UN envoy holds meeting with Afghan higher education chief over ban on women's education

A top UN envoy held talks with the higher education minister of the Taliban-led Afghan government on Saturday to discuss the ban imposed on women's education in universities.

Markus Potzel became the first official of an international organisation who held talks with the minister after the ban was imposed.

On December 20, the Taliban authorities gave orders to private and public universities to stop the entry of female students with immediate effect, till further notice.

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The step was widely condemned by international universities, which included Muslim-majority nations like Qatar, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

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The ban was defended by Higher Education Minister Nida Mohammad Nadim who claimed that it is important to prevent different genders from mixing in the university, adding that he believes it to be a violation of Islamic principles.

After the ban on women's education, female employees were also banned from working in international and national non-governmental groups, which also led to further global condemnation and suspension of official work being carried out by various aid agencies in Afghanistan.

The UN mission in Afghanistan stated that special envoy Markus Potzel appealed to the minister to lift these bans immediately, adding that the nation is entering into a new era of crisis.

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“Taliban bans on female education & work for aid agencies will harm all Afghans,” the mission stated. Potzel also held talks with Economy Minister Qari Din Mohammed Hanif who had issued the ban on women working in NGOs, along with Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Salam Hanafi; and former President Hamid Karzai to discuss the latest crackdowns on Afghan women.

(With inputs from agencies)