There is not a single woman prisoner in Afghanistan’s jails, the Taliban government’s foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi claimed in an exclusive interview to News18, blaming western “propaganda" for projecting a negative image of the country on the global stage.
“It is world propaganda created by some western media and it has come from the mouth of our enemies. This is the reality. However, the truth is that since the past nine months, there has not been a single incident where it has been heard that hundreds of women have either self-immolated or committed suicide," Muttaqi said.
Women’s rights and human rights as well as girls’ education in Afghanistan have been under the international spotlight since Taliban took control of the country following the chaotic withdrawal of US forces in August last year.
Earlier this week, United Nations rights envoy in Afghanistan Richard Bennett said the country faces “severe" human rights challenges and called on Taliban authorities to reverse growing restrictions on women.
Bennett expressed concerns over access to education after the Taliban made a U-turn on allowing girls to go to high school in March and this month announced that women must cover their faces, to be enforced by punishing their closest male relatives.
The Taliban regime has denied human rights concerns, saying authorities had paid attention to the issues mentioned and were working on the issue of girls’ secondary education.
Taking a similar line while speaking to News18, Muttaqi claimed there was not a single woman prisoner in Afghanistan’s jails.
“We do not have a single woman prisoner in the jails of Afghanistan. In the past nine months, not a single woman has been imprisoned in the jails of Afghanistan either due to political opposition or raising voice against the government," he said.
Muttaqi, who was the culture and education minister in the previous Taliban regime, said any disruptions in the education sector were because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Besides, in the area of education, classes were stopped or suffered due to the Covid-19 pandemic and now 85-90% classes have been resumed. The boys have been getting their regular education and in the case of girls, they are getting education till sixth," he said.
“However, universities have been opened for both boys and girls where they are receiving as well as imparting education. We have 92,000 teachers in the education sector, including women teachers. There are still some difficulties, but the solution will definitely come," the Taliban leader added.
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