Kabul: The Taliban on Sunday ordered television channels in Afghanistan to stop showing dramas and soap operas featuring women actors.
The authority also said that female journalists must wear hijabs in accordance with the group’s interpretation of Islamic law or Sharia.
The restrictions are part of a new eight-point set of guidelines issued by the Taliban Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, or moral police, in the latest sign the hardline group is restricting women’s rights.
Moreover, the guidelines said films and dramas should not have female actors.
Additionally, the new policy prevents television stations from showing men who are considered indecently exposed or not covered from chest to knees.
The ministry defended the directive, saying it is aimed at countering propagation of “immorality” and airing of videos that “are against the principles of Sharia and Afghan values.”
It asked representatives of television networks in Kabul to adhere to the guidelines during broadcast hours.
