Taliban bans music, female employees in radios in Ghazni

INTERNATIONAL DESK: In the latest development, Taliban’s information affairs in-charge for the central Ghazni district has banned music and the employment of female employees in its local radio stations, the Afghan media reported.

Since the return of the Islamist group Taliban, democracy is seen crumbling as the militant group announced to impose their own version of Sharia Law in the war-torn nation.

The Taliban that has abruptly taken complete control over the capital city, Kabul, and the nation’s government, has now established new laws in Afghanistan. The militant group has seized a radio station in Ghazni province and took to the airwaves after capturing the country in a rapid offensive that has raised fears amongst the Afghan citizens.

The Taliban has now banned music as a medium of entertainment for the citizens. As per the new establishment in Afghanistan, Afghan women’s rights also seemed to be quashed as they are not allowed to leave their homes alone, that is without a man as an escort, having to cover themselves in a burqa, and now even deprived of the basic human right to education and employment. Earlier, as the Islamist group had captured much of southern Afghanistan, they had also seized a radio station that was located in Kandahar district.

According to news agency Associated Press, almost 80% of those displaced Afghan nations comprise women and children. They have joined millions who have fled previous rounds of fighting in the past several decades. The fundamentalist group has forced their notoriously harsh ideology that often hit women and young girls the hardest.

The militant group has also carried out public executions, chopped off the hands of thieves and stoned women who are accused of adultery. Recently, there have been reports of militants taking over houses, setting fire to schools and amusement parks. In terms of entertainment, many Afghan female filmmakers have also expressed grief over the thought of the end of filmmaking in the country with the rule of the Taliban.

Several filmmakers feared ‘free-thinking’ would put artistes in particular danger. A few of them recalled Taliban taking over the majority of the country in 1996 and their traumatic actions such as shuttering or bombing cinemas, smashing televisions and forbidding music.

Despite all odds, the Afghan entertainment industry had slowly blossomed in the recent past decade. Many artistes had also returned to the once-beautiful nation.

However, the progress has been obliterated overnight with the return of the Taliban, a group that continues to impose harsh restrictions on women.