Taliban government in Afghanistan passes greeting to Afghan women on International women's day

The government of the Taliban in Afghanistan have released a statement on International Women's Day, claiming that they are committed to addressing the difficulties faced by Afghan women. In a statement issued, which is being widely shared on social media platforms, the Taliban in Afghanistan, who are known for institutionalising large-scale gender-based discrimination and violence against women, wished all the Afghan women on the occasion of International women's day.

As per the tweet of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Abdul Qahar Balkhi, on International Women's Day (IWD), which is celebrated globally on March 8 every year. "May the #8th March #InternationalWomensDay be auspicious for all women," Tweeted MoFA spokesperson, IEA.

https://twitter.com/QaharBalkhi/status/1501067069621735425

Alongside wishing that this day "be auspicious for all women", the statement read, "Protracted war in Afghanistan has been extremely detrimental for women. IEA (Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan) is committed to addressing the plight of Afghan women and providing facilities for an honourable and beneficial life in the light of the noble religion of Islam and our accepted traditions".

The statement is quite ironic following the Taliban's long record of gynophobic misogyny. When the Taliban ruled Afghanistan during 1996 to 2001, they were notorious for disregarding women's rights. As a result, when the Taliban regained control over Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, Afghan women's rights activists were still doubtful that the new rulers would be any different than the Taliban, who had earlier ruled the country, despite their promises to uphold women's rights.

Since the hardline Islamist group took over the nation on August 15, the Taliban had been under pressure from the international community, which has generally halted assistance for Afghanistan, to commit to safeguarding women's rights.

The Taliban has also made an announcement that they have relaxed their stance on women and would respect their rights by the Islamic Sharia.