Taliban Ban Women from Travelling Even with a Male Guardian if They Are Not Wearing a Burqa

Image: Wakil Kohsar/AFP

As part of the new restrictions imposed by the Taliban in the Farsi district of Herat province, new directives have been issued for public transport drivers, requiring them to refrain from picking up women who are not wearing a chadari or burqa, even if they are accompanied by a male guardian.

Fereshta, a resident of the district aged over 60, shared her distressing experience with Zan News when attempting to travel to the centre of Herat.

She said that taxi drivers refused to take her because she was not wearing a burqa. Fereshta added: “We were invited to my daughter’s house in Herat. When my husband and I went to the roadside, no one picked me up. They said, ‘You do not have a burqa, and we are not allowed to take you.’”

Sudaba, another resident of the district, spoke of facing similar difficulties. She said that while travelling with her daughters and elder son to Herat, she waited by the roadside for two hours, but no driver agreed to pick them up.

Sudaba stated: “In the end, I went home and found a burqa from the previous Taliban regime. I wore it, and my son and I managed to reach the city, but my daughters could not come with us.”

These restrictions are not limited to drivers and passengers. Last week, the Taliban also issued directives banning women without a burqa from entering hospitals and government offices.

These new policies reflect the growing pressure on women in Afghanistan, many of whom now face serious obstacles even when attempting to make essential journeys.