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- The Pakistani and Emirati foreign ministers discuss the Taliban decision on phone, say Islam safeguards rights of women
- Saudi Arabia also expresses surprise at the development, points out it has not gone down well with any Muslim country
ISLAMABAD: After Saudi Arabia called on the Taliban to reverse a ban on women pursuing higher education in Afghanistan on Wednesday, the foreign ministers of Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) also expressed their reservations over the issue while pointing out that Islam safeguarded women’s rights and did not impose such restrictions.
The Taliban administration ordered women across Afghanistan to stop attending private and public universities earlier this week without giving any reason. The announcement led to international backlash, with many countries and rights activists condemning the development.
According to global media organizations, Taliban security forces in Kabul enforced the higher education ban by stopping women from going to institutions of higher learning.
Pakistan’s foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and his UAE counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan held a wide-ranging conversation on the overall situation in Afghanistan while also focusing on the ban.
“Both leaders emphasized that Islam has accorded women a privileged position, and safeguarded their rights,” said the foreign office in a statement. “They affirmed the need to guarantee women’s rights, as well as the importance of full and equal participation of women and girls in all aspects of life.”
Pakistan's foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari (right) meets Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs at the Presidential Airport in UAE on May 16, 2022. (Photo courtesy: Ministry of Presidential Affairs, UAE/File)
The statement added the two leaders also expressed support for the security, stability and peace in Afghanistan while calling for the advancement of international efforts aimed at building a more sustainable future for the Afghan people.
Earlier, the Saudi foreign ministry expressed surprise and regret at the decision and said it was met with astonishment in all Muslim countries.
The Taliban regime returned to power in Afghanistan in August 2021 after the international forces, led by the United States, left the war-torn country after staying there for about 20 years in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.