JOIN USWorld must act tough on Taliban
A string of recent decisions and actions by the Taliban regime confirms that it is just as brutal and misogynist today as it was when in power between 1996 and 2001.
When the Taliban captured power last year, some analysts argued that the group had reformed, having been exposed to international diplomacy and expectations. The exigencies of ruling Afghanistan would bring about a moderation of its mindset and outlook, they said. That this reading of the Taliban is flawed has been laid bare by the policies and conduct of the regime.
Over the past month, around a hundred people have been publicly flogged or executed by Taliban officials for alleged crimes such as “illegitimate” relationships, theft, and violation of behaviour codes. In one instance, a woman was whipped for shopping without a male guardian. In the 16 months under Taliban rule, women have been stripped of basic rights. Besides violently enforcing the full burqa on women, the Taliban has denied them the right to education, livelihood, movement, etc. It has barred girls from attending post-primary school and university.
They are banned from sports, public parks and gyms, and from many jobs, including in the NGO sector. Clearly, the Taliban is systematically erasing women from Afghan society. In a recent report, Amnesty International referred to Taliban policies against women as “death in slow motion.”
The Taliban regime is reportedly riven with differences. Among the issues that divide its leaders is the severity of the Sharia law that they would like implemented in Afghanistan. Hardliners favour strict adherence to the Taliban’s brutal interpretation of the Sharia.
However, pragmatists prefer moderation, if only to improve the regime’s image and secure recognition from the international community. It is evident that hardliners are now calling the shots. That they were ascendent was evident as early as September 2021, when the dreaded Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice was revived.
The international community has said that recognition of the regime is conditional on the Taliban making the administration more inclusive and respecting the rights of Afghan women. The Taliban’s systematic assault on women underscores that they have no intention to abide by it.
They are willing to isolate Afghanistan and deny its people the benefits of global cooperation if it strengthens their grip over power. It is time the world acted firmly toward the Taliban. It has not fulfilled a single pledge it made before the signing of the Doha accord. India, too, needs to review its policy of engaging the Taliban regime, and not merely because the food and medical aid it is providing is being siphoned off by regime officials.