Some residents of Rustaq district in Takhar province say that the Taliban have imposed new restrictions on women’s attendance ahead of the three-day spring festival. According to them, the Taliban have warned women in this district not to watch the festival even from a distance.
Some residents of Rustaq say that since the Taliban came to power, women have been prevented from watching ceremonies and festivals in the district. They say that, according to Taliban orders, women are not allowed to watch buzkashi matches, traditional wrestling, or other local games that are held consecutively for three days, even from distant hills.
These Rustaq residents add that the Taliban have warned them that women must be completely barred from watching local games and other entertainment, and that organizers and residents will face severe punishment if women are seen. They emphasize that throughout the year, these three days are the only limited opportunity for entertainment, which women are now also denied.
A source from Takhar, whose identity is withheld due to security concerns, said: “The three-day spring festival has begun in Rustaq today, but women are not allowed to participate in these appealing local activities. The Taliban have announced that women must not be seen near the festival under any circumstances.”
The Takhar resident added, “In previous years, women would come from distant locations to watch. During the republic, they could participate alongside men, with only a separate area designated for women.”
Residents say that in past years, women at least could watch the festival from afar, and during the republican era, they could attend the events alongside men, although separate spaces were provided for them.
One resident said, “The Taliban have taken even the smallest joys and entertainment away from women and do not want them to see these pleasures even from a distance.” According to this source, the Taliban have used loudspeakers among the population to announce that women must not be allowed to watch men’s games and entertainment.
Every year, residents of Rustaq district in Takhar celebrate three days of festivities for Nowruz and the New Year. In the past, women also participated in watching these ceremonies and games, but the Taliban have now completely barred women from seeing them by imposing restrictions on these cultural festivals.
The Taliban have not only prohibited women from going to recreational areas and participating in sports, but through dozens of decrees, they have also deprived women and girls of the right to education, study, and work. In their Law for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, the group has described women’s voices in media as “awrah” and has prohibited them from leaving home without a mahram.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
ضدیت طالبان با خوشی؛ زنان در تخار از تماشای جشن بهاری حتا از دور محروم شدند
