The Taliban rulers in Afghanistan have enforced a new rule, according to which, all female TV news presenters are required to wear face coverings while on air. The new policy has sparked rage across the world.
Although only half of the news outlets initially complied with the new rule, eventually, most female presenters wore face coverings in compliance with the Taliban's Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.
The new rule is "final and non-negotiable" according to an announcement by the Ministry of Information and Culture.
A TV presenter working at Tolo News, Sonia Niazi, said:
"It is just an outside culture imposed on us forcing us to wear a mask and that can create a problem for us while presenting our programmes."
A media official said that his station was forced to implement the order after being notified that it was not up for discussion. His condition for sharing this information was that he and his station remain anonymous, as he is scared of retribution by the Taliban.
[Based on reporting by: The Guardian]
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