Islamabad: Pakistan has urged the Afghan authorities to revisit the decision to suspend university and higher education for girls in Afghanistan, a press statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday, local media reported.
The release said that Pakistan’s position on this issue has been clear and consistent, furthering that “we strongly believe that every man and woman has the inherent right to education in accordance with the injunctions of Islam”, Express Tribune reported.
On Tuesday, Afghanistan’s Taliban-run Higher Education Ministry had announced that female students would not be allowed access to the country’s universities until further notice.
A letter, confirmed by a spokesperson for the ministry, instructed Afghan public and private universities to suspend access to female students immediately, in accordance with a Cabinet decision.
The latest Taliban restriction on female education is likely to raise concerns in the international community, which has not officially recognised the de facto Afghan administration, Express Tribune reported.
Foreign governments, including the United States, have said that a change in policies on women’s education is needed before they can consider formally recognising the Taliban-run administration, which is also subject to heavy sanctions.
Former US special envoy to the region, Zalmay Khalilzad, has expressed resentment over the Afghan Taliban’s announcement to suspend university education for girls, terming the development as “shocking and incomprehensible”.
–IANS