The Taliban continue to restrict women’s rights in Afghanistan. In the future, they will not be able to visit the Band-e-Amir National Park. According to the Taliban, walking is not an obligation for women.
They call it the Grand Canyon of Afghanistan, but maybe it’s even more beautiful. Sandy and craggy hills, large and small lakes in front of it, it is spectacular and “of natural and unique beauty”, as stated by UNESCO: Band-e-Amir is Afghanistan’s first national park since 2009.
Young people jump in the crystal clear blue waters, families ride pedal boats, groups of young people take selfies. The photos from the AFP news agency that show this are already four weeks old.
Thousands of visitors so far
Thousands of them have come to Bamiyan province to cool off in this hot summer – and to get away from the often dreary everyday life in cities like Kabul.
“This is my first time visiting Bamiyan,” said Asal Walizada, a 23-year-old teacher in the capital at the time. “We found out how beautiful Bamiyan and Band-e-Amir are. We saw caves, statues – everything. It’s just beautiful.”
“Sightseeing tours for women are not mandatory”
Enough. Mohammad Khaled Hanafi decreed this over the weekend. He directs the Ministry of Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.
Women would not have worn a hijab, they would not have veiled their faces. Therefore, women must now be prevented from entering the national park by security forces until further notice. In any case, tourism is not an obligation for women.
heavy criticism
“Every day there are new restrictions,” Safa, a young woman from Kabul, told the Tolonews news channel. “We appeal to the Islamic Emirate to allow access to women as well.”
The human rights organization Human Rights Watch has come under serious criticism. It is probably not enough for the Taliban to deprive girls and women of education, work and freedom of movement. Parks and sports facilities have also been off-limits to them for a long time.
Now they even want to take nature away from them. What explanation could there be for this other than cruelty, asked a representative of Human Rights Watch in a tweet.
“Search for solutions”
It seems unlikely that Band-e-Amir National Park will soon be the way it was a few weeks ago, that women will be able to get out of the city into nature.
Virtue Minister Hanafi indicated in his statement that the ban was not permanent and that a solution was being sought. But that’s exactly what the Taliban have said in their bans and restrictions since they took power.
Solutions are being sought so that girls from the upper classes can return to school, he said. That was almost exactly two years ago – and even today most students have to stay home.