Taliban official who criticised girls' education ban leaves Afghanistan

Taliban has enforced a three-year ban on female education, preventing girls from attending school beyond grade six

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A senior Taliban minister who publicly condemned the group's ban on girls' and women's education has reportedly fled Afghanistan, citing fears of arrest.

Sher Abbas Stanikzai, the Taliban’s political deputy at the foreign ministry, had previously called for the reopening of schools for girls and women, claiming the ban contradicted Sharia law.

In January, Mr Stanikzai spoke out during a graduation ceremony in Khost province, urging the Taliban leadership to reconsider its stance, saying, “There is no excuse for this – not now and not in the future.” He added, "We are being unjust to 20 million people," referring to the female population of Afghanistan. His remarks marked the first public criticism of the Taliban’s education policy, highlighting internal divisions within the group.

The Taliban has enforced a nationwide ban on female education for over three years, preventing girls from attending school beyond the sixth grade, despite widespread international condemnation. Following his speech, the Taliban’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, allegedly ordered Mr Stanikzai’s arrest and imposed a travel ban on him. However, reports indicate that the minister managed to leave Afghanistan and travelled to Dubai, where he confirmed his departure, citing health reasons.

This is not the first time Mr Stanikzai, seen as a moderate within the Taliban, has opposed the education ban. In September 2022, he publicly stated that there was no religious justification for denying girls education, calling it an obligation for both genders.

His departure follows growing signs of internal rifts within the Taliban leadership, with reports of debates over the education ban. The US’s Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has noted divisions within the group, particularly between the Taliban’s power centres in Kabul and Kandahar.

Last week, another senior Taliban figure, Mohammad Nabi Omari, the deputy minister of interior, was seen publicly breaking down at a gathering in Khost as he spoke about the harm caused by the education ban. His emotional outburst, captured on video, has been widely shared on social media, with Omari urging the Taliban to allow modern sciences alongside religious studies.