Shattered Afghan girls
The encouraging and hopeful step taken by the Taliban government has now been backtracked after the administration announced that girls’ high schools will be closed, hours after they reopened for the first time in nearly seven months. The decision has left female students in shock, with many calling this their worst nightmare as their hope is ripped away from them. This will not bode well for the Taliban who remain under suspicion and are keen to gain international recognition.
While a reason for reverting to the ban has not been publicly expressed, what is becoming clearer is that there are differences among the Taliban cadre which in turn is leading to confused and erratic decision-making. While there are those that want to adopt the new mindset and form of governance i.e. Taliban 2.0, the rural backbone of the militia has a strong influence. In many tribal areas, there is a reluctance to send daughters to schools. Waheedullah Hashmi, the external relations and donor representative of the Taliban, has said, “In some rural areas a brother will disown a brother in the city if he finds out that he is letting his daughters go to school.” Whatever the case, the Taliban need to quickly learn how to strike a balance between their ideology and the liberal world order if they are to be acknowledged themselves in the global political arena. For this, they must understand the significance of their decision.
It is much more than just sending girls to school. Some 40 million Afghans have lived through the worst of times, not knowing what the future holds for them. Allowing girls to peacefully go to school would ease years of pent-up tension in the minds of parents and children besides creating a sense of stability and normalcy for thousands of families. We hope that the Taliban will do the right thing if their ultimate goal is to achieve peace in a country devastated by war.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 26th, 2022.
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