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A senior Taliban official has called for the reversal of the group’s controversial ban on education for Afghan women and girls, describing the policy as unjust and un-Islamic.
Sher Abbas Stanikzai, a senior political deputy at Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry, made the remarks on Saturday during a religious school ceremony in Khost, a province in southeastern Afghanistan. Speaking to the audience, he stated that there was no valid reason to continue restricting education for women and girls, emphasising that the ongoing ban was not rooted in Islamic law.
“We are committing an injustice against 20 million people out of a population of 40 million, depriving them of all their rights,” Stanikzai said in a video posted on social media. “This is not in Islamic law, but our personal choice or nature.”
The Taliban, which took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, implemented a ban on girls’ education after the sixth grade, shortly after seizing power. The restrictions were extended in subsequent months to prevent women from accessing higher education at institutions such as Kabul University.
Sunikzai’s remarks, which marked his first direct appeal to Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, have been seen as a significant call for policy change. Previously, Stanikzai has spoken in favour of education for women, but without directly challenging the leadership’s stance. This time, he publicly questioned the legitimacy of the existing policy.
“The leadership should again open the doors of education for girls. We have no excuse to deny them their right,” he said, addressing the longstanding issue of exclusion from schooling for Afghan girls.
However, critics remain sceptical about the likelihood of any real change. Zubaida Akbar, an activist with the women’s rights group Femena, believes Stanikzai’s statements may be a calculated attempt to improve the Taliban’s image internationally.
“This statement seems like a move to rebrand themselves as progressive,” Zubaida Akbar said in an interview. “It’s about bolstering credibility for the Taliban on the global stage, but it doesn’t change the reality on the ground.”
International pressure continues to mount on the Taliban to restore basic rights for women and girls in Afghanistan. The United Nations has consistently condemned the ban on female education. At the same time, human rights groups have pointed to the broader repression faced by Afghan women, including restrictions on their mobility and employment.
Malala Yousafzai, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has called on Muslim leaders to challenge the Taliban’s policies. At a conference in Islamabad earlier this month, Yousafzai urged the international community to speak out against the Taliban’s treatment of women and girls, calling it a form of gender apartheid.
Despite the vocal criticism, the Taliban’s leadership has shown little indication of relenting. The regime has repeatedly defended its policies, arguing they align with their interpretation of Islamic law. Yet the restrictions continue to isolate Afghanistan internationally, as no country has recognised the Taliban government.
