18 April 2004	Sunday	27 Safar 1425

JALALABAD, April 17: An Afghan province has banned women from performing on television and radio, declaring female entertainers un-Islamic, a provincial official said on Saturday.

The ban in Nangrahar, a southeastern province heavily patrolled by US-led troops hunting for militants, took effect on Friday and also covers women presenters of news and other information, the official said.

The decision follows a heavily debated decision by Kabul Television in January to show an old tape of Parasto, a popular woman singer who now lives in the West, in a move that brought a controversial end to a long-running ban on women singers.

Moderates have said showing women singers on television was in line with the new Afghan constitution as it gave equal rights to women.

But some provinces remain deeply conservative and provincial governors command broad authority over their regions, often in defiance of the central government.

Diplomats said Nangrahar's ban would be seen as a setback for moderates in President Hamid Karzai's government in their battle with conservatives opposed to liberalization since the Taliban's overthrow.-Reuters