KABUL (Independent/Reuters) – The Taliban banned women from participating in Eid gatherings in two districts in Afghanistan ahead of celebrations in the country to mark the end of holy fasting month of Ramadan.
Two similar notices showed local Taliban leaders in northern Baghlan district and the northeastern district of Takhar said “it is forbidden for women to go out in groups during the days of Eid ul-Fitr”.
This comes just weeks after the Taliban’s latest set of restrictions have banned families and women from visiting restaurants with gardens or green spaces in Afghanistan’s northwestern Herat province.
An official said the order banned women from visiting restaurants with gardens after complaints from religious scholars and members of the public who were against mixing of genders in such spaces.
Earlier this week, the reclusive top leader of Afghanistan, Hibatullah Akhundzada, released his Eid message to the country in five languages – Arabic, Dari, English, Pashto and Urdu.
In the end of the Ramadan message, Akhundzada praised the Taliban for making “progress” in Afghanistan after taking over the control of administration in August 2021.
“The bad intellectual and moral effects of the 20-year occupation are about to finish,” he said and extolled “living in the light” of the Taliban law.
Meanwhile, after comments by the deputy UN chief sparked concern and confusion, a UN spokesperson has stressed that a UN-convened meeting on Afghanistan next month will not focus on the possible international recognition of the Taliban administration.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is set to host a closed-door gathering in Doha on May 1-2 of special envoys on Afghanistan from several countries. His deputy, Amina Mohammed, suggested on Monday that the gathering “could find those baby steps to put us back on the pathway to recognition”.
“The Doha conference on the 1st and 2nd of May is not focusing on recognition and we don’t want there to be any confusion about that,” deputy UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said. “The point of discussion … is to build a more unified consensus on the challenges at hand.”
The Taliban seized power in August 2021 as U.S.-led forces withdrew following 20 years of occupation.
In December, the 193-member UN General Assembly approved postponing, for the second time, a decision on whether to recognize the Afghan Taliban administration by allowing them to send a United Nations ambassador to New York.