OIC Discusses Afghan Women’s Situation Amid Taliban Restrictions
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) announced that Tariq Ali Bakhit, the Deputy Secretary-General of the organization, held talks with Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, Secretary-General of the Muslim World League, on Saturday, July 11, on the sidelines of the Women’s Empowerment Summit in Islamabad regarding the situation in Afghanistan. The meeting emphasized continuing humanitarian aid and support for the Afghan people in facing developmental and human challenges.
According to an official statement, both parties called for greater coordination between Islamic countries and the international community to address the crisis in Afghanistan. This dialogue coincided with the ninth conference of OIC women’s affairs ministers, a two-day meeting attended by delegations from 57 member states.
The main focus of the conference is to explore ways to strengthen women’s social, economic, and political participation and to address the challenges they face in member countries. The official agenda also includes discussion of the situation of Afghan women, although it remains unclear who represents Afghan women at the meeting.
Despite Afghanistan’s OIC membership, no official delegation from the Taliban administration was invited to the conference. Diplomatic sources say this is due to the Taliban regime not being recognized by OIC member states.
These diplomatic efforts are occurring while the Taliban administration continues to impose extensive restrictions on women and girls in Afghanistan, including banning girls from education beyond sixth grade, denying women access to universities and many jobs, restricting their movements, and tightening dress code regulations. These actions have drawn repeated responses from the OIC and several Islamic countries, which have frequently called for the removal of restrictions on Afghan women’s education and employment.
