RASC News Agency: Nasir Faiq, Afghanistan’s Acting Permanent Representative to the United Nations, has criticized the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) for its silence regarding the Taliban’s recent decree barring women from pursuing education in medical institutes. Faiq labeled this silence as “unjustifiable” and urged UNAMA to abandon its passive stance in favor of decisive action. The Taliban’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, issued a directive on Monday that officially closed the doors of all public and private medical institutes to female students. These institutions had been among the last avenues of higher education available to Afghanistani women, many of whom were studying in critical fields such as nursing, pharmacy, midwifery, and laboratory sciences.
On Tuesday, Faiq took to Platform X to express his dismay, stating: “I am profoundly shocked by UNAMA’s silence in response to the Taliban’s new ban, which effectively prevents women from studying in medical institutions.” While acknowledging that outright condemnation from the United Nations might be unlikely, he emphasized that “the organization’s silence on this matter is indefensible.” He further called on the United Nations to adopt tangible measures to protect Afghanistani women’s rights, asserting, “Advocating for girls’ education demands action, not passivity.” The decree has left thousands of female students across Afghanistan in a state of despair. Many were on the cusp of completing their studies, having dedicated years of effort and substantial financial resources to specialized fields. These women have denounced the Taliban’s decision as a complete obliteration of their aspirations and futures.
Institutions that cater specifically to women’s medical education have expressed grave concerns, warning that their continued operation is at risk due to the sudden loss of female students. Although Taliban officials have previously characterized restrictions on women’s education as temporary, the latest decree from Akhundzada underscores the group’s entrenched opposition to women pursuing any form of modern education, save for limited religious instruction in Madrasas.
This latest prohibition has elicited widespread condemnation from both women’s rights advocates and the international community. Observers warn that it marks yet another step in the Taliban’s calculated campaign to erase women from public and professional life in Afghanistan.
