Taliban have declined an invitation to attend a key summit on girls’ education in the Muslim world, hosted by Islamabad, according to a report from Agence France-Presse, citing Pakistani officials.
Pakistan’s Education Minister, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, confirmed the absence of representatives from the Taliban administration. “We had extended an invitation to Afghanistan, but no one from the Afghan government was at the conference,” Siddiqui was quoted as saying.
The summit, organized by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), focused on improving girls’ education in Muslim-majority countries, particularly Afghanistan. Held in Islamabad on Saturday, the two-day event aimed to address the systemic barriers facing girls’ access to education in these regions.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Education confirmed that the Taliban had been invited to participate in the discussions. However, the group’s continued restrictions on female education highlight the stark challenges facing women and girls in Afghanistan.
Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban have banned education for girls beyond grade six and prohibited female students from attending universities. Under their regime, Afghan women have been systematically deprived of basic rights, including access to education, employment, freedom of speech, and movement.
Human rights activists have condemned the Taliban’s policies, describing them as “gender apartheid and gender persecution.” The international community has repeatedly called for action to address the dire situation faced by Afghan women and girls, but significant progress remains elusive.
