A Taliban official has accused aides to Mullah Mohammad Omar of rejecting attempts at a ban on education for girls.
Sher Abbas Stanikzai, Afghanistan's foreign ministry&rsquo;s political deputy has urged the Taliban leadership to overturn the decision to ban on education of women and girls. Insisting the ban to be unfair at a ceremony in Khost province, he proclaimed that there is no warrant for this in shari&rsquo;a and millions are suffering an infringement of their rights.
The Taliban government most recently enacted a ban on education for girls and soon later disallowed women from university education in 2021. These policies have been received with anger and criticism all over the world.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://currentnews.news/admin/storage/news/ZhyCvEGn9vOoUNYLtKhcBStrxUEOOyjxqxPIJVTL.png" alt="Senior Taliban Official" width="727" height="399">
Preliminary Observations by Sher Abbas Stanikzai
During his address, Stanikzai made the following key statements:
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li style="text-align: justify;">&ldquo;Finally, it is unjust to confine twenty million out of forty million and deprive them of all rights.&rdquo;</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">The volumes, the nature, the liking of sweets by one party and the disliking by the other are not given in Islamic law and our personal choice or our nature.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">&lsquo;&lsquo;Formerly there was no reason for this ban and now there should be none at all.&rsquo;&rsquo;</li>
</ul>
Once again we appeal to leadership to open the doors to education.
Criticism and Analysis
Female activists&rsquo; view.
About Stanikzai&rsquo;s statements commentators and activists have doubted the sincerity of his comments.
Zubaida Akbar of the human rights organization Femena stated: &ldquo;It could be another well-thought plan to establish the Taliban as a serious fighting force of recognition on the international scale.&rdquo;
Policy Analysts&rsquo; Observations
Said policy analysts the words of Stanikzai do not put the face of the Taliban, but there are internal conflicts within the group.
Ibraheem Bahiss, a Crisis Group analyst, said:
&ldquo;While in the past Stanikzai has occasionally defended education for Afghan women, the above statement outright challenges the existing policies.&rdquo;
NGO Insights
Non-government organisation leaders add that even though the statements made by Stanikzai are liberal they will not lead to action.
Susan Hutchinson, Executive Director of Azadi-e Zan, noted:
&ldquo;Concerning the rights of women, Stanikzai has been criticized by other people of his age for his opinions.&rdquo; Though his advocacy is still considerable, it will not change the leadership&rsquo;s decision without additional pressure.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://currentnews.news/admin/storage/news/ytacJjkJe5NPn0jZelRUlscRWMY6YmbOvjgwoFup.png" alt="Education Ban on Afghan Girls" width="634" height="348">
Impact of the Ban
The education ban has far-reaching consequences for Afghanistan:
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Economic Decline: Traditional education eliminates half the potential for economic development and reduces the potential of the country.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Global Isolation: Afghanistan stands alone being condemned by the international community and no country has recognised the Taliban as the rightful rulers of Afghanistan.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Human Rights Violations: The ban leaves a negative impression of depriving people of their simplest rights and drew criticism of the Taliban.</li>
</ul>
International Response
Global pressure on the Taliban to reverse its policies remains strong:
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;">United Nations: Still actively campaigning for the rights of women and girls together with the right to education.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Diplomatic Engagement: Today countries like India and Russia have been involved in dealings with Afghan authorities but at the same time they called for reforms.</li>
</ul>
Key Points to Note
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Sher Abbas Stanikzai&rsquo;s Stance: A high-ranking Taliban member has openly denounced the group&rsquo;s recent ban on the education of girls and women.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Religious Justification Refuted: Nor did Stanikzai fail to stress the fact that the Taliban&rsquo;s ban on music is unIslamic.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Repeated Advocacy: This is not the first time when Stanikzai asked for change, he made a similar statement in September 2022.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Global Implications: The ban has put Afghanistan in the cold, in terms of international diplomacy and has raised issues on human rights violations.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Internal Divisions: To a large extent, Stanikzai&rsquo;s statements reveal divisions within the Taliban about its conduct.</li>
</ul>

Taliban official Sher Abbas Stanikzai calls for lifting the ban on Afghan girls’ education, calling it unjust and contrary to Islamic law.

Taliban Official Urges End to Afghan Girls’ Education Ban