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Taliban allowing girls’ schools in rural Afghanistan
Many of the Taliban fighters’ own sisters and daughters are attending schools lately – a surprising shift in policy.
Following is a developed excerpt from an analytical report published by Foreign Policy, on May 04, 2020.
People in Badikhel a remote area of Khost province and largely dominated by the Taliban has said the Taliban allowed girls to attend schools. According to the villagers, the Taliban has assured them that they have no issues with the girls’ school.
A school owner told Foreign Policy, “Some of my students are daughters, sisters, or nieces of Taliban fighters. Mostly, all of these men are not living in our village. They are busy fighting and hiding. But they encouraged their relatives to visit my school and get educated.”
“My brother is a Taliban fighter. But he does not have any problems with the school. He wants me to seek wisdom and education,” said Latifa Khostai, one of the students.
In retrospect, when the Taliban came to power in the 1990s, they imposed a very extremist patriarchal rule and banned female education all over the country. Additionally, women were not allowed to work and could not leave their homes without a close male relative.
Following the fall of the Taliban regime, a déjà vu took place when the US and its allies entered Afghanistan and proclaimed women’s rights, and especially girls’ education, as one of their prime goals.
Now that the US signed an agreement with the Taliban in February, it has become clear that, sooner or later, the group would somehow return to power in some form, at the very least in some sort of power-sharing arrangement with the Afghan government.
When it comes to female education, some observers and activists believe that the Taliban would ban any kind of education for girls and young women again.
Both the Afghan government and the American negotiators made clear that such a regression would not take place, while the Taliban leadership preferred to stay vague and underlined the importance of Islamic norms in the context of women’s work and girls’ education.
“We are not against female education or work. But we have Islamic norms. This is still not the West,” Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, the head of the Taliban office in Qatar, previously said in an interview.
The case of the girls’ school in Badikhel, however, shows that things are much more complex – only time, with its course, can resolve the equation.
Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi met on Wednesday with Yasmine Praz Dessimoz, Director General of Operations at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), to discuss Afghanistan’s humanitarian situation.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that the meeting covered the country’s humanitarian needs, the increasing number of returning migrants, healthcare services, and problems and needs remaining from the war.
The two sides emphasized the importance of continuing and expanding the ICRC’s humanitarian cooperation and expressed readiness for greater coordination in healthcare and other humanitarian areas.
The meeting also highlighted that Afghanistan has emerged from a prolonged period of war and has now entered a new phase of development and economic growth. However, some problems and needs of war victims still require attention.
Security officials in Afghanistan’s northeastern Badakhshan province say the situation in Zebak district is currently stable, but claim that Pakistan is providing shelter and training to opponents of the Islamic Emirate in the Chitral region.
Abdul Basir Mazhari, Badakhshan’s police chief, said opponents of the Islamic Emirate have established shelters and training facilities near the Durand Line in Chitral.
He claimed the groups could attempt to use the Shah Salim Pass to disrupt security in Badakhshan and other northeastern provinces.
“There is evidence that Pakistan has established shelters and training centers for opponents of the government near the Durand Line,” Mazhari said. “Badakhshan is the only province in the north that shares a border with Pakistan, and Pakistan has gathered opponents of the government in Chitral.”
Despite the claims, residents in central Zebak said daily life remains normal and there have been no signs of fighting in the area.
Badakhshan security officials said their forces have been deployed along the Durand Line and remain on standby to respond to any potential threats.
According to local officials, Zebak district has three routes connecting it to areas across the Durand Line, with security forces stationed in the area.
Football fans across Afghanistan can watch Tottenham Hotspur take on Charlton Athletic live on Ariana Television Network (ATN) tonight, Wednesday, August 26, with coverage beginning at 23:15 Kabul time.
The two London clubs meet in the second round of the EFL Cup, with Tottenham looking to progress while Charlton will aim to produce an upset against their Premier League opponents.
Tottenham enter the match as favourites on paper, with their greater top-flight experience expected to make them the stronger side. However, cup football can produce surprises, and Charlton will be looking to take advantage of any opportunity at their disposal.
The match provides Tottenham with another chance to build momentum early in the season, while Charlton will see the tie as an opportunity to test themselves against one of England’s biggest clubs.
The EFL Cup remains an important route to silverware for clubs across the English football pyramid, with teams aiming to advance through each round toward the final at Wembley.
Afghanistan fans can watch Tottenham Hotspur vs Charlton Athletic live tonight on Ariana Television, from 23:15 Kabul time.
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