Islamabad: G7 foreign ministers called on Taliban to “Urgently reverse” a ban on women working in Afghanistan’s aid sector. Ban is latest blow against women’s rights in Afghanistan since Taliban reclaimed power last year.

Hardline group also barred women from attending universities earlier this month, prompting global outrage and protests in some Afghan cities. G7 ministers along with those of Australia, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland and Netherlands said in joint statement they were “Gravely concerned that Taliban’s reckless and dangerous order puts at risk millions of Afghans who depend on humanitarian assistance for their survival”. “We call on Taliban to urgently reverse this decision,” they said in statement issued by Britain’s Foreign Ministry. It comes after six aid bodies suspended operations in Afghanistan in response to ban. They included Christian Aid, ActionAid, Save Children, Norwegian Refugee Council and CARE. International Rescue Committee, which provides emergency response in health, education and other areas and employs 3,000 women across Afghanistan also said it was suspending services. “Reports that families are so desperate they have been forced to sell their children to buy food are utterly heartbreaking,” said Christian Aid’s head of global programmes Ray Hasan.

Published in The Daily National Courier, December, 30 2022

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