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March 29, 2024
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EditorialTaliban’s U-turn

Taliban’s U-turn

The so-called ‘guardians of religion’ are once again trying to impose their misplaced agenda in Afghanistan as the Taliban have refused to allow millions of girl students to attend schools. So far, only girls up to the sixth grade have been allowed to attend school. The schools for girls were planned to be opened on March 23 when the new semester started, but they were sent back over the issue of finalisation of a Sharia-compliant school uniform for girls. In the past, girls were barred from schools and most workplaces when the Taliban was in power from 1996 to 2001. The development is devastating, especially for female aspirants of education and it could lead to further alienation of the international community towards Afghanistan. If it was the issue of uniforms only, why did they fail to decide it in seven-month time? Their decision has sparked widespread anger and strengthened the suspicion that the Taliban are untrustworthy. Who allowed these ‘guardians of religion’ to suspend studies of girl students on one pretext or the other? Are women not human? Don’t they have any future? Arguably, such self-styled proclamations will only create further chaos in Afghanistan. The ‘moral brigade’ is once again ready to infringe upon human rights. This is an example of the lunacy of the highest order.

Today, girls have been barred from attending schools; tomorrow they could be axed to death for flashing a smile or wearing something less than sharia-compliant clothing. It seems that the Taliban’s obsession with pontificating on issues pertaining to the lives of women, in such a way that denies them the right to come out of their homes out of necessity or to attend schools, will lead to creating more difficulties for female folk in near future. In reality, if anyone has the authority to debate these issues, it is a body of elected individuals, not a cabal of unaccountable mullahs. While the Taliban pass tedious guidelines on issues that in this day and age should not even be under discussion, they avoid delving into the real grievances of the people and are yet to provide Islamic aid on issues such as poverty, education or interfaith harmony. The international community should come to the rescue of female students in Afghanistan, especially Pakistan needs to convince the Taliban to abandon so-called interpretations of the religion and preaching a wrong narrative. Instead of bringing positive change, the Taliban are reincarnating themselves with regressive declarations. It must be controlled before it is too late.

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