Taliban to ‘temporarily’ adopt 1964 constitution, with caveats

KABUL: The Taliban said on Tuesday they will temporarily adopt a 1964 constitution that granted women the right to vote but eliminate any elements they disagree with.

The Taliban´s acting justice minister issued a statement saying they planned to introduce a constitution used during Afghanistan´s short-lived golden age of democracy, but only briefly and with amendments.

"The Islamic Emirate will adopt the constitution of the former King Mohammad Zahir Shah´s time for a temporary period," Mawlavi Abdul Hakim Sharaee said. But anything in the text found to conflict with Sharia law and the principles of the Islamic Emirate would be discarded, he added.

The 1964 constitution, which gave women the right to vote for the first time and opened the doors for their increased participation in politics, would appear an awkward fit with the Taliban´s hardline views.