In a rare and bold appeal, Sher Abbas Stanikzai, a senior Taliban figure and political deputy at Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry, has called for the removal of education bans on women and girls in the country. Speaking at a religious school ceremony in Khost province on Saturday, Stanikzai criticised the restrictions, emphasising that such policies have no basis in Islamic law.
“There is no reason to deny education to women and girls, just as there was no justification for it in the past,” Stanikzai said in a video shared on social platform X. He described the restrictions as an injustice against half the population, urging Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada to reverse the bans.
Currently, Afghan girls are prohibited from education beyond the sixth grade, and reports suggest that medical training for women has also been halted, severely impacting healthcare access. Stanikzai’s remarks come amid growing international and domestic pressure, including calls from Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, to restore education rights for Afghan women.
Observers note that Stanikzai’s statement could influence the ongoing debate on women’s education and rights in Afghanistan. However, the Taliban leadership has yet to respond. The United Nations maintains that international recognition of the Taliban is unlikely without lifting their current policy on education for girls.
