Over two dozen protesters, mainly women, and girls, on Saturday took out a rally in Kabul and marched to the Taliban’s Ministry of Education, demanding of their rulers not share in power or representation—something witnessed in previous protests - but only reopening of schools for girls. 

Seven months in power, the Taliban has succeeded, to a great extent in bringing down the expectations and hopes of Afghans related to their rights—something people in the other parts of the world don’t usually need to protest for they get those as their fundamental rights. 

In the period of fewer than three decades, this is the second time when Afghan girls find themselves barred from schools. The Taliban, which returned to power last August, failed to honor its commitments to allow girls from classes 6 to 12 in schools. 

Dressed in their school uniforms, girls and boys on Saturday took out a rally, chanting "Education is our right! Open the doors of girls' schools!”, while Taliban’s armed guards looked on. 

"When it comes to standing up for freedom and the girls who want to go to school, I'm willing to die,” a female teacher, part of the protest march, was quoted as saying by BBC. "When it comes to standing up for freedom and the girls who want to go to school, I'm willing to die.”

Since its return to power last year, the Taliban has reversed most of the country’s hard-earned gains in social and political sectors. Among them was girls’ right to education and work. The group has brutally clamped down on numerous protests, seeking changes in the way the Taliban govern. 

The protest on Saturday was prompted by the Taliban’s abrupt reversal on senior girls' education. Earlier this week on Wednesday, hours after thousands of girls returned to their classes--for the first time in two years - the group ordered the closure of girls' schools for an indefinite period. 

Already reeling under economic hardships, Afghans felt deeply betrayed by this reversal. For many, the experience was almost as traumatic as seeing the Taliban marching into the streets of Kabul last year—seemingly uncontested. 

On Wednesday, the day Taliban reimposed their ban on girls' education, a male anchor at TOLOnews, one of the country’s most popular private news channels, burst into tears and was seen struggling in a now viral video to gather his voice to discuss the topic with female panelists. 

Another video, also viral on social media, capturing the mood that day showed a girl crying profusely upon returning home, and complaining to her mother that they [the Taliban] didn’t allow them [girls] in.

Despite overwhelming domestic and international support for girls’ education, the Taliban appears reluctant, possibly under pressure from the hardline ultra-conservative leaders, whose influence within the group has only grown since the last year’s complete military victory.

For the international community, the development is also concerning, as it shows how little appetite the group has for gaining recognition if they can’t act on such a small issues at a time when the country’s humanitarian crisis continues to worsen.

Pressure, sanctions, crises, and even a starving population are failing to make a dent in the Taliban's functioning, leaving Afghan women, once again, victim of ideological orthodoxies.

(SAM)