Even as the Donald Trump-led US regime is trying to broker a peace deal in Afghanistan between the West-backed Afghan government and the Taliban to end the longest standing insurgency of Asia, the so-called ‘good’ Taliban based in North Waziristan of Pakistan have widely circulated a pamphlet spelling out retrogressive discriminatory and brutal rules for women in particular.

The North Waziristan Taliban, which is also supported by the Miran Shah Shura or the centre of the dreaded Haqqani network, issued the pamphlet, imposing dreary rules for women to be followed, lest retribution would. 

The letter has been issued in the name of Hafiz Gul Bahadur, the tallest leader of Pakistani Taliban and the supreme military commander of this branch of the Taliban. 
 
The so-called ‘good’ Taliban have banned women from accepting assistance, even food, from NGOs and government institutions. In line with its true Taliban flourish, apart from posing restrictions on the freedom and education of women and girls, the network has also threatened all the polio immunisation teams to stop their vaccination efforts for children immediately.

“This group is known as good Taliban but has been used as war proxies by the Pakistani military. The Taliban group enjoys close relationship and alliance with the notorious Haqqani network and is actively engaged in various terrorist and destructive activities in Afghanistan,” said senior journalist Imtiaz Wazir, a Pashtun freedom activist who fled Waziristan and is living in exile in Afghanistan.

The use of motorcycles by women too has been prohibited.

In a throwback to the regime of Mulla Mohammad Umar at the height of Taliban power in Afghanistan, the North Waziristan network of Taliban has also banned cultural music programmes and traditional dance parties (Attan) during marriages.

The Taliban’s warning pamphlet said “This is aimed at the welfare of the local people. Violators of the conditions will be placed on Taliban target.”

It also said, “The Taliban Jihad is part of their defense, not offense.”

“All men and women should immediately give up their salaries from NGOs and government institutions and Polio department,” the pamphlet added, apart from threatening tribal elders or maliks to not cooperate with the government in the area of installations of mobile towers in Waziristan.