Afghan Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani says that good news is in the store for Afghan girls but naughty women will stay inside.
He passed on these statements in his first-ever on-screen exclusive interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour. “We keep naughty women at home,” said Sirajuddin Haqqani, head of Haqqani Group. Haqqani is a high-ranking and extremely secretive official wanted by the FBI. US State Department has classified him as a ‘specially designated global terrorist’. He has a $10 million bounty on his head. Haqqani had revealed his first-ever public image in March of this year.
When asked to clarify his comments on naughty women he said: “By saying naughty women, it was a joke referring to those naughty women who are controlled by some other sides to bring the current government into question.” His comments came in response to the question about women being afraid to leave homes under the Taliban regime with many reporting the chilling effect of the current Afghan leadership.
In March, the decision to allow young girls to attend the school was reversed for an indefinite period.
The Taliban govt in Afghanistan is far from inclusive in its leadership, but Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani claims they are “working to build trust” with former officials. I asked if there would be elections for a permanent govt. “That is a premature question,” he said. pic.twitter.com/xlWXfA23im
— Christiane Amanpour (@amanpour) May 17, 2022
Haqqani again reiterated the commitment of the Taliban regime to support the education of Afghan girls. He said that they are working on a mechanism to ensure the education of young girls.
He added that the future of women will be set according to the parameter based on the Taliban’s interpretation of the Islamic law and “national, cultural and traditional principles.”
“They are allowed to work within their framework,” he told Amanpour. In his interview, he added that Afghan girls are allowed to attend schools up to sixth grade. “Above that grade, the work is continuing on a mechanism. Very soon, you will hear very good news about this issue, God willing,” he said.
Read more: Mediated ceasefire between Pakistan, TTP: Taliban
Taliban, in the beginning, had assured the international community to protect the rights of women and young girls. They gradually went on to curb the freedom of women that invited strong criticism from the international community.
They still claim to be committed to protecting women’s rights but people are reluctant to believe them.