Taliban's Treatment To Women 'Unfortunate', Says Afghan Envoy, Lauds India's Humanitarian Aid Amid Crisis

Afghanistan envoy expressed disappointment over the treatment of women by the Taliban and said that he hopes that the ultra-conservative regime would allow Afghan women the right to education and work.

Representative Photo | Afghan burqa-clad women stand in a queue as they wait to receive food aid from a non-governmental organisation (NGO) at a gymnasium in Kabul on January 17, 2023. At least three leading international aid agencies have partially resumed life-saving work in Afghanistan, after assurances from the Taliban authorities that Afghan women can continue to work in the health sector.

Source : AFP

New Delhi: Afghanistan's ambassador to India Farid Mamumdzay has expressed disappointment over the treatment of women by the Taliban, calling it 'unfortunate'. He said he hopes that the regime would reconsider and revisit their policies, allowing Afghan women the right to education and work.

“It's very unfortunate to see the kind of treatment given by the Taliban to the Afghan women in the past few months, in particular. We hope Taliban would reconsider and revisit their policies and would allow Afghan women education and work,” said Mamundzay in an interview with news agency ANI.

The envoy lauded India’s assistance to the nation battling economic crisis and urged for further support. “The support from India came at a very critical time, but at the same time Afghanistan requires more assistance, more development aid and more humanitarian aid. Our appeal to the Indian govt is for more support,” the envoy added.

He also expressed that the relationship will only strengthen in the future, “We've seen India as a great friend. A friend that has always stood by the Afghan people. I've no doubt that this relationship would strengthen in the future”.

On the suppression of women and the global recognition of the Taliban, the envoy said, “As long as Taliban doesn't embrace inclusive system of governance, it'll be very difficult to win credibility at home and unless they've no credibility at home, there's going to be little chance to have any legitimacy from any functioning or real democratic country in the world.”

After fighting for 20 years against the US-led coalition, the Taliban formally seized power in 2021. Taliban formed an all-male interim government for Afghanistan stacked with veterans of their hard-line rule from the 1990s in the same year.

Ever since the Taliban gained control, the international community has been expressing concern over the situation of people in the war-ravaged country and urging them to respect basic human rights.

Despite global assistance, Afghanistan's poverty, malnutrition, and unemployment rates continue to remain at their peak. Natural catastrophes made the situation further worse for Afghans, who are in the middle of the greatest humanitarian crises in history.