Taliban Directive: Female TV Presenters Have To Cover Face When On Air

Kabul: Days after Taliban ordered women to wear the all-covering burqa in public, the ruling regime in Afghanistan has directed female television presenters on local stations to cover their faces when on air.

It reinforces the return to Taliban’s policy during their previous rule which has led to anger and resentment at home and abroad.

“Yesterday we met with media officials… they accepted our advice very happily,” Taliban’s Ministry of Vice and Virtue spokesperson Akif Mahajar told Reuters.

Terming the move as an ‘advice’, Mahajar added that compliance with the new regulation should begin by May 21.

He was confident that this move will be received well by Afghans, but did not say what would be the consequences of not complying with the advice.

Mahajar suggested female presenters could wear a medical face mask, which has been widely used during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A female employee of a local TV channel told Reuters that Taliban officials visited their office on Wednesday.

“Today (Thursday) the production department wore masks but the news office continued as usual,” the employee said.

Some other channels have started begun implementing the new rule.

Many Afghan women wear a headscarf for religious reasons, but in urban areas like Kabul, most women don’t cover their face.

During Taliban’s previous regime from 1996 to 2001, it was obligatory for women to wear the all-covering blue burqa.