Local sources report that officials from the Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice have instructed shopkeepers in Jalalabad city, the capital of Nangarhar province, and Mehterlam city, the capital of Laghman province, who sell women’s goods and accessories, not to sell any items to women without a “mahram” (a male guardian under Islamic law).
According to the sources, the directive was issued in recent days during inspections by Taliban officials of markets and shops selling women’s goods in the two provinces of Nangarhar and Laghman.
A shopkeeper in Mehterlam told media outlets that Taliban officials warned that if the order is violated, shop owners will be imprisoned for four days and their businesses will be shut down for two weeks.
Local sources also say that officials from the Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Nangarhar, during meetings with religious scholars and mosque imams, emphasized preventing the presence of “unveiled” women in public spaces and enforcing the group’s regulations in full.
Following the enactment of the law on the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, the Taliban have imposed further restrictions on women’s participation in public life. Under these restrictions, women are not allowed to travel without being accompanied by a male mahram.
The group has previously issued similar directives to shopkeepers in several other provinces, instructing them to refrain from selling goods to women without a mahram.
Reports have also indicated that in some provinces, the Taliban have instructed hospitals, health centers, and vehicle drivers not to provide services to women without a mahram or to transport them.
As of the time of publication, Taliban authorities have not issued any official comment regarding these directives or their implementation.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
