Washington: The United States has strongly reacted to the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan’s latest move banning university education for Afghan women, saying “this decision will have significant consequences for the Taliban and will further alienate them from the international community.”
Addressing reporters, US State Department spokesman Ned Price said that Washington strongly condemns “the Taliban`s indefensible decision to ban women from universities”. The move will “have significant consequences for the Taliban and will further alienate the Taliban from the international community and deny them the legitimacy they desire”, Ned Price added.
“With the implementation of this decree, half of the Afghan population will soon be unable to access education beyond primary school,” he said.
Speaking at the UN Security Council, US Ambassador Robert Wood said, “The Taliban cannot expect to be a legitimate member of the international community until they respect the rights of all Afghans… Especially the human rights and fundamental freedom of women and girls.”
‘No other country in the world bars women and girls from receiving an education,’ Blinken noted.
Afghanistan is already losing more than $1 billion per year in contributions that women could be making to the economy. No country can thrive when half of its population is held back, he explained.
‘The Taliban’s latest announcement means that women and girls will continue to face enormous difficulties seeking employment to feed their families,’ he said.
The ban notwithstanding, Blinken added that Washington will continue to provide robust support to the Afghans, including women and girls, seek to meet their humanitarian needs, and organise with allies to collectively advocate for their rights.
The reaction from President Joe Biden’s top officials came after a Taliban government spokesman said women are now banned from private and public universities in Afghanistan with immediate effect and until further notice.
It was a far cry from their promise of a softer rule when they seized power last year, with the Taliban regime strongly implementing their strict interpretation of the Islamic law, or Sharia.
The ban comes barely three months after scores of female students took university entrance exams across the country.
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