolate Afghan society. It’s crucial to recognise the importance of cricket as a source of hope and positivity for many Afghans, including those displaced from the country.”

New Delhi:

In a significant move, an Indian delegation met Afghanistan’s acting Defence Minister Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob and offered the use of Chabahar Port in Iran to businesses in his country, and also discussed extending humanitarian assistance to Kabul.

The delegation was led by J P Singh, the Joint Secretary of the Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran division in the External Affairs Ministry.

During a weekly media briefing here, External Affairs Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said that apart from Mohammad Yaqoob, the delegation also met with former President Hamid Karzai and other senior ministers, along with the heads of UN agencies.

“They had discussions on India’s humanitarian assistance, also how the Chabahar Port can be utilised by the business community in Afghanistan for transactions and for export and import and any other thing that they would like to do,” Jaiswal said in response to a question.

India does not recognise the Taliban regime that has been ruling Afghanistan since 2021.

India has been providing humanitarian aid, including wheat, medicines and medical supplies, to the Afghan people from time to time.

“I also want to recall here that providing humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan is an important part of our assistance programme and so far in the last few months, and a few years, we have dispatched several shipments of humanitarian assistance. We have longstanding ties with the people of Afghanistan, and these ties will continue to guide our approach towards the country,” Jaiswal said.

Earlier this year, India signed a 10-year contract with Iran to develop and operate the Chabahar Port which was built with its assistance.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

In a significant move, an Indian delegation met Afghanistan’s acting Defence Minister Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob and offered the use of Chabahar Port in Iran to businesses in his country, and also discussed extending humanitarian assistance to Kabul.

The delegation was led by J P Singh, the Joint Secretary of the Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran division in the External Affairs Ministry.

During a weekly media briefing here, External Affairs Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said that apart from Mohammad Yaqoob, the delegation also met with former President Hamid Karzai and other senior ministers, along with the heads of UN agencies.

“They had discussions on India’s humanitarian assistance, also how the Chabahar Port can be utilised by the business community in Afghanistan for transactions and for export and import and any other thing that they would like to do,” Jaiswal said in response to a question.

India does not recognise the Taliban regime that has been ruling Afghanistan since 2021.

India has been providing humanitarian aid, including wheat, medicines and medical supplies, to the Afghan people from time to time.

“I also want to recall here that providing humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan is an important part of our assistance programme and so far in the last few months, and a few years, we have dispatched several shipments of humanitarian assistance. We have longstanding ties with the people of Afghanistan, and these ties will continue to guide our approach towards the country,” Jaiswal said.

Earlier this year, India signed a 10-year contract with Iran to develop and operate the Chabahar Port which was built with its assistance.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Despite three years of improved security following the end of the Taliban’s insurgency, Afghanistan’s economy remains stagnant and its population is in the grips of a worsening humanitarian crisis.

A third of Afghanistan’s roughly 40 million people live on bread and tea, according to the United Nations, there is massive unemployment, and the World Bank warns of zero growth over the next three years.

But there have been some positive changes since the Taliban takeover in 2021 — even if their government remains unrecognised by any other country.

The currency has been resilient, corruption is no longer ubiquitous, and tax collection has improved.

Authorities have also built “economic, commercial, transit and investment” ties in the region, according to Ahmad Zahid, deputy commerce and industry minister.

Afghanistan has great mineral and agricultural potential, which the Taliban government is attempting to exploit, but they are impeded by poor infrastructure and a lack of domestic and foreign expertise and capital.

Though Afghans welcome the improved security in their lives, many are just trying to make ends meet.

AFP spoke to four people from different parts of the country ahead of the anniversary of the fall of Kabul this week:

The optimistic businessman

For 54-year-old Azizullah Rehmati, business is booming — his saffron company in the western province of Herat is set to double production this year.

Until 2021, his “Red Gold Saffron Company” hired armed guards to escort the valuable spice from the factory to the airport, but the improved security climate has done away with the need for such overt protection.

“Now there is no problem,” said Mr. Rehmati, who exports to 27 countries.

At his processing facility, women sort the red stigmas of the precious saffron spice with tongs.

Taliban government restrictions on women have slashed their participation in the workforce, but Rehmati’s company is among the 50% of Afghan employers who still hire women.

Still, a key challenge for Mr. Rehmati — and Afghanistan as a whole — is the crippled banking sector.

“It is so important that we have the banking channels reopened,” said Sulaiman Bin Shah, deputy trade minister under the previous government.

The sector has been blocked by international sanctions and the freezing of central bank assets.

Rehmati’s bank can’t send money abroad — or receive transfers — meaning he has to resort to more expensive private money changers in Dubai.

Getting visas for foreign trips is also a major problem.

Many foreign nations shuttered their embassies in the wake of the Taliban takeover and Afghan passports are rated the worst in the world by the Henley Index, which tracks global ease of travel.

“We will fall back from the world market,” Mr. Rehmati said.

The out-of-work musician

Wahid Nekzai Logari played in Afghanistan’s national orchestra and performed concerts on the sarinda, a traditional stringed instrument, as well as the harmonium.

“I supported my whole family. We had a good life,” said the 46-year-old in his modest home in a Kabul suburb.

But the Taliban government has prohibited public performances of music, deeming it un-Islamic, leaving thousands involved in the industry destitute.

“Now I’m unemployed,” Mr. Logari said.

To feed his family of seven he sometimes drives a cab — earning just 5,000 afghanis a month ($70), a fifth of what he used to earn from his concerts.

“Nobody told us, ‘you can’t play music anymore, but we’ll find you a way to feed your family’,” he said.

The insurgent-turned-bureaucrat

Abdul Wali Shaheen wanted to “die a martyr’s death” in the Taliban ranks, but after their victory he swapped his rocket launcher for a computer at the Department of Information and Culture in Ghazni province.

“I wasn’t as stressed (then) as I am today,” the 31-year-old said wryly.

“All we did was wage jihad, now it’s harder. I have more responsibilities in regards to the people.”

Still, Mr. Shaheen’s monthly salary of 10,000 afghanis is enough to feed his family of five, and he is happy with the direction the country is going.

“I give the Emirate a 10/10 for these three years,” he said.

“Everything is going well and we have hope for the future.”

The hidden beautician

The order to close beauty salons last year “broke her heart”, but Sayeda — not her real name — reopened in secret four months ago elsewhere in Kabul.

“We found this place to rent, with the condition that customers come very discreetly and that some of our employees sleep here so that neighbours think a family lives here,” said the 21-year-old manager.

“Before, we had 30 to 40 customers a day, now it’s six or seven,” said Sayeda, who has nevertheless kept her 25 employees so that “everyone has an income”.

Sayeda’s salary has dropped from 25,000 afghanis per month to between 8,000 and 12,000.

“We’re working in hiding and we don’t know for how much longer,” she said, noting the risk of being shut down by the police.

When they’ve “found some (underground) salons, they broke the equipment, mistreated the staff” and imposed fines, she said.