Taliban warns 'voices will be silenced' if Afghans challenge 'national interest'

A  Taliban official warned that Afghans who raise their voice against the "national interest" will be silenced when responding to a series of questions over the group’s decision to ban women from public parks in Kabul. 

Mohammad Akif Muhajer, a spokesman for the hardline Islamists who seized power in August 2021, told BBC reporters that people who challenge authorities in Afghanistan will be arrested - like "in any country". 

The Taliban representative rebuffed accusations that women’s rights were being marginalised in the crisis-hit nation, claiming instead that they were granted equality with male peers under "Islamic and Sharia Law". 

"Both women and men are equal. Women will be given the same rights as given to men," said Muhajer. 

He then went on to explain why women were banned from Kabul. 

"Rules which were set by us were not being followed," he said, adding that some women were not wearing the hijab. 

Asked why the Taliban imprisoned people who spoke out against their authority, Muhajer said: "If someone rises their voice against the national interest, those voices will be silenced.

"In some countries, they have been killed but we don’t do this," he added. 

Kabul fell to the Taliban after a lightning offensive in the summer of 2021 precipated by the withdrawal of US and coalition troops. 

Since the Taliban's return, the country has been plunged into a catastrophic economic crisis, with millions now living in poverty. 

Despite initial promises to protect women’s rights, the group have placed progressively harsher restrictions on female dress codes and freedom of movement.

Women and girls have been shut out of classrooms for over a year.

Recently, there have been several reports of public floggings for "moral crimes" such as adultery. Three women were beaten in front of thousands at Afghanistan's football stadium.