Young women in Afghanistan are rejecting the traditional burqa for more comfortable abayas and hijabs, challenging ...

Tired of burkas that cover the face, urban women under the Taliban’s ‘gender apartheid’ have adopted the abaya robe favoured ...

Young, urban women in Afghanistan are increasingly ditching the all-enveloping blue burqa with a face mesh that has become a symbol of the Taliban's oppression of women.

Many prefer a flowing abaya robe, worn with a hijab headscarf and often a face covering as well – sometimes a medical mask, or a Saudi-style cloth niqab veil that exposes only the eyes.

The area now has close to 150 shops selling the veil to people who come from across Telangana and other States ...

Many prefer a flowing abaya robe, worn with a hijab headscarf and often a face covering as well -- sometimes a medical mask, or a Saudi-style cloth niqab veil that exposes only the eyes.