India joins other Countries in denouncing the Taliban's Ban on Women in Higher Education

By: WE Staff | Saturday, 24 December 2022

As part of a harsh crackdown on women's rights and liberties, the Taliban in Kabul "halted" university education for all Afghan girls. Since the Taliban came to power in August 2021, girls have been prohibited from attending schools across in Afghanistan.

"We have taken note of the reports in this respect with concern. According to Arindam Bagchi, a spokesperson for the ministry of external affairs, India has persistently backed the cause of women's education in Afghanistan.

The UN Security Council Resolution 2593, which "reaffirms the significance of safeguarding human rights, particularly those of women, and also urges for full, equal, and meaningful involvement of women," was another reference made by Bagchi.

The Taliban's decision to restrict women from attending universities and to keep doing so in secondary schools was harshly opposed by the governments of the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, and the UK.

In a joint statement, these nations also criticised the Taliban for placing severe restrictions on Afghan women's and girls' ability to exercise their fundamental freedoms and human rights.

In response to a question regarding the continued presence of fighters from the Pakistan-based terrorist organisations Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in Afghanistan, Bagchi stated that India will collaborate with other nations to combat terrorism in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2593.

He made reference to the No Money For Terror ministerial conference that was held in November as well as the special UN Counter-Terrorism Committee meeting that India hosted in October.