The Taliban vowed Tuesday to respect women's rights, forgive those who fought them and ensure Afghanistan does not become a haven for terrorists.
The return of the Taliban in Afghanistan brings back old memories of their once brutal rule in the mountainous landlocked country. The scare of the Taliban on the people is real and reflects clearly from the visuals from Kabul airport. People are wary about the Taliban regime which implements strict sharia laws.
Taliban is anti-women, anti-rights, anti-freedom, anti-education, and believes in strict conduct and dress code. However, the Taliban of 2021 looks different from the Taliban of the 1990s. After taking charge of the country, the Taliban in its very first news conference on Tuesday promised women's rights, media freedom, and amnesty for government officials.
The Taliban vowed Tuesday to respect women's rights, forgive those who fought them and ensure Afghanistan does not become a haven for terrorists.
Amnesty for Afghan women
Two days after taking over the power, the Taliban declared an amnesty across Afghanistan and urged women to join its government.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid in the first press conference promised that the Taliban would honor women's rights within the norms of Islamic law, without elaborating further.
The Taliban encouraged women to return to work and allowed girls to return to school, handing out Islamic headscarves at the door.
The Taliban also gave the first indication that they would not make the full burqa compulsory for women. However, it has not specified the other types of hijab that would be deemed acceptable by the Taliban.
Taliban has also said that they would allow girls to continue with their education. "Women can get education from primary to higher education that means university. Thousands of schools in areas captured by the Taliban were still operational," Zabihullah Mujahid said.
Amnesty for government officials
The Taliban also declared a general amnesty for all government officials and urged them to return to work. "A general amnesty has been declared for all, so you should start your routine life with full confidence," the Taliban said in a statement.
Amnesty for Afghans who worked for the US
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid reiterated that the Taliban have offered full amnesty to Afghans who worked for the US and the Western-backed government. He said, "Nobody will go to their doors to ask why they helped."
Mujahid said that private media should remain independent but that journalists should not work against national values.
Peaceful relation with other countries
The Taliban also wished for peaceful relations with other countries and that no group will be allowed to use Afghan territory for attacks against any nation. "I would like to assure the international community, including the United States, that nobody will be harmed," Mujahid said. "We don't want any internal or external enemies," he added.
However, the older generations are still skeptical of the Taliban as they remember its previous rule, when they largely confined women to their homes, banned television and music, and held public executions.
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