Abdul Ghaffar Khan’s granddaughter says Taliban want to take women back to the medieval age

Yasmin Nigar Khan, the great-granddaughter of late Afghan political leader Abdul Ghaffar Khan, often known as "Frontier Gandhi," has expressed concern over the country's ongoing violence and the fate of vulnerable populations such as women and children.

"During the previous Taliban rule, they kidnapped young widows to marry them off to their members. They don't want girls to study or go to school. What they describe as Islamic law is a travesty of the religion. Don't girls study in madrassas? Even in Islamic countries, women are encouraged to get a modern education and work alongside men. The Taliban want to take women back to the medieval age, " she said.

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Yasmin Nigar Khan, the president of the All India Pakhtoon Jirga-e-Hind, the community's highest body in the country, lives in central Kolkata.

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"The leaders left the country, but the common people, the poor, the women, the children are making sacrifices. They should be looked after, " she said.

She said the Taliban can not be trusted and appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to help Afghanistan.

On Sunday, the Taliban stormed Kabul and took control of the presidential palace.

Fears of a return to the Taliban's violent rule, as well as the danger of retaliatory killings, have gripped the Afghan cities.

(With inputs from agencies)