Anchorwomen in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan went on air on Sunday with their faces covered.
According to the BBC, female TV presenters from prominent local channels — TOLOnews, Ariana Television, Shamshad TV and 1TV — were wearing veils following the Vice and Virtue Ministry's decree on Thursday.
Taliban ordered all anchorwomen to cover their faces on air. Although anchors tried to resist the order until Saturday, after repeated threats, the management urged them to comply with the decree.
Afghanistan: Women Anchor In Hijab
© Photo : Twitter
Until Sunday, female presenters in Afghanistan were only required to wear a headscarf.
Khpolwak Sapai, TOLO news channel's deputy director, said, "We are in deep grief today."
Sapai said the channel was "forced" to make its staff follow the order.
"I was called on the telephone yesterday (Saturday) and was told in strict words to do it. So, it is not by choice but by force that we are doing it," he said.
"This is a psychological prison and demotivating," a 23-year-old news anchor named Tahmina told CNN.
The latest diktat reflects the continuation of curbs on women's civil liberties imposed by the Taliban ever since it took control of the country in August 2021. In March, the Taliban banned girls from attending schools after the sixth grade.
The decision to prohibit girls from accessing primary education has attracted criticism from the international community across the board, including from Pakistan and the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
Earlier this month, the Taliban authorities also ordered that all women must wear head-to-toe clothing, leaving only their eyes visible to others when in public.
When the Taliban was in power from 1996 to 2001, they asked all the women to wear an all-encompassing burqa which covered the eyes with a mesh, and barred them from public life and education.
*The Taliban is under UN sanctions for terrorist activities.