Taliban Official Calls for Lifting Education Bans on Afghan Women and Girls.
In a rare public rebuke of the Taliban government’s policies, a senior figure within the group has urged its leadership to rescind the education bans imposed on Afghan women and girls.
Sher Abbas Stanikzai, who serves as a political deputy at the Foreign Ministry, made the remarks during a speech at a religious school ceremony in Khost province on Saturday.
Stanikzai told the audience that there was “no reason to deny education to women and girls, just as there was no justification for it in the past and there shouldn’t be one at all.”
The Taliban government has barred females from education beyond the sixth grade, and reports emerged last September that they had also stopped medical training and courses for women. This move has had a devastating impact, as women and girls in Afghanistan can only be treated by female doctors and health professionals.
In a video shared by his official social media account, Stanikzai directly appealed to Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, saying, “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 the first time Stanikzai has spoken out in favor of women’s education. He made similar remarks in September 2022, but the latest statement appears to be a more direct call for a policy change.
The international community has also been pressuring the Taliban, with Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai recently urging Muslim leaders to challenge the group on its stance regarding women and girls’ education.
The United Nations has made it clear that international recognition of the Taliban as the legitimate rulers of Afghanistan is almost impossible as long as the bans on female education and employment remain in place.
While countries like Russia and India have been developing ties with the Afghan authorities, the lack of progress on women’s rights remains a significant obstacle to full diplomatic recognition.
Stanikzai’s public appeal for the Taliban to reconsider its education policies for women and girls represents a rare dissenting voice within the group, highlighting the growing tensions and divisions over this critical issue.
