The United Nations Security Council’s report on Afghanistan presents a glaring picture of the social and political-economic situation in Afghanistan. The monopoly of power enjoyed by Hibatullah Akhundzada diminishes the possibility of regular institutional politics where public consent and accountability prevail. Women, religious and ethnic minorities and freedom of expression have been the victims of the Taliban’s repressive policies. Under the garb of religious obligation, women have been systematically barred from public spaces.

According to the Afghanistan Gender Index 2024 published by UN-Women, eight out of ten Afghan women are excluded from education, employment, and vocational training, placing Afghanistan among the world’s worst performers on gender equality. The erasure of women from the public sphere not only robs them of their right to education and employment, given to them by their religion, but also entails huge........

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