Veteran lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar has strongly criticised the new penal code introduced in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan that permits domestic violence against women. He raised concerns about the legal sanctioning of abuse and its far-reaching implications for women’s safety and rights.
Javed Akhtar on Saturday reacted to the newly-introduced penal code in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan that, the veteran lyricist and screenwriter noted in an X post, has legalised wife beating without bone fracture. Akhtar expressed outrage over the new penal code that says a wife is liable to be jailed if she goes to her parent’s place without the husband’s permission. He requested religious leaders to condemn the penal code.
The penal code classifies society into multiple tiers, with punishments differing based on one’s position within the hierarchy. Under the 90-page document, signed by the group’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, religious leaders are placed at the top, followed by elites, the middle class, and the lower class.
In an X post, Akhtar wrote: “Talibans have legalised wife beating, but without any bone fracture. If a wife goes to her parents’ place without the husband’s permission, she will be jailed for three months. I beseech the Mufties and mullas of India to condemn it unconditionally because it all is being done in the name of their religion (sic).”
Take a look at the post here:
In another post, the screenwriter referred to the Taliban as the ‘scum of the world’.
The new system means that if a religious scholar commits a crime, the maximum consequence is a warning or an “advice”. Members of the social elite may receive advice and potentially a court summons, while those in the middle class could face imprisonment. For the lower class, punishments can include both imprisonment and corporal punishment.