KABUL: Afghanistan’s Taliban has instructed all government employees to wear a beard and adhere to a dress code or risk being fired, the latest of several new restrictions imposed by the hardline administration.
According to reports, representatives from the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice were patrolling the entrances to government offices on Monday to check that employees were in compliance with the new rules.
Employees were being instructed not to shave their beards and to wear local clothing consisting of a long, loose top and trousers, and a hat or turban. They were also told to ensure they prayed at the correct times. Workers were told they would from now on be unable to enter offices and would eventually be fired if they did not meet the dress codes.
Last week, the Taliban banned women from taking flights without a male chaperone and failed to open girls’ schools as promised. On Sunday it ordered parks to be segregated by sex, with women allowed to enter three days a week, and men the other four days, including the weekend, meaning even married couples and families cannot visit together.
The u-turn on girls’ schools led to protests from the international community, including the United States, which pulled out of planned meetings with Taliban officials in Qatar to discuss key economic issues. The Taliban needs Western countries to lift sanctions that are crippling the Afghan economy.
