'Imposed on us...': Afghan female news anchors forced to cover faces on air

Afghanistan's  Information and Culture Ministry has previously announced that the policy (to cover faces on air) was "final and non-negotiable."

Islamabad: Afghanistan's Taliban rulers on Sunday (May 22) began enforcing an order requiring all female TV news anchors in the country to cover their faces while on-air. The move is part of a hard-line shift drawing condemnation from rights activists. After the order was announced Thursday, only a handful of news outlets complied with the order. But on Sunday, most female anchors were seen with their faces covered after the Taliban's vice and virtue ministry began enforcing the order.

The Information and Culture Ministry previously announced that the policy was "final and non-negotiable." "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 programs," said Sonia Niazi, a TV anchor with TOLOnews.

A local media official confirmed his station had received the order last week but on Sunday it was forced to implement the order and hewas told it was not up for discussion. He spoke on condition he and his station remain anonymous for fear of retribution from Taliban authorities.

During the Taliban's last time in power in Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, they imposed overwhelming restrictions on women, requiring them to wear the all-encompassing burqa and barring them from public life and education.

After they seized power again in August, the Taliban initially appeared to have moderated somewhat their restrictions, announcing no dress code for women. But in recent weeks, they have made a sharp, hard-line pivot that has confirmed the worst fears of rights activists and further complicated Taliban dealings with an already distrustful international community.