Afghanistan: Reports Say Taliban Has Stopped Issuing Driving Licences to Women

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(Photo: PTI)

The Taliban regime in Afghanistan, according to local media reports, is refusing to issue driving licenses to women in Kabul and other provinces of the country, as reported by ANI news agency.

This prohibition comes in the backdrop of the country suffering from a devastating humanitarian crisis, including an acute risk of famine.

Before the Taliban took control in August last year as US troops withdrew, women in Afghanistan could indeed drive cars in big cities of the country like Kabul.

The situation of human rights in Afghanistan right now, however, has worsened since the fall of the Ashraf Ghani government and the Taliban's return to power.

The Taliban's brutal regime is proving to be especially costly for women.

In a decree issued recently, the Taliban had banned girls above sixth grade from attending school.

The UNSC had said in response, “Security Council members reaffirmed the right to education for all Afghans, including girls, and called on the Taliban to respect the right to education and adhere to their commitments to reopen schools for all female students without further delay.”

The regime has cited the "shortage of teachers" as a justification for their move, and have claimed that right of girls above sixth grade to study will be restored "shortly."

(With inputs from ANI)