Afghanistan is financially sinking while assuming the status of a pariah state internationally owing to its non-implementation of globally-recognised human rights. The Taliban have implemented measures that they consider a service to faith, but whatever steps they have taken thus far have to do more with local culture than religious injunctions.
An overwhelming majority of the Taliban comes from tribes that mostly live in rural, undeveloped parts of the country. Their only education is at the seminaries. Therefore, their world view is confined to the experience they have gained living in that environment.
Women in such areas, for instance, remain strictly segregated from men, and go out of the house only for fetching water from the nearby river or pond. Making burqa obligatory, as such, is an extension of that tradition. The same is the case with the dress code for Afghan men.
In the pre-2001 Taliban regime, video and photography were strictly banned. However, under the current regime, photography has been accepted, which is a positive change. Perhaps, the Taliban could study the pattern of life in Muslim countries that has evolved over the years and readjust their definition of some of the basic human rights. This will help them get international acceptance.
SAYED GB SHAH BOKHARI
PESHAWAR
