Taliban-appointed Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs in Afghanistan, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, called on the US to reopen its embassy in Kabul, according to Khaama Press reported.
During his visit to the Afghan Consulate in Dubai, Stanikzai said, “”Let us fulfil our responsibilities. Come and open your embassy. We take care of your security. When you come, other countries will do the same. Many countries are saying in private meetings with us that if America restores its relations with you, we will come immediately.” The Taliban-led governmnet is seeking to expand its international relations with the world while the US asserts that no country will recognize the current regime in Afghanistan.
In a recent briefing, the deputy spokesman of the US State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said that restrictions on women would delay Kabul’s international relations.
Patel said, “We have seen this now time and time again – denying them education, denying them the ability to work, denying them the ability to participate in the provision of humanitarian assistance that benefits all Afghans,” according to Khaama Press.
The Taliban has, however, asserted that women’s rights are completely protected in Afghanistan and has urged other countries to refrain from meddling in its domestic affairs.
However, since the Taliban-led government took control of power in Afghanistan, the group has intensified its repression of women’s rights and freedom.
National and international organisations have slammed the Taliban suppression policy. They have asserted that it will promote poverty, unemployment, and extremism, harbouring terrorists and threatening global peace and security.
Matiullah Wesa, girls’ education advocate and founder of Pen Path was, recently, arrested by the Taliban.
In the past ten years, Wesa, an advocate for human rights and education, started an education program for thousands of girls living in rural Afghanistan, according to Khaama Press.
The UN Mission in Afghanistan expressed concern about the arrest of Wesa and called on the Taliban to clarify the reason for his arrest and secure all his legal rights.
Wesa’s arrest came amid the start of the new school year in Afghanistan, where the Taliban authorities have not allowed girls beyond grade sixth for the third consecutive year.
