Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Tuesday voiced disappointment over the Taliban\u2019s ban on university education for women but said the best approach remained engagement with Afghanistan\u2019s rulers.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m disappointed by the decision that was taken today,\u201d Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on a visit to Washington.<\/p>\n
But he said: \u201cI still think the easiest path to our goal \u2014 despite having a lot of setbacks when it comes to women\u2019s education and other things \u2014 is through Kabul and through the interim government.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bilawal said there were no alternatives to the Taliban, warning of further instability in Afghanistan or the rise of the Islamic State group.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs the alternative for us to imagine that we can somehow artificially stitch together an alternate opposition that can command the same sort of legitimacy?\u201d<\/p>\n
The Taliban, who had initially promised a softer approach than during their 1996-2001 regime, on Tuesday banned university education for women after already closing down secondary schooling for girls.<\/p>\n
The United States, whose troop withdrawal from Afghanistan last year precipitated the collapse of the Western-backed government, warned that the Taliban decision could permanently end any hopes by the militants for a positive relationship.<\/p>\n
But Bilawal said it was even more crucial to ensure economic support \u201cto create the political space necessary for those within the Afghan regime who actually believe that they should deliver\u201d on rights issues.<\/p>\n
Separately, the Foreign Office also urged Afghan authorities to revisit its decision to suspend university education for women.<\/p>\n
\u201cPakistan is disappointed to learn about the suspension of university and higher education for female students in Afghanistan,\u201d FO spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said.<\/p>\n
\u201cPakistan\u2019s position on this issue has been clear and consistent. We strongly believe that every man and woman has the inherent right to education in accordance with the injunctions of Islam.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe strongly urge the Afghan authorities to revisit this decision,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Tuesday voiced disappointment over the Taliban\u2019s ban on university education for women but said the best approach remained engagement with Afghanistan\u2019s rulers. \u201cI\u2019m disappointed by the decision that was taken today,\u201d Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on a visit to Washington. But he said: \u201cI still think the easiest […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":302575,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-302568","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-national"},"yoast_head":"\n