In the Afghan capital, Kabul, Taliban religious police have put up posters instructing women to wear veils.
According to the French news agency AFP, the posters have pictures of women wearing burqas pasted outside cafes and shops this week by the Taliban's Ministry of Command and Prohibition.
Since gaining control of Kabul in August, the Taliban have increasingly imposed restrictions on personal liberties, especially for girls and women.The poster reads, "According to Sharia law, Muslim women should wear hijab."
A spokesman for Amr Bal Ma'ruf Wa Nahi An Al Munkar confirmed the posters and said that he had issued orders regarding the veil.
Sadiq Akif Mohajer said, "If someone does not comply, it does not mean that the woman will be punished or beaten. It's just a matter of encouraging women to follow Sharia law. "
In Kabul, women cover their heads with scarves, while there are also women who wear western clothing.
Outside Kabul, women wear the burqa. Under the first Taliban regime, women were required to wear the burqa.
The women's rights activist and university student, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that "what they are trying to do is spread fear and panic."
"I was shocked when I first saw the posters. I thought maybe the Taliban would start beating me. They want me to wear a burqa and not see anything, I will never do that. "
The Taliban, desperate for international recognition of their government to restore funding to the war-torn country, has so far avoided issuing national policies.
They have issued separate instructions for men and women in each province.
"It's not good," said Shah Agha, a restaurant supervisor in Kabul. It will create fear. "
"I think if the Taliban were recognized internationally, they would start implementing it."
Although the Taliban have promised to rule softly, women are still largely excluded from government employment and girls' secondary schools are closed in many provinces.
The Taliban have banned women from traveling long distances alone.
