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UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says he is “deeply alarmed” by the Taliban’s ban on women in universities, and urged authorities in Afghanistan to “ensure equal access to education at all levels.”
This came after Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers on Tuesday banned university education for women nationwide, despite promising a softer rule when they seized power last year. The Afghan Taliban now appear to have have ratcheted up restrictions on all aspects of women’s lives, ignoring international outrage.
“You all are informed to immediately implement the mentioned order of suspending education of females until further notice,” said a letter issued to all government and private universities, signed by Minister for Higher Education Neda Mohammad Nadeem.
The spokesman for the ministry, Ziaullah Hashimi, who tweeted the letter, confirmed the order in a text message to media.
A spokesman for the UN Secretary General said “the secretary-general reiterates that the denial of education not only violates the equal rights of women and girls, but will have a devastating impact on the country’s future.”
Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN Ambassador Munir Akram said “we are extremely disturbed by the latest announcement on restrictions on higher education for women in Afghanistan, but thru persuasion and cooperation, and not coercion we can succeed in overcoming the impediments to ensuring women’s rights.”
