Afghanistan: Ex-president Karzai openly supports protesting female students

Former Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai has appealed the Taliban to reopen girls' high schools. He has also applauded the protests of female students in Paktia province which, the residents say are against the measure of closure of the schools.

"The voice of Paktia's female students is the voice of all our girls and of Afghanistan," said Karzai, who remained in Kabul after the Taliban took over just over a year ago, on Twitter.

"We ask the acting Islamic government to open the schools," he said.

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Taliban had initially said that they would open girls' schools, but then made a U-turn in March this year.

Authorities in Paktia said this week that girls' high schools had re-opened, though the move had not been officially approved.

On Saturday, the head of Paktia's information department told journalists any suggestion schools were closed was "propaganda".

Reuters quoted three residents and three Taliban officials who said that schools were shut on Saturday. All of them declined to be named. Reuters said that one of the three residents was a teacher who said that closure of schools prompted some girls to protest.

Video footage shown by local broadcaster Tolo on its website and Twitter account showed dozens of girls in school uniform marching down a street while chanting.

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