Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai has said he cannot speak positively about the Taliban as long as girls remain barred from attending school.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Karzai said Taliban officials had repeatedly asked him to make positive comments about their rule. He said he had told them he could not do so until girls were allowed to return to school.
He said educating girls and allowing women to work were essential for Afghanistan’s future, adding that the country needed educated women in areas including business, education, healthcare, economics, engineering, the judiciary and the media.
Karzai also said that without girls’ education and women’s participation in the workforce, Afghanistan could not become a “dynamic and vibrant” society.
He said the Taliban and their opponents were all Afghans despite their political differences, and argued that the country needed compromise and peaceful coexistence rather than continued conflict.
Mr Karzai also said restrictions had been imposed on his movements and meetings since the Taliban returned to power. He said he was required to inform Taliban officials before leaving his home and was accompanied by security personnel.
