In a week marked by mounting international concern, the Taliban’s accelerating clampdown on digital freedoms and women’s rights has drawn sharp criticism from both United Nations officials and Indian political leaders. The group’s recent actions—ranging from a sweeping internet blackout in Afghanistan to the exclusion of female journalists from a key press conference in New Delhi—have spotlighted what many see as a deliberate campaign to silence dissent and marginalize women.
Afghanistan plunged into digital darkness on September 29, 2025, when a 48-hour nationwide internet shutdown was reportedly ordered by Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada. According to BBC and UN statements, this blackout followed earlier targeted cuts to fiber-optic services in several provinces, leaving millions disconnected. Just days later, the Taliban imposed new restrictions on popular social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat, with no formal explanation offered for these sweeping moves.
“Internet and telecommunications shutdowns seriously impede other rights, including work, health, and education, and in a context like Afghanistan, would likely further increase poverty, unemployment, and food insecurity,” warned UN experts, including Richard Bennett, the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Afghanistan, in a statement released on October 10. The experts argued that these measures form part of a broader and deliberate strategy to control public discourse and regulate societal conduct, a strategy that has become increasingly apparent since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.
The UN panel’s statement went further, highlighting the economic fallout of such restrictions. “Cutting or limiting connectivity also undermines commercial activity, affecting Afghanistan’s fragile economy,” the experts noted. In a country already grappling with soaring unemployment and widespread food insecurity, the impact of digital isolation is particularly acute. Many Afghans rely on online platforms for their livelihoods, especially women and girls, who have found in the digital world a rare avenue for learning, employment, and entrepreneurship amid mounting social restrictions.
“Women and girls are disproportionately affected, as many rely on online platforms for learning, work, and business opportunities,” the UN experts emphasized. The Taliban’s digital crackdown, in their view, not only erodes basic civil liberties but also deepens entrenched gender inequalities.
International observers have also drawn attention to the chilling effect such policies have on accountability and transparency. “Any efforts to silence Afghan voices not only hampers efforts to hold perpetrators accountable, they may enable human rights violations to continue unchecked,” the UN experts cautioned. They called on Taliban authorities to restore full internet access and refrain from any further restrictions that violate civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights.
While Afghans at home face new barriers to information and self-expression, the Taliban’s approach to women’s rights has also sparked controversy abroad. On October 10, Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi held a press conference at the Afghan Embassy in New Delhi. The event, however, became a lightning rod for criticism after it emerged that women journalists had been excluded from attending. According to NDTV and IANS, some female reporters who attempted to participate were turned away at the door—even though they had complied with the prescribed dress code.
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) moved quickly to distance itself from the incident, clarifying on October 11 that invitations for the press conference had been sent directly by Afghanistan’s Consul General in Mumbai, Ikramuddin Kamil, and that the event took place on embassy premises outside the Indian government’s jurisdiction. “The Afghan Embassy premises, where the event was held, are outside the jurisdiction of the Indian government,” the MEA stated unequivocally, as reported by NDTV.
Nevertheless, the exclusion of women journalists triggered an outcry among Indian press circles and opposition leaders. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was particularly vocal, denouncing the move as “an insult to some of India’s most accomplished women” and urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to clarify his government’s position. “Women are the backbone and pride of the nation,” Vadra declared, echoing the sentiments of many who saw the incident as emblematic of the Taliban’s regressive stance on gender equality.
The press conference itself was a tightly controlled affair, attended by only about 15 to 16 journalists—all men—who received personal invitations on the morning of the event. Reporters told IANS that the limited media access and selective invitations prevented broader scrutiny of India’s cautious engagement with the Taliban, raising questions about transparency and inclusivity in diplomatic affairs.
The Afghan Embassy in Delhi remains under the charge of Mohammad Ibrahim Khil, a diplomat from the previous Ashraf Ghani administration, while the Taliban controls the consulates in Mumbai and Hyderabad. This unusual arrangement has added another layer of complexity to India-Afghanistan relations, as New Delhi navigates its interactions with a regime that remains unrecognized by most of the world.
Back in Afghanistan, the Taliban’s systematic restrictions on women continue to provoke international condemnation. Since reclaiming power, the group has barred women from most jobs and educational institutions, banned books authored by women in universities, and recently removed 18 academic courses—including Gender and Development, Women’s Sociology, Human Rights, Afghan Constitutional Law, and Globalization and Development—from the curriculum. These moves have drawn criticism from human rights organizations and foreign governments alike, who argue that they amount to a wholesale erasure of women from public life.
Despite the mounting backlash, the Taliban has shown little sign of reversing course. Their leadership has offered no formal justification for the internet blackout or the social media restrictions, nor have they responded to calls for greater inclusivity in public events or educational settings. Observers warn that such policies threaten not only Afghanistan’s fragile social fabric but also its prospects for economic recovery and international engagement.
For many Afghans—especially women and girls—the digital world had become a lifeline, offering access to education, employment, and a platform for their voices. The recent wave of restrictions threatens to sever that lifeline, deepening isolation and reinforcing cycles of poverty and discrimination. As UN experts and Indian leaders continue to speak out, the question remains: will the Taliban heed these warnings, or will Afghanistan’s most vulnerable continue to bear the brunt of policies that shut them out of both the real and digital worlds?
As the dust settles on a tumultuous week, one thing is clear: the struggle for rights and representation in Afghanistan, both online and offline, is far from over.
