Afghanistan reverses ban on girls over 12 singing in public

 The Afghan government has abandoned a ban on girls aged 12 and over singing at official ceremonies and in schools, after a backlash on social media and diplomatic pressure from Britain.

The Telegraph

After officials in Kabul issued the ban last week, Afghan women and girls took to social media to post videos where they sang their favourite songs in protest at the draconian measures.

The British government also raised the case with Afghan authorities, as a number of the schools that would have been affected are funded by UK aid.

And in response, on Saturday night, the Kabul education directorate issued a statement which said the ban would be reversed as it “does not reflect the positions or policies of the Ministry.”

Afghan officials have claimed the ban was applied only to girls in error, as it was meant to forbid boys ang girls from singing due to the risk of spreading coronavirus at public events.