In a rare public critique of Taliban policies, Sher Abbas Stanikzai, the political deputy at Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry, called on the group’s leadership to revoke bans on education for women and girls. Speaking at a ceremony in southeastern Khost province on Saturday, Stanikzai condemned the restrictions as unjustifiable.
“There is no reason to deny education to women and girls, just as there was no justification for it in the past, and there shouldn’t be one at all,” Stanikzai said during his address at a religious school.
Currently, Afghan authorities prohibit girls from attending school beyond sixth grade, with reports emerging last September that medical training and courses for women had also been halted. This poses a critical challenge for healthcare, as Afghan women and girls can only be treated by female doctors and medical professionals. While officials have not confirmed the ban on medical training, the restriction, if true, could exacerbate an already dire healthcare crisis in the country.
“We call on the leadership again to open the doors of education,” Stanikzai urged in a video posted on his official account on the social platform X. “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 negotiating team during the talks that resulted in the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan, has made similar remarks in the past. In September 2022, he advocated for women’s education but stopped short of directly calling for a policy change. This latest statement, however, marks his first direct appeal to Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.
Ibraheem Bahiss, an analyst with Crisis Group’s South Asia program, noted that Stanikzai’s remarks go further than before, directly questioning the legitimacy of the Taliban’s current approach.
Globally, pressure on the Taliban is mounting. Earlier this month, Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai urged Muslim leaders to challenge the Taliban’s restrictions on women and girls during a conference in Islamabad hosted by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
The United Nations has warned that international recognition of the Taliban remains unlikely as long as bans on female education and employment persist. Meanwhile, countries such as Russia and India have been engaging with Taliban officials, signaling a cautious effort to develop ties despite ongoing concerns over human rights violations.