A senior Taliban official has issued a rare public critique of the group’s policies, urging the leadership to lift the ban on education for Afghan women and girls.
The political deputy at the Foreign Ministry, Sher Abbas Stanikzai, made this appeal during a speech at a religious school in Khost province on Saturday.
Addressing the audience, Stanikzai argued that there is no valid justification for denying education to females.
“Just as there was no justification for it in the past and there shouldn’t be one at all,” he said, emphasizing the need to reverse the restrictions.
Since taking power, the Taliban has barred girls from attending school beyond sixth grade.
Reports in September 2024, suggested that authorities had extended the ban to include medical training for women, though this remains unconfirmed.
The restriction poses significant challenges, as Afghan women and girls can only receive medical care from female professionals.
In a video shared via his official account on the platform X, Stanikzai reiterated his stance, stating, “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 in Islamic law, but our personal choice or nature.”
Stanikzai, who previously led the Taliban’s negotiation team during discussions that resulted in the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan, has spoken about the importance of education for women and girls on several occasions.
In September 2022, he highlighted their right to education, but his recent remarks represent a direct call for a policy shift and a challenge to the group’s leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada.
“This latest statement seems to go further,” noted Ibraheem Bahiss, an analyst with Crisis Group’s South Asia program. “He is publicly calling for a change in policy and questioned the legitimacy of the current approach.”
Globally, the Taliban’s stance on female education has drawn widespread condemnation.
Earlier in January, in Islamabad, Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai urged Muslim leaders to confront the Taliban over the issue.
Speaking at a conference organized by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Muslim World League, she called for unified action to ensure Afghan women and girls regain their educational rights.
The United Nations has made it clear that the Taliban’s lack of progress on gender equality significantly hinders their recognition on the international stage.
Bans on female education, employment, and public mobility without a male guardian have drawn sharp criticism. While no country formally recognizes the Taliban as Afghanistan’s legitimate rulers, nations such as Russia and India have been fostering ties with the regime.
Notably, Indian Foreign Minister Vikram Mistri recently met with his Afghan counterpart, Amir Khan Muttaqi, in Dubai, signaling growing cooperation between the two nations.
