The Taliban on Tuesday (28th September) said that they are adopting a temporary constitution of 1964 that gave the women full right to vote; however, it eliminates all elements which the women disagree with.
According to the Taliban’s acting justice minister, the Islamists intend to reintroduce a constitution used during Afghanistan’s brief golden age of democracy, but only briefly and with revisions.
Maulvi Abdul Hakim Sharaee said, “The Islamic Emirate will adopt the constitution of the former King Mohammad Zahir Shah’s time for a temporary period.” He added that any text which will not be in accordance with the Sharia and the principles of the Islamic Emirate would be discarded from the constitution.
Afghanistan had a brief period of a constitutional monarchy under King Mohammad Zahir Shah about six decades ago when the world’s superpowers intervened in the country.
The basic law of 1964
The women were granted the right to vote for the first time as per the basic law of 1964.
The constitution was ratified by the king a year after he took power in 1963, ushering in nearly a decade of parliamentary democracy before he was deposed in 1973.
The 1964 constitution, which granted women the right to vote for the first time and paved the way for wider political engagement, would appear to be an awkward fit with the Taliban’s extreme ideas.
The group, which stormed to power in mid-August, has promised a softer and more inclusive approach than their harsh 1996-2001 tenure, during which women were generally banned from public life, including work and school.
However, it can be noted that when the Taliban presented their government earlier this month, most of the top positions did not include any women.
After suffering under Soviet occupation in the 1980s, civil war, and Taliban control, Afghanistan approved a constitution once more in the aftermath of the US-led invasion in 2001. However, the government did not restore the old monarchy, it introduced a fresh text in 2004 that ensured equal rights for women.
