200 Afghani Fine for Pants; Taliban Controls Kabul Youth by Fines for Dress.
The Taliban group in Kabul has targeted the dress of youth by implementing strict and repressive policies.
According to reports, members of the Taliban’s Ministry of Justice have imposed a fine of 200 Afghanis for wearing pants in Kabul.
This fine has been increased for the second time and will become 1,000 Afghanis along with arrest and imprisonment. This measure is part of the Taliban’s restrictive policies to impose traditional dress and observance of Islamic principles.
Eyewitnesses and Kabul youth say that officials of the Ministry of Justice accuse people who wear non-traditional clothing of being “infidels” and “atheists” and humiliate them in public. “I was stopped without any warning, and the officers told me that if I put on pants again, I would be arrested,” said one 23-year-old who was fined.
These policies, along with other restrictions such as forcing men to grow long beards and wear Afghani clothing, have placed great psychological and social pressure on young people.
Psychologists believe that this atmosphere of repression and fear has led to increased anxiety, despair, and even suicide among young people.
On the other hand, these restrictions have reduced social bonds and caused a disconnect between generations. University professors warn that the suppression of individual freedoms, especially in the areas of dress and social behavior, could jeopardize the social stability of Afghanistan.
This is while the Taliban, with their increasing repression, are driving the atmosphere of society towards fear and despair, a policy that not only humiliates and restricts people, but has also paved the way for deep social and psychological crises.
