Taliban decline invitation to attend girls’ education summit in Islamabad

The Taliban have declined an invitation to attend a summit on girls’ education in the Muslim world, hosted by Islamabad and organized by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), AFP reported, citing Pakistani officials.

Pakistan’s Education Minister, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, confirmed the absence of Afghan representatives at the two-day event held on Saturday, which aimed to address barriers to girls’ education in Muslim-majority countries.

The summit focused on challenges faced by women and girls in accessing education, with Afghanistan being a key area of concern. Since regaining power in 2021, the Taliban have banned girls from attending school beyond grade six and prohibited women from pursuing higher education.

Human rights groups have criticized these policies as discriminatory, with activists describing them as “gender apartheid.” The international community continues to urge the Taliban to reverse these restrictions, though no significant progress has been made.