'As a Father to Daughters...': Rishi Sunak Says on Taliban Banning Women from Afghan Universities

Britain Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday expressed sympathy for the women of Afghanistan and said he could not imagine a world like that being a “father to daughters”. He further said that it was a “grave step backwards” and warned that “the world is watching”.

“The women of Afghanistan have so much to offer. Denying them access to university is a grave step backwards,” the UK leader said in a tweet, adding, “We will judge the Taliban by their actions”.

The reaction came as Taliban-run Afghanistan government on Tuesday suspended university access for female students, drawing condemnation from foreign governments and the United Nations.

Female university students in the Taliban-ruled country were turned away from campuses on Wednesday after the recent ban.

“We went to university, the Taliban were at the gate and told us ‘you are not allowed to enter the university until further notice’ … everyone was crying,” said Shaista, a business studies student at a private university in Kabul.

A professor at another university in Kabul who declined to be identified said staff turned female students away at the gate as they had no choice but to implement the instruction.

The bar on women students is likely to complicate the Taliban administration’s efforts to gain international recognition and to get rid of sanctions that are severely hampering the economy.

The United States, the European Union and 11 foreign ministers condemned the Taliban’s decision to ban women from universities in Afghanistan.

Foreign ministers for Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom joined Washington and the EU in condemning the Taliban’s decision.

Read all the Latest News here