Afghanistan dedicated to protecting rights of all ethnic groups, women: Muttaqi

The interim government of Afghanistan has obtained achievements in protecting the rights of all ethnic groups as well as women and children since its establishment, said Afghanistan’s acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi quoted by Reuters on Wednesday.

Issues involving building an inclusive government and protecting the rights of ethnic groups as well as women and children are of great concern to the international community since the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan [IEA] announced the formation of Afghanistan’s interim government in September, which had just walked out of the quagmire of long-time war.

Muttaqi told the Chinese national broadcaster China Media Group (CMG) in an exclusive interview that the interim government has already done so on both accounts.

“If an inclusive government means to contain all ethnic groups, then the Afghanistan interim government has already done so with none of the nationalities being excluded. Our cabinet includes members of the Tajiks, Uzbeks, Pushtuns, and many others. If an inclusive government means to cover all regions, then we have representatives from every province across the country including those from Panjshir Province, Badakhshan Province, Faryab Province, Kandahar Province, and Nangahar Province,” he said.

According to Reuters during the IEA’s previous ruling in Afghanistan from 1996-2001, women and girls were forbidden from education.

It wasn’t until the 2001 U.S.-led invasion that women and girls began attending schools and universities.

With the fall of the IEA, more schools opened and female literacy reached 30 percent by 2018, according to the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), read the report.

The acting Foreign Minister said the interim government was now making efforts to push for progress in female education.

“As we all know, before Taliban [IEA] entered Kabul, schools here were shut down due to the novel coronavirus. While after we came here, everything started from the beginning. Currently, all primary and middle school male students have resumed classes. Female students below grade six in all provinces have resumed classes and those above grade six in some regions also have gradually resumed classes. That means we have made some progress in that aspect, instead of just standing still,” he said.