All government officials must wear a beard and follow a dress code or risk being dismissed, according to the Taliban.

On Monday, March 28, representatives from the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice were patrolling the gates to government buildings to ensure that staff were following the new guidelines.

“Employees were advised not to shave their beards and to wear local apparel consisting of a long, loose shirt and trousers, as well as a hat or turban,” according to the sources.

“They were also instructed to pray at the appropriate moments.”

Workers were told they would from now on be unable to enter offices and would eventually be fired if they did not meet the dress codes.

Last week, the Taliban banned women from taking flights without a male chaperone and failed to open girls’ schools as promised.

The Taliban administration has drawn criticism at home and from Western governments for forcing its hardline interpretation of Islamic law onto all Afghans.

On Sunday it ordered parks to be segregated by sex, with women allowed to enter three days a week, and men the other four days, including the weekend, meaning even married couples and families cannot visit together.

The Taliban administration has drawn criticism at home and from Western governments for forcing its hardline interpretation of Islamic law onto all Afghans.

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