Kabul, Afghanistan
As Taliban announced their new government to rule Afghanistan, changes are being noticed all around the country.
Contrary to promises by the terrorist organisation, from a changed wall to a new stamp on visas, Taliban 2.0 is looking no different from their previous regime.
The US embassyâs wall in Kabul was known for its painting of young girls who could be seen smiling and a message along the painting read "I am the future of Afghanistan". However, the wall has now been replaced with a painting of the Taliban flag.
This drastic whitewashing of the wall has come at a time when the women of the Taliban-controlled country are taking to the streets to raise their voices against the exclusion of women in the new government, among several other discriminatory issues.
Taliban have allowed women to attend schools and universities but have imposed new regulations. All women attending private colleges and schools will have to cover most of their face. Girls are also not allowed to sit in same classes as boys and if they do, they have to sit behind a curtain, segregated from men. Only female teachers can teach women and girls have to compulsorily leave the premises five minutes prior so that they do not interact with any men.
Women have been fighting for equal rights and human rights in the country since Taliban took over Afghanistan on August 15.
However, it is not just the US embassy wall that has changed. Now, Afghan visa does not have the countryâs map. Instead, the visa now comes with the Islamic Emirate logo.
The stamp and watermark of the Taliban logo on the Afghan visa, in place of Afghanistanâs map, depicts the change in power in the country.
In addition to this, the Hamid Karzai International Airport has been renamed as Kabul International Airport.
As news agencies reported that the airport will be ready to host international flights after three days, recent images from the airport show that the outer side of the Kabul airport (the main entrance of the airport) has been changed as the âHamid Karzai international airportâ has been removed now, and the text only reads 'Kabul international airport'. However, the the area near the runway still reads the same.
While Taliban claim to be 'new and improved', these changes hint at revival of the old, disgraced methods of the terrorist organisation that the group practiced before 2001.