A senior Taliban figure has called on the group’s leader to end the ban on education for Afghan women and girls, The Associated Press reports.
Sher Abbas Stanikzai, the political deputy at the Foreign Ministry, delivered a speech Saturday in southeastern Khost province, arguing that there is no justification for denying education to half the population.
“There was no justification for it [a reason to deny education to women and girls] in the past and there shouldn’t be one at all,” Stanikzai said while speaking at a religious school ceremony.
He directly implored the Taliban leadership to reverse course.
“We call on the leadership again to open the doors of education… We are committing an injustice against 20 million people out of a population of 40 million, depriving them of all their rights. This is not in Islamic law, but our personal choice or nature,” Stanikzai said in a video posted on X.
The Taliban government has barred girls from attending school after the sixth grade, and there are reports they have also stopped medical training and courses for women, although authorities have not confirmed this medical training ban. The policy has drawn widespread international condemnation, particularly as women in Afghanistan are often required to be treated by female healthcare professionals.
Stanikzai’s public appeal is significant, as he was previously head of the Taliban team in negotiations that led to the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan. While he has previously expressed support for women’s education, this marks the first time he has directly called for a change in policy and appealed to Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.”
The issue of women’s education has become a major point of contention for the Taliban internationally. Earlier this month, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai urged Muslim leaders at a conference in Islamabad, hosted by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Muslim World League, to challenge the Taliban on the education ban.
The United Nations has stated that recognition of the Taliban as the legitimate rulers of Afghanistan is unlikely to happen while these bans on female education and employment, and restrictions on women’s mobility without a male guardian, remain in place.
Despite the lack of formal recognition, some countries are engaging with the Taliban. Russia has been developing ties and India is also increasing relations with Afghan authorities, as evidenced by a recent meeting in Dubai between India’s top diplomat, Vikram Mistri, and Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.
