KABUL – The Taliban government has made a major announcement regarding the joint border trade and public market established between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan.
According to international media, there is a joint market set up with Uzbekistan in the Hairatan border area of Balkh province in northern Afghanistan.
A large number of women also visit this market for shopping, but the Taliban government has now announced that women will not be allowed to enter without a male guardian (Mahram).
Local media reported that Taliban security personnel deployed at the market are stopping women who arrive there without a male family member.
Eyewitnesses said that even women accompanied by men are being asked to provide documents proving their Mahram relationship.
If a man fails to prove through documents that the women with him are his Mahram relatives, he is also denied entry to the market.
Residents of Hairatan alleged that sometimes Taliban security officials treat such men harshly and in a humiliating manner.
A local Afghan citizen told the media that the behavior they face on their own land sometimes feels even stricter than that of the Uzbek authorities.
He further said that people wishing to cross the border are repeatedly subjected to insulting treatment and intense pressure.
Locals added that many of the women visiting this border market are elderly and also travel to Uzbekistan and Russia for medical treatment.
So far, the Taliban authorities have not issued any clear or official statement regarding this restriction.
