Delhi: Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai has called on Muslim leaders to take action against the Taliban, which is denying education to women and girls in Afghanistan. Malala made the remarks while addressing delegates from Muslim-majority countries who had gathered in Islamabad on Sunday to discuss the progress of girls' education.
Condemning the Taliban's suppression of Afghan women's rights, Yousafzai said that the Taliban does not see women as human beings. Malala also accused them of covering up their crimes with cultural and religious justifications. Meanwhile, the Afghan Taliban representatives did not attend the conference despite being invited to participate. Pakistan's Education Minister Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui confirmed the absence of the delegation from Kabul.
The conference was held with the support of the Muslim World League. The conference was hailed as a significant effort by Pakistan to address girls’ education around the world. The head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), Rosa Otunbayeva, urged summit participants to support Afghan girls through scholarships, online programs and other educational initiatives.
Since the Taliban regained power in 2021, they have imposed severe restrictions on women and girls. Girls have been banned from schools and universities. Malala’s father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, said more needs to be done to resolve the crisis in Afghanistan. He expressed disappointment at the lack of decisive action from Muslim countries against the Taliban.