Marking the second anniversary of the ban on girls’ education in Afghanistan, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday called on the ruling Taliban militants to reopen schools for girls.

“Girls belong in school,” Mr Guterres wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Let them back in.”

The UN chief said closing girls’ schools is “an unjustifiable violation of human rights that inflicts long-lasting damage on the entire country.”

Meanwhile, Amnesty International criticised that during the past two years, the situation had not changed.

“The future and dreams of thousands of Afghan girls are at stake,” the London-based rights organisation wrote on X.

Since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, Afghanistan has become the only country to deny girls and women access to education beyond primary school.

The Taliban authorities originally said the ban was a “temporary suspension” that would be resolved after establishing a safe environment for girls to attend school, but no changes have been made so far.

The move has drawn condemnation from the international community.

No country has recognised the Taliban de-facto government so far. 

(dpa/NAN)