No hurdles faced by Afghan women, media exaggerates — Afghan FM on OIC summit sidelines

A girl looks on among Afghan women lining up to receive relief assistance, during the holy month of Ramadan in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, June 11, 2017. (REUTERS)

• International community has made women’s rights key element of any future engagement with Taliban
• Country suffering from banking liquidity crisis, faces risk of economic collapse since Taliban takeover

ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan’s acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said on Sunday Afghan women faced “no hurdle and problem” as the new Afghan Taliban government remains under pressure from the international community to commit to upholding women’s rights.
During its previous rule from 1996 to 2001, the Taliban banned women from leaving the house without a male relative and full face and head covering, and barred girls from receiving an education.
The Taliban say they have changed and high schools for girls in some provinces have been allowed to open. But many women and rights advocates remain skeptical.
The international community, which has frozen billions in central bank funds and development spending, has made women’s rights a key element of any future engagement with Afghanistan.
“On women rights I would like to say that we are Muslims and our leadership is Muslim and I assure that there is no hurdle and problem faced by Afghan women,” Muttaqi told Arab News on the sidelines of an Organization of Islamic Corporation summit being held in Islamabad on Sunday. “The majority of the issue has been created by the media.”
Speaking about the OIC summit, the focus of which is the economic and humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, Muttaqi called it a “good effort.”
“We welcome it,” he said. “One of the benefits of this conference is our bilateral meetings with many foreign ministers of Islamic countries [which] have taken place and [there are more] also in the pipeline later today.”
Afghanistan, which is also suffering from a banking liquidity crisis as the cash flow dries up due to sanctions, is facing the risk of economic collapse since the Taliban took over.
But Muttaqi said there was now peace in Afghanistan and the government was strong: “All the world representative and people can come to Afghanistan and work there.”