By Hamza Ameer Kabul, December 30, : , Afghan women marched in protest of discriminatory travel restrictions and other restrictions imposed on them.However, Taliban security forces opened fire on protesters and caused a stampede which left many women injured.
Many women marched to Kabul in protest of Taliban restrictions on women.They continue to be more severe, increasing fear about similar threats during previous Taliban rule, when women were denied basic employment rights and education.
At least 130 women participated in the protest in Kabul.Taliban militants fired shots in the air to disperse them.
The fleeing demonstrators fell on each other and were trampled by one another.An eyewitness said that several women were injured in the stampede.
Another victim of the stampede was a protester who said she was not able to go to the doctor because she was so pained.
My face hurt so bad that I can’t even speak to you now.She said that we couldn’t go to the doctor as we didn’t feel safe and were being threatened.
She added, “Even now, I feel afraid as I speak to you.”
Protesters also attacked the Taliban leadership, and the militants responsible for the deaths of soldiers under the former government of Ashraf Gani.
While the Taliban leaders have promised and assured the international community that they will ensure basic rights for women in Afghanistan, they are imposing travel restrictions, including preventing teenage girls from attending school, and telling vehicles not to pick up passengers without headscarves.
Taliban leaders have also closed down the Women’s Affairs Ministry of the previous administration.
Many are questioning and criticizing the Taliban’s ongoing restrictions in Afghanistan, which they consider dangerous for the country’s growth as well as global acceptance.
Women cannot travel on their own or attend schools and colleges alone.Fawad Chaudhry, Pakistan’s Federal Minister of Information said that this kind of retrogressive thinking was dangerous.
This issue is attracting global attention.Many are calling for the Taliban leadership’s realistic approach to granting basic rights to women, as it is a key demand, which must be met in order to receive international recognition of Afghanistan’s new Taliban government.
hamza/arm
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