Indian Journalist Challenges Taliban’s False Claim on Girls’ Education
Taliban’s foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, sparked outrage during a recent press conference in New Delhi after falsely claiming that “there is no ban on girls’ education in Afghanistan.” His remarks, widely dismissed as propaganda, attempted to downplay the Taliban’s systematic exclusion of women and girls from schools and universities since their return to power in 2021.
Responding to a pointed question from Indian journalist Smita Sharma, Muttaqi insisted that “over 10 million students” are currently enrolled in Afghan schools and higher education institutions, including “2.8 million women and girls.” He went on to argue that educational opportunities remain available through religious institutions and claimed that girls’ education has only been “postponed until further notice” — not banned.
However, these assertions stand in stark contrast to overwhelming evidence from the ground. Independent reports and testimonies confirm that girls above grade six have been barred from formal education for over three years, with universities and most secondary schools closed to women. The Taliban’s vague promises of reopening schools have repeatedly been broken, leaving an entire generation of girls without access to learning.
Calling out Muttaqi’s statements, Sharma said the minister’s comments were “lies” and “far from the truth,” highlighting that the Taliban’s rhetoric on women’s rights and education is nothing more than an attempt to whitewash their oppressive policies. She underscored that the situation for Afghan women and girls remains dire, as they continue to face systematic discrimination and exclusion from public life.
Muttaqi’s visit to India — the first by a senior Taliban official since the group seized power — was already mired in controversy. On the first day of his trip, women journalists were barred from attending the press conference, a move that drew widespread condemnation from media organizations and human rights activists. The Taliban later attempted to dismiss the exclusion as a “technical issue,” a claim that many observers saw as another example of the group’s habitual deception.
The visit took place after the UN Security Council temporarily lifted Muttaqi’s travel ban, a decision that has been criticized by Afghan women’s groups who argue that engaging with Taliban leaders without accountability only emboldens their repressive rule.
Despite the Taliban’s repeated claims that women’s education is not “haram” under Islamic law, their actions tell a different story — one of deliberate and sustained efforts to erase women from Afghanistan’s public sphere.
