Afghan TV shows woman singer

Women have not been seen singing on TV since the early 1990s

For the first time in more than a decade an Afghan woman has been broadcast singing on public television.

Kabul Television broadcast old footage of the popular 1970s and '80s artist Salma singing a ballad.

The footage marked the latest step towards liberalisation promoted by the moderate administration of President Hamid Karzai.

No such images have been seen since the fall of communist President Najibullah in 1992.

In the following four years of civil war, the Islamic mujahideen did not allow images of women to be broadcast.

When the Taleban came to power in 1996, it banned all television.

Higher profile

Monday evening's broadcast was just one song lasting about five minutes, but went out at peak time.

"We are endeavouring to perform our artistic works regardless of the issue of sex," Information and Culture Minister Sayed Makdoom Raheen told the Reuters news agency.

Women gained constitutional equal rights at the recent loya jirga forum

Women have gradually been gaining a higher profile since the fall of the Taleban just over two years ago.

Since 2002, some have presented news shows on television.

Under the Taleban's strict interpretation of Sharia, or Islamic, law, women were denied jobs and girls an education

Now in Kabul, many women have jobs and can wear a veil or headscarf rather than the all-enveloping burqa.

However, in much of rural Afghanistan women remain confined to the home and still wear the burqa.

Monday's broadcast follows a switch at the top of Kabul Radio and Television.

Mohammad Isahaq was succeeded by Ghulam Hassan Hazrati, a close associate of Mr Raheen, a few weeks ago.

Another two music clips featuring women were shown on Monday night, one a religious song in Urdu to mark the visit of Pakistani Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali.