By Hamza Ameer
Kabul, Dec 15 (IANS): A top Taliban leader has called for worlds mercy and compassion to help millions of Afghan nationals, who are in desperate need of help, aid and support in the current dire times.
The rare statement came from Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, who reiterated his government's commitment to ensure provision of education and jobs to women and girls, a demand the global community has asked the Afghan Taliban regime to fulfil.
"We have no issues with the United States," said Muttaqi, urging the US and other nations to release the country's assets, which have been frozen since the Taliban took over the country in August this year.
"Sanctions against Afghanistan would not have any benefit," Muttaqi said, adding that an unstable Afghanistan is not in the interest of any country.
"Making Afghanistan unstable or having a weak Afghan government is not in the interest of anyone," said Muttaqi.
It should be mentioned here that since the Taliban takeover, female high school students between the grades VII and XII have not been permitted to go to school, while many female civil servants have been told to stay at home.
"We need time to create gender-segregated arrangements in schools and workplaces that meet the interpretation of Islam," said Muttaqi.
However, Taliban commitments are difficult to trust for the global community as it has seen the rigid stand they took during their previous rule between 1996 and 2001, when girls and women were barred from schools and jobs, entertainment and sporting events were banned and public executions were witnessed by large crowds.
But Muttaqi said that the new Taliban government is a changed setup.
"We have made progress in administration and in politics, in our interaction with the nation and the world. With each passing day, we will gain more experience and make more progress," he claimed.
"Under the new Taliban government, girls are going to school through Grade XII in at least 10 provinces of the country. Private schools and universities are operating unhindered and 100 per cent women, who had previously worked in the health sector, are back on the job," Muttaqi said.
"This shows that we are committed in principle to women's participation," he added.