Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has laid the conditions on which the government of Pakistan will formally recognize the new Taliban regime as he proclaimed the practice of banning women’s education as un-Islamic.
In an interview, PM Imran Khan said that prohibiting women’s education in Afghanistan would be an un-Islamic norm. The PM added that the leadership of Afghanistan should be inclusive and have respect for human rights.
The Prime Minister of Pakistan also said that Afghanistan should not be used to house terrorists who could threaten Pakistan’s security.
Last week, the Taliban excluded girls from secondary schools with only boys and male teachers allowed back. However, Pakistan’s premier said that he believed girls would soon be able to attend.
Khan also lauded the statements made by the Taliban leadership since they came to power to be “very encouraging”.
The PM was positive about the leadership and said that he thought they would allow women to go to schools adding that the idea that women should not be educated is not Islamic. It has nothing to do with religion.
Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August, fears have grown over a return to the regime of the 1990s when the hardline extremists severely restricted women’s rights.
The leadership maintains that the rights of women will be respected “within the framework of Islamic law”.
The decision to exclude girls from returning to school last week prompted an international outcry. However, the Taliban spokesman later said that they would return to the classroom “as soon as possible”.
