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Local residents and shop owners report that the Taliban’s “morality police” have recently barred women under the age of 40 from entering the shared market at the Afghan-Uzbek border in Termez. The restriction, they say, has sharply reduced customer traffic and disrupted cross-border economic activity.
“In the past, families — women included — made up the bulk of our customers,” said one Afghan trader. “Now that young women are banned, our sales have dropped dramatically.”
The regulation appears to be part of a broader pattern by the Taliban of tightening social restrictions, particularly those targeting women’s participation in public and economic life.
Taliban have not commented publicly on the restriction, which affects one of the few commercial spaces along the border where Afghan families had been able to shop and trade together.
Families who previously traveled to Termez for business or shopping now say they are less likely to make the trip, citing the impact of the new rule. Market operators warn that unless the Taliban reverse the policy, the economic consequences could deepen hardships for border communities on both sides.
