The imposition of restrictions in Afghanistan one after another has led to concerns. As the reports of multiple sources including the BBC and CNN indicate, the Taliban government, which came to power in 2021 through a rapid war against the then democratically elected Afghan government, has been putting restrictions on its citizens almost unprecedentedly. But — since then —the restrictions were mostly imposed by the government on freedom of expression, women’s rights and the rights of minorities. While there is anger among the Afghans, there is international criticism against such restrictions. But there are no positive outcomes. More importantly, it remains unclear how much restrictions will be addressed.
Political and other reasons have been playing a role in the government’s imposed restrictions. But the government’s vision of an “Islamic Emirate” is probably the main reason for restrictions. The Taliban government has restricted girls from attending secondary school and university and banned women from working in most public sector jobs and jobs in international non-government organizations, and the United Nations. Even beauty salons, a key source of female employment, have been ordered to close. While the space for opposition is nil, since there is no political party, the media landscape has been gutted through surveillance, censorship, and the threat of violence. Ethnic and religious minorities, such as the Hazara, also face discrimination and are targeted with violence and property demolitions.
Whatever the reasons may be, the restrictions put on Afghans have impacted the lives of many. Restrictions have led to economic adversaries and other outcomes for many men and women in Afghanistan. Imposed restrictions have led to a severe humanitarian crisis, a catastrophic erosion of women’s and girls’ rights, amounting to institutionalized gender apartheid, and a deepening economic collapse. While Afghanistan’s economy has contracted by more than 25 percent —especially since August 2021 — due to a combination of reasons including foreign aid cuts, sanctions, and frozen national assets, it is experiencing its worst hunger crisis, with millions of families without enough food, exacerbated by a lack of international aid and job opportunities.
Hundreds of media outlets including newspapers have been closed by the Taliban government in Afghanistan, where the media had previously greater freedom, leading to a limited scope of expressing the reasoned concerns of Afghans and addressing them. The ongoing crisis, coupled with restrictions, since 2021 has increased the risks of child marriage and child labor and brought other negative outcomes, with vulnerable groups including ethnic minorities disproportionately affected. The outcomes affect nearly every aspect of Afghan life. But there is a lack of government focus on the consequences of restrictions.
Various reasons including the Taliban’s ideological rigidity and the absence of a formal legal framework that recognizes international norms have been making it difficult to establish the rights of the Afghans. While some Taliban officials may be more pragmatic, there are hardliners who have consistently won out in policy decisions— making a consistent and moderate approach difficult to achieve. But diplomatic isolation and the international community’s lack of unified leverage have also been playing a crucial role in Afghanistan. The withdrawal of transnational organizations has not only facilitated the imposition of restrictions but also made it difficult to address the concerns.
Rights are desired to be ensured in Afghanistan, not restrictions on rights that create an institutionalized system of discrimination and segregation. The Taliban government needs to address at least those concerns that are reasonable. Withdrawing the ban on higher education for women is desired. At least, they need to be given the scope of secondary education, even if not full withdrawal from restrictions. Addressing economic hardship through entrepreneurial initiatives and other outcomes will help. Media freedom needs to be ensured, as this helps identify the concerns and address them.
Though it remains uncertain whether and how much international organizations and countries can play a role in addressing restrictions, they can still help address them through a multi-pronged approach that combines diplomatic pressure, conditional engagement and humanitarian aid. Restoring formal diplomatic relations and holding talks with the Taliban government may facilitate the withdrawal of many of the restrictions, even if not all.
