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Hamid Karzai Urges Taliban to Lift Education Ban on Girls to Ensure National Progress

Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai has stated that the Taliban must allow girls to return to school to ensure the country's progress. Karzai emphasized that providing a domestic education for his own daughters is a responsibility to his country, noting that if he sends them abroad, it signifies a surrender of the right to educate girls within Afghanistan's own culture and language. Since the Taliban took power in 2021, over 2.6 million girls have been denied secondary and higher education. UNICEF reports that this ban has led to increased child labor and child marriage, while costing the country an estimated $84 million annually in lost economic output. Karzai has been repeatedly speaking to Taliban officials, urging them to ease these restrictions to allow women to return to the workforce. He maintains that the Taliban's recognition and legitimacy depend on their ability to meet these conditions, including allowing girls to reach their full potential in their own environment.

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