Summary

Sher Abbas Stanikzai, a senior Taliban official, publicly criticized the group’s ban on education for Afghan women and girls, urging Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada to reverse the policy.

Speaking in Khost province, he condemned the bans as unjust and unsupported by Islamic law, depriving 20 million women of their rights.

This marks Stanikzai’s strongest call for change.

The international community, including Malala Yousafzai and the U.N., continues to pressure the Taliban on this issue, linking education access to potential recognition of their government.