UN Secretary General Calls on Taliban To Reverse Ban on Education for Women

The Afghan scholars called for these measures in an open letter to the United Nations Secretary-General.

This letter states that Afghan “women should work and travel freely and girls should continue their studies in school and university”.

They also asked the United Nations to stop all direct and indirect support to the Taliban.

A part of the letter states, "They (Taliban) should be held responsible for their illegal actions and be subjected to more pressure and sanctions within the framework of international human rights laws.”

According to the letter, since taking over Afghanistan in August 2021, the Taliban have issued more than 30 decrees that target all aspects of Afghan women's lives.

The letter also states that the Taliban ignores almost all human rights standards and it is time to step up efforts to ensure accountability of the group for violations of international law.

The letter states that if the international community does not take further punitive measures, the Taliban's "repressive" actions might continue.

The activists also stressed that the world should not bargain with regards to women's rights in Afghanistan in the name of engagement with the Taliban.

The Afghan women said that the situation of women in Afghanistan is deteriorating, and they are deprived of their basic rights.

The participants of the Istanbul gathering expressed their concerns about signs of the international community’s acceptance of the current situation of women in Afghanistan.

The Afghan women activists said that while women inside Afghanistan are deprived of their rights, the international community only emphasises on the Afghan women's right to education, which, according to them, is "dangerous" for the situation of women.

This is the first time that Turkey has allowed Afghan women to hold such a political gathering to protest against the Taliban policies.

This gathering was held on Sunday at the initiative of Rahela Dostum, the daughter of Marshal Abdul Rashid Dostum, the former Vice-President of Afghanistan.

Qalandar Ebad, the Acting Minister of Public Health of the Taliban, said that Afghanistan is closer to eradicating polio than ever before.

Ebad has asked Afghan citizens to cooperate with the officials for the implementation of the vaccination programme.

According to Taliban’s public health figures, in 2022 Afghanistan recorded two positive cases of polio in Kunar and Paktika provinces.

Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only countries that have not been able to eradicate polio cases.

Reacted to Afghanistan International’s news regarding the same, Rasoul Mousavi, Iran’s assistant foreign minister, indirectly said that Khalilzad is in no position to talk about US policies against Iran.

Mousavi asked the former US envoy for Afghanistan what good he had done with the United States’ policies in Iraq and Afghanistan and said that now he has no right to talk about US policies against Iran.

Khalilzad, who had severed as a US special envoy for Afghanistan, had said that reducing Tehran's capabilities is the only way to prevent the Islamic Republic from building nuclear weapons.

Mousavi quoted Afghanistan International’s report regarding Khalilzad’s stance and said, “Thank God for creating our enemies from fools.”

The human rights organisation stressed that after taking power in August 2021, those arrested by the Taliban have been mainly employees of the previous government, including members of the previous security and defense establishment.

Rawadari added that dozens of civil activists, journalists, and human rights defenders have been arrested and subjected to violence and mistreatment.

According to the rights watchdog, the Taliban have arrested hundreds of other people on charges of cooperation and membership with the National Resistance Front (NRF), dozens of women who protested the group’s policies, and several Salafi believers across the country.