Rashid Khan: Afghan cricket star's surreal wedding photos without a bride are going viral

Afghan cricketer Rashid Khan got married in Kabul on Thursday and while congratulatory messages poured in from his colleagues, many are wondering about the complete absence of women in the photos, including the bride.

The Afghan T20I captain and his brothers Amir Khalil, Zakiullah and Raza Khan were all married on the same day in a traditional Pashtun ceremony in the Afghan capital.

Several people were amazed that among the many pictures posted on social media, none of Khan's wife or any other woman was visible.

Afghan cricketer and former captain of the Afghan national cricket team Mohammad Nabi posted some photos from the ceremony on X and congratulated Khan: “Congratulations to the one and only King Khan, Rashid Khan, on your wedding! I wish you a life full of love, happiness and success.”

One fan replied: “Woh sab toh thik hai par dulhaniyaa kahan hai? (That's all fine, but where is the bride?)

Another asked why there couldn't be a photo of his bride with her face out of focus.

In Afghanistan, women are excluded from virtually all aspects of public life under Taliban officials, and several countries have expressed concern about the systematic eradication of women's rights.

According to a UN report published in July 2024, moral policing has created a climate of fear and intimidation among Afghans. According to the report, between August 2021 and March 2024, at least 1,033 cases were documented in which ministry employees used force when implementing orders, resulting in a violation of a person's freedom and physical and mental integrity.

After the Taliban came to power in August 2021, they denied women and girls access to education beyond sixth grade, as well as access to public places such as parks, gyms and salons. They further restrict women from work – a terrible repeat of the 1990s rule over the country.

Afghan women must be accompanied by a male guardian, father or husband (Mehram) when leaving the house or face a penalty.

In August, the Taliban introduced the country's first official rules aimed at “preventing vice and promoting virtue,” requiring women to completely cover their bodies and faces with thick clothing in public. Under these new rules, women are not allowed to make their voices heard in public, including at home, including by singing or reading. Women are also forbidden from directly looking at men who are not their immediate family members.

Penalties for violating these rules include “advice, warnings of divine punishment, verbal threats, confiscation of property, imprisonment from one hour to three days in public prisons, and any other punishment deemed appropriate.”

The Taliban reacted negatively to widespread criticism and condemnation of their new rules around the world, claiming that they showed “arrogance”.

Despite the ban, Afghan women are reportedly defying the Taliban by flooding social media with videos of themselves singing. The lyrics to a popular song go: “Your boots could be on my neck. Or their fists on my face. But with our deep light within me, I will fight through this night.”