RASC News Agency: Following the publication of a new UNICEF report highlighting a surge in maternal and child mortality across Afghanistan, former President Hamid Karzai voiced profound concern over the deteriorating situation. He emphasized the urgent need for comprehensive interventions in both education and public health to avert further tragedy. In a statement shared on his official X (formerly Twitter) account on Sunday, May 4, Karzai underscored that the root causes of Afghanistan’s crises can only be addressed through education. “Ensuring equal access to education for both girls and boys, and strengthening the nation’s educational institutions, is the key to resolving Afghanistan’s current predicament,” he wrote.
Karzai warned that the Taliban’s ongoing ban on girls’ education is not only regressive but poses an existential threat to the nation’s public health infrastructure. “The continued denial of educational opportunities to girls will not only hinder societal development,” he noted, “but will also have catastrophic consequences for public health particularly for mothers and children.” He stressed that the current trajectory, if left unchecked, could lead to increased mortality rates and undermine the health and wellbeing of future generations. Karzai called upon the Taliban administration to immediately lift the restrictions on female education and to reopen schools and universities for girls across the country.
He also underscored the importance of retaining the country’s skilled professionals, warning that the ongoing exodus of educated individuals particularly in the medical and academic fields could irreversibly damage Afghanistan’s already fragile institutions. “Preventing brain drain is essential to preserving any hope for Afghanistan’s future,” he stated. Karzai further urged international organizations to take urgent action by equipping healthcare centers and ensuring the provision of essential medical services, particularly for women and children in underserved regions. He called for a coordinated global response to address the country’s deepening healthcare emergency.
Despite multiple appeals from Karzai and other national figures, the Taliban’s restrictions on girls’ education remain firmly in place. Nearly four years into their renewed rule, millions of Afghanistan’s girls are still barred from classrooms, systematically denied their most fundamental right to learn. Human rights observers warn that the consequences of such policies extend far beyond the education sector. The exclusion of women from higher education has led to a critical shortage of female healthcare providers, exacerbating the maternal and infant mortality crisis. Experts contend that Taliban-imposed gender apartheid is directly endangering the lives of Afghanistani women and children, as a generation is cut off from knowledge, opportunity, and hope.
Karzai’s statement stands as yet another urgent plea for a radical shift in policy one that restores basic rights and reopens the doors of opportunity for Afghanistan’s daughters.
