Karzai ties Taliban legitimacy to lifting restrictions on women
Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai has said the legitimacy and recognition of the Taliban administration depend on meeting specific conditions, especially lifting restrictions on girls’ education and women’s work.
In an interview with Bloomberg published on Friday, Aug. 30, he stressed that the international community and the United Nations have repeatedly pressed the same demand and urged the Taliban administration to end the restrictions imposed on women and girls.
According to Karzai, the Taliban administration must create the conditions for girls to return to school and women to return to work in order to gain legitimacy. He added that this is not only his personal view, but a demand that has repeatedly been raised by international institutions as well.
In response to a question about normalising relations with the Taliban administration, Karzai said he supports a process in which Afghans come together and find a solution for the country’s future, a future in which all people feel included and their rights are protected.
He also said the goal should be to build a country where everyone can live and work toward their future inside Afghanistan. Elsewhere in the interview, Karzai said he is still in contact with a number of Taliban leaders and speaks with them about the importance of girls’ education and the return of women to work.
According to him, some Taliban officials who have met him understand the importance of the issue and agree with this view. However, the Taliban administration has previously rejected global demands on women’s rights, inclusive government, counterterrorism and respect for international commitments, calling them interference in Afghanistan’s internal affairs.
Karzai went on to say that despite the continuing ban on girls’ education beyond the sixth grade and sweeping restrictions on women’s work, he is not willing to send his daughters outside Afghanistan to continue their education. He added that he sees this as accepting the current situation and considers it his responsibility to work for girls’ access to education inside the country.
Russia is the only country that has recognised the Taliban administration. The international community and regional states have also set conditions for formal recognition of the administration, including respect for human rights, the formation of an inclusive government with women and ethnic groups represented, and compliance with international commitments.
