Taliban Minister Reaffirms Restrictions on Women’s Voices & Movement Amid Int'l Criticism

The images notably feature Karzai’s young daughter, Durkhani, seated prominently among male leaders and former officials, drawing widespread public interest and social media reactions. With the Taliban’s stringent restrictions on women and girls in public life, some observers have interpreted her presence as a “symbolic act of protest.”

In a post on social media, Abdullah shared two photos from the meeting, which took place on Saturday afternoon (27th October) at Karzai’s office in Kabul. He did not elaborate on the discussion’s topics or the significance of Karzai’s daughter’s presence.

The first image, taken inside Karzai’s office, shows Durkhani seated at the head of the gathering between Karzai and Abdullah, with other close associates of Karzai present. In the second image, taken in the office courtyard, she stands among the former leaders, her shawl draped over her shoulder.

Both Abdullah and Karzai, prominent political figures, remained in Kabul following the Taliban’s takeover and continue to meet occasionally. In light of the Taliban’s restrictive policies, which have barred girls from education beyond sixth grade and largely excluded women from public life, the presence of Karzai’s young daughter at the meeting has stirred considerable reaction on social media.

Activists suggest that this gesture could be seen as “symbolic and defiant,” given the Taliban’s views that limit the presence and voices of women and girls in public spaces. Karzai has previously engaged with women’s rights activists and has openly called on the Taliban to reopen schools and universities for girls.

Sources familiar with the matter revealed that Durkhani attends the Afghan-Turk school in Kabul, currently in her second year of primary education. Taliban policies have led to the closure of all secondary schools and universities for girls, effectively barring them from formal education beyond primary school. These restrictions have placed significant psychological and social pressures on Afghan women, with recent reports highlighting rising cases of suicide, forced marriages, and gender-based violence.

Stanekzai said that in a society people do not trust a system where justice has not been established and corruption and disorder prevail and then, flee the country.

"In any society where justice is not provided and people are not given equal rights as human beings and Muslims, people do not consider that system to be their own and flee the country," the Taliban official said on Saturday at the Taliban's Foreign Ministry's Institute for Strategic Studies.

Stanekzai also stated that Afghans have always been victorious on the battlefield, but they have lost in the political arena.

He stressed that if they fail to carry out their responsibilities properly and make the system "stable and lasting", they will be accountable to God and the "martyrs" of the past 20 years.

For the stability of the group's system, the Taliban's deputy foreign minister called for the expansion of relations with the international community, saying that the world is like a village and cannot be lived in without relations and trade.

Stanekzai also called on Taliban officials to take responsibility and stressed on the importance of paying attention to science and knowledge in the country.

After their return to power, the Taliban has closed universities and schools above the sixth grade to girls and confined women to their homes.

This comes as BRICS member countries have called for the formation of an inclusive national government in Afghanistan at their meeting in Kazan. The final resolution of the BRICS summit emphasises on the rights of ethnic groups and all citizens, including women.

Earlier, China and Pakistan also stressed on the need to form an inclusive government that includes all ethnic and political groups in Afghanistan. The Taliban has removed all ethnic and political groups from the scene and divided government seats among their fighters.

The ministry said Ugolini will manage Afghanistan-related affairs on an interim basis from Doha.

Earlier, the affairs of the Italian Embassy in Afghanistan were handled by Natalia Quintavalle, the Italian Chargé d'Affaires in Doha.

Sabrina Ugolini was born in Rome, Italy, in 1968 and began her career in this field in 1994, the statement said.

The new Italian ambassador, Sabrina Ugolini, wrote on the embassy's social media platform X that by assuming this responsibility, she will focus on human rights issues and the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan.

This comes even as Italy and no other country have recognised the Taliban so far, and many Western countries manage the affairs of their embassies to Afghanistan from Doha, the capital of Qatar.

Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhundzada has dissolved the pension system in Afghanistan and slashed the salaries of retirees.

Sources said that during these protests, one of the retirees was arrested by the Taliban members.

The demonstrations are part of widespread discontent among retirees who are suffering from the current difficult situation due to the economic crisis and the neglect of their basic needs.

Over the past three years, retired government employees have staged protests in Kabul and other cities. The retired employees allege that they have not received their pensions since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021.

Protesters said that the non-payment of their salaries has caused serious problems in their daily lives.

Earlier, Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada had ordered in April this year that the pension share should not be deducted from the monthly salaries of employees. This decree means the abolition of the pension system in Afghanistan.

Kazemi Qomi added that Tehran and Kabul can create a north-south and east-west transit corridor with the development of Chabahar.

According to the Islamic Republic News Agency, IRNA, Qomi, on the sidelines of an international exhibition in Mashhad, said that the Islamic Republic is trying to attract Afghan private sector investors by easing conditions and removing obstacles.

Hassan Kazemi Qomi said that the improvement of Afghanistan's economy has a positive impact on the countries of the region.

Earlier, the spokesman of the Islamic Republic of Iran said about reports of land sales to Afghans and the presence of the Taliban in Chabahar that Iran does not endanger its internal security and borders for the sake of economic interests. Fatemeh Mohajerani had said, "Land is not sold to foreign nationals." Officials of the Islamic Republic refer to undocumented Afghan immigrants in Iran as "foreign nationals and unauthorised nationals”.

The Islamic Republic has a close relationship with the Taliban and at the same time seeks to attract private investors from Afghanistan's private sector. Afghan businessmen and investors have transferred a large part of their capital to Iran after the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan.

The massive wave of migration from Afghanistan to Iran is another consequence of the Taliban's rule. The Islamic Republic has intensified its policy of deporting Afghan refugees. Following an increase in mistreatment of Afghan migrants in Iran, the Iranian government has been accused of being "anti-immigration".

The Special Representative of the Iranian President has said that the countries of Central Asia and Afghanistan are interested in developing economic cooperation with Iran.

Khan Jan Alokozay, deputy head of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries, said in June this year that many Afghan businessmen and investors have transferred companies and a large part of their capital to Iran.

Jawanmard Qasab, the economic advisor to the Iranian President’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Affairs, said that in the first four months of 2024, Afghans invested about $150 million in Iran.