Taliban Stops Issuing Driving Licence To Women
In a recent order, the Taliban has stopped issuing driving licenses to women in Kabul and other provinces.
After the Taliban's takeover in August last year of Afghanistan, the country is grappling with a serious humanitarian crisis. Approximately 95 per cent of the population have insufficient food consumption. Serious human rights violations continue in the country, especially against women. Every now and then Taliban comes up with new rules for women like not being allowed to travel alone, not being allowed to take flight alone, not allowed to study, work etc. Recently, the Taliban regime in Afghanistan banned girls from attending school above grade six. However, the Taliban leaders have said that the move was taken because of "shortage of teachers" and that the right of girls to study beyond grade six will be restored "shortly".
While Afghanistan is a deeply conservative, patriarchal country, women were allowed to drive. Before the Taliban takeover, women in Afghanistan could be seen driving in some of the major cities of the country including Kabul. Now in a recent order, the Taliban has stopped issuing driving licenses to women in Kabul and other provinces. Naim al-Haq Haqqani, who heads the provincial information and culture department, said no official order had been given. The Taliban told the local authorities to issue their own orders, sometimes verbally. Jan Agha Achakzai, the head of Herat's Traffic Management Institute that is responsible for the driving schools said, "We have been verbally instructed to stop issuing licenses to women, but not directed to stop women from driving in the city," Adila Adeel, a 29-year-old woman driving instructor who owns a training institute said the Taliban want to ensure that the next generation will not have the same opportunities as their mothers. One of the women who has been driving for many years said, "I personally told a Taliban guard that it's more comfortable for me to travel in my car than sit beside a taxi driver. I need to be able to take my family to a doctor in my car without waiting for my brother or husband to come home. Many women said that it is safer if a woman drives her own vehicle instead of sitting in taxis driven by male drivers.
When Taliban took over the charge, they had said that they would have lenient rules this time but slowly and steadily they are increasing the restrictions on women.
