The Afghan government is
considering the re-establishment of the Taleban's Department for the
Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.
The move has been recommended by the Ministry for Religious
Affairs.
Under the Taleban, the department was notorious for its sometimes
brutal enforcement of Islamic norms.
A government minister said the department would help to prevent
corruption. The Afghan parliament is due to debate the issue soon.
Correspondents say that under the Taleban, the department's
enforcers struck fear into the population by such actions as beating
women who did not observe the strict dress code.
