A charity foundation hosted a national book reading competition in Kabul, gathering 3,500 participants at the historic Darul Aman Palace.
While the cultural event saw a massive turnout of young people, it was marked by a glaring exclusion: no girls or women were allowed to participate.
Images from the event showed the palace halls filled exclusively with men and boys.
The organizers stated that they hope to include female participants in the next round of the competition, though no specific timeline or guarantee was provided given the current restrictions.
This exclusion highlights the ongoing erasure of women from cultural and educational spheres under Taliban rule.
Despite the ban on female participation, the sheer number of attendees underscores the deep thirst for knowledge and literature among Afghanistan’s youth amidst challenging circumstances.
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