LAHORE: A senior Taliban official, Sher Abbas Stanikzai, has reportedly fled Afghanistan amid fears of arrest following his public condemnation of the group’s ban on girls’ and women’s education.
Stanikzai, the political deputy at the Taliban’s foreign ministry, criticized the ban as being contrary to Sharia law.
During a graduation ceremony in Khost province last month, Stanikzai urged Taliban leaders to reconsider their decision, stating, “There is no excuse for this—not now and not in the future.” He emphasized that depriving 20 million women of education was unjust.
Following these remarks, Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada allegedly ordered his arrest and imposed a travel ban. However, reports indicate that Stanikzai managed to flee to Dubai, citing health reasons for his departure.
This is not the first time Stanikzai, viewed as a moderate within the Taliban ranks, has spoken out on the matter. In 2022, he declared there was no religious basis for banning girls from education, calling it a religious obligation for both genders.
The Taliban’s education ban, now in place for over three years, has been met with widespread international condemnation. It bars girls from attending school beyond the sixth grade.
Stanikzai’s departure follows signs of growing internal rifts within the Taliban leadership. Recently, Mohammad Nabi Omari, the deputy interior minister, broke down in tears during a gathering in Khost while discussing the harm caused by the education ban.
His emotional plea for a more balanced approach, including modern sciences alongside religious education, has since gone viral on social media.
