Imran Khan, the former prime minister of Pakistan, said in an interview with UK-based Channel 4 News, that as it is being sanctioned and isolated, the Taliban will not respond positively to Western countries’ demand to lift the ban on girls' education in Afghanistan.
During the interview, Khan also refused to urge the Taliban to grant Afghan girls and women the right to education.
Imran Khan stressed that Western countries should first integrate the Taliban as a member of the international community and then, discuss human rights with the group.
Imran Khan has been given the nickname "Taliban Khan" in Pakistan due to his support for the Afghan Taliban and other Islamist groups.
Pakistani authorities have repeatedly asked Western countries to recognise the Taliban despite depriving Afghan women and other people of their basic human rights.
Western countries, especially the United States, have said that they will not recognise the Taliban, if the group does not respect human rights.
Despite the positions of Pakistani statesmen, the Taliban consider their current policies in Afghanistan to be in accordance with "Islamic Sharia". This group has described the international community’s demands to respect human rights as "interference in the internal affairs of Afghanistan".
Following the official announcement of the ban on the education of women and girls by the Taliban, the Minister of Higher Education of the group had insisted that "religion" was more important than national interests and the progress of Afghanistan for the Taliban.
