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KABUL: Women’s rights activists on Sunday warned the Taliban to reopen girls’ secondary schools within a week, otherwise they would launch a wave of protests across Afghanistan.
Addressing a press conference in Kabul activist Halima Nasari read from a statement issued by four women’s rights groups, stating that they call on the leaders of the Islamic Emirate to open girls’ schools within one week.
“If the girls’ schools remain closed even after one week, we will open them ourselves and stage demonstrations throughout the country until our demands are met.” asserted in the statement.
The women’s rights activists urged the Taliban to build more schools for female students in the war-torn country, particularly in remote rural areas rather than shutting the existing schools. “The people can no longer tolerate such oppression. We do not accept any excuse from the authorities,” they added.
Thousands of secondary school girls had flocked to classes on Wednesday after the group reopened their institutions for the first time since seizing power last August.
But officials ordered the schools shut again just hours into the day, triggering international outrage.
On Saturday, about two dozen schoolgirls and women staged a protest in Kabul demanding the reopening of the schools.