From the BBC:
“Afghan girls school ban would
be un-Islamic, Pakistan PM says”
Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran
Khan has said preventing women from accessing education in neighbouring
Afghanistan would be un-Islamic. In an interview with the BBC, Mr Khan laid out
the conditions that would need to be met for Pakistan to formally recognise the
new Taliban government. He called for the leadership to be inclusive and to
respect human rights. Mr Khan also said 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. But Pakistan's leader said he believed girls would soon be able to
attend. "The statements they have made since they came to power have been
very encouraging," he told the BBC's John Simpson. "I think they will
allow women to go to schools," he said. "The idea that women should
not be educated is just 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 Islamists severely restricted women's rights. Its
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, with a Taliban
spokesman later saying they would return to the classroom "as soon as
possible". But it is not yet clear when girls will be able to return or
what form of education will be provided if they do. When pressed on whether the
Taliban would realistically meet his criteria for formal recognition, Mr Khan
repeatedly called on the international community to give the group more time. "It's
just too early to say anything," he said, adding that he expected Afghan
women to eventually "assert their rights".
Pakistan has not been seen by all
as a firm ally in the battle against jihadist terrorism. It has long been
accused by many in the United States and elsewhere of providing support for the
Taliban, something it denies. After the 9/11 attacks that were planned in
Afghanistan, Pakistan positioned itself as an ally of the US in the so-called
"war on terror". But at the same time, parts of the country's
military and intelligence establishment maintained links with Islamist groups
like the Taliban. Mr Khan said that Pakistan would make a decision on whether
to formally recognise the Taliban government alongside other neighbouring
states. "All neighbours will get together and see how they progress,"
he said. "Whether to recognise them or not will be a collective
decision."
Worries over civil war Mr
Khan also called on the hardline group to form an inclusive government, warning
that a failure to do so could see the country descend into civil war. "If
they do not include all the factions, sooner or later they will have a civil
war," he said. "That would mean an unstable, chaotic, Afghanistan and
an ideal place for terrorists. That is a worry". On Tuesday, a
Taliban spokesman announced the remaining members of Afghanistan's all-male
government. The additions included a doctor as health minister, but
analysts say the government is predominantly made up of loyalists with little
minority representation.
^ The only way for the Taliban to
actually include women (which they haven’t done so far) is for those countries
that have financially supported them these past 20 years - Qatar, China, Russia and Pakistan – forces them
to in order to continue to receive their funding. These 4 countries have
aligned themselves with these Terrorists and now have to deal with all that
brings – including the real possibility of violence spreading into their
countries (China and Pakistan border Afghanistan and Russia is based in many of
the former Soviet Central Asian Countries that border Afghanistan.) Hopefully,
the Taliban will be forced into putting their current words (about Female
Rights within Islam) into real-world practice. ^
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