The Foreign Office says the Taliban will have to live up to their obligations on the rights of women if it wants acceptance. It comes after the group's leadership ordered all Afghan women to wear an all-covering burka in public.
The move evokes similar restrictions imposed on women during the Taliban’s previous hardline rule between 1996 and 2001. The group says all women who are not 'too young or old' should cover their face.
A Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office spokesman said: “Responsibility for what happens in Afghanistan lies with the Taliban. We will judge them by their actions, not their words. If they want international acceptance, they must live up to their obligations and commitments, particularly on the rights of women and girls.”
