Taliban has now banned women’s beauty parlors in Afghanistan

Islamabad: A government spokesman said on Tuesday that the Taliban is banning women’s beauty salons in Afghanistan. It is the latest curb on the rights and freedoms of Afghan women and girls, following orders banning them from education, public places and most forms of employment.

Mohammad Sidiq Akif Mahajar, a spokesman for the Taliban-run Ministry of Virtue and Vice, did not provide details of the ban. He only confirmed the contents of a letter circulated on social media.

The letter issued by the ministry on June 24 states that it cites an oral order from Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada. The ban targets the capital Kabul and all provinces, and gives salons across the country a month’s notice to close their businesses.

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After that period, they have to close and submit a report about their closure. The letter did not specify the reason for the ban.

Its release comes days after Akhundzada claimed that his government has taken necessary steps to improve the lives of women in Afghanistan.

Despite early promises of a more moderate regime than during their previous term in power in the 1990s, the Taliban have taken hardline measures since taking over Afghanistan in August 2021 as US and NATO forces pull out.

They have stopped women from going to public places like parks and gyms and have curtailed the freedom of the media. The moves have sparked a fierce international outcry, increasing the country’s isolation at a time when its economy has collapsed and a humanitarian crisis has deepened.