WEB DESK
In Afghanistan, women university students across the country are in disbelief, barred by the Taliban from studying, and condemned to a life of feeling like caged birds.
In Kabul, home to the country’s largest universities, students gathered outside campuses dressed in the black cloaks and tight headscarves imposed by the Taliban since they took control last year.
In Kandahar, the cradle and spiritual heart of the Taliban movement, male students were able to sit exams in classrooms still segregated with screens, which until the day before made it possible for women to study. Now, the university gates shut them out.
In the eastern city of Jalalabad, some male students walked out of their exams in protest against the decision.
Upon their return to power, the Taliban had promised to be more flexible, but they quickly re-enforced a harsh interpretation of Islam that had marked their first stint in power between 1996 and 2001.
The restrictions on women have multiplied in recent months. They are banned from most government jobs or paid a pittance to stay at home, not authorised to travel alone outside their city, and are excluded from parks and gardens.