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Ban on girls’ education in Afghanistan will be ‘catastrophic’: UNICEF
The U.N. children´s agency on Saturday urged the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) to immediately lift a lingering ban on girls’ education to save the future of millions who have been deprived of their right to education since the IEA returned to power in 2021.
The appeal by UNICEF comes as a new school year began in Afghanistan without girls beyond sixth grade. The ban, said the agency, has deprived 400,000 more girls of their right to education, bringing the total to 2.2 million.
“For over three years, the rights of girls in Afghanistan have been violated,” Catherine Russell, UNICEF executive director, said in a statement. “All girls must be allowed to return to school now. If these capable, bright young girls continue to be denied an education, then the repercussions will last for generations.”
A ban on the education of girls will harm the future of millions of Afghan girls, she said, adding that if the ban persists until 2030, “more than four million girls will have been deprived of their right to education beyond primary school.” The consequences, she added, will be “catastrophic.”
Russell warned that the decline in female doctors and midwives will leave women and girls without crucial medical care. This situation is projected to result in an estimated 1,600 additional maternal deaths and over 3,500 infant deaths. “These are not just numbers, they represent lives lost and families shattered,” she said.
The Islamic Emirate has previously said that the issue of girls’ education is an internal issue in Afghanistan and efforts are being made to resolve it.
Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, has rejected Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s claims that terrorist groups are using Afghan territory to plan and carry out attacks against Pakistan, calling the allegations “repetitive and false.”
Mujahid said the Islamic Emirate would not allow foreign groups to operate in Afghanistan or permit Afghan soil to be used against Pakistan or any other country.
“Such suspicions, such propaganda, and such contradictory views have always fueled tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan and undermined an atmosphere of security and trust,” Mujahid said.
His remarks come after Shehbaz Sharif again alleged that terrorist groups are using Afghan territory to plan and execute attacks against Pakistan.
Hamdullah Fitrat, Deputy Spokesperson of the Islamic Emirate, says that in the past day, nearly 570 families comprising 2,940 people have returned to Afghanistan through the Torkham, Spin Boldak, Islam Qala and Bahramcha crossings.
Fitrat said that services including transportation, cash assistance, health services and awareness programs have been provided to the returnees.
He added that during the same period, 618 families were also allocated residential land plots.
Attaullah Omari, Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, met with Shaji Krishnan V., Chairman of India’s National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), during his official visit to India, discussing the expansion of bilateral cooperation in agriculture, rural development, and institutional capacity building.
In a statement, the Ministry of Agriculture said the meeting was attended by representatives from India’s Ministry of External Affairs, the Ministry of Financial Services, and senior officials of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development. The two sides discussed ways to strengthen cooperation in agricultural development, rural development, technical and institutional capacity building, and expanding joint initiatives.
According to the statement, Omari highlighted the importance of agricultural development and improving conditions in rural areas, emphasizing the expansion of joint cooperation and the use of successful experiences to strengthen agricultural capacities and achieve sustainable development.
The meeting was held as part of the official visit of the Ministry of Agriculture delegation to India, aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation in the fields of agriculture, livestock, and rural development.
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