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Taliban Denies Agreement on Afghan Female Students Scholarships

Taliban Denies Agreement on Afghan Female Students Scholarships

Taliban authorities in Afghanistan have reportedly agreed to allow female students to pursue higher education in Pakistan, contingent upon their male guardians receiving visas to accompany them, according to officials familiar with the matter.

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This development follows the participation of hundreds of Afghan students in entrance exams on Saturday for graduate, postgraduate, and PhD programs at Pakistani universities. Afghan refugees in Pakistan attended testing centers in Peshawar and Quetta, while students in Afghanistan are expected to take exams online in the coming days.

Pakistan’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Mohammad Sadiq, announced that nearly 21,000 Afghan applicants, including over 5,000 women, had applied for the upcoming summer academic session. The tests, organized by Pakistan’s Higher Education Commission (HEC), are aimed at selecting up to 2,000 students, with one-third of the scholarships reserved for women.

A significant turnout was noted at the Allama Iqbal Scholarship test centers in Peshawar and Quetta, showing Afghan students’ enthusiasm for higher education opportunities in Pakistan.

Pakistan has expressed its “profound gratitude” to the Taliban for reportedly agreeing to allow successful female candidates to pursue education in Pakistan, provided that their mahrams (male guardians) are granted visas, in accordance with Afghan law. An official in Islamabad, speaking anonymously, confirmed that steps are being taken to issue visas to these guardians.

However, the Taliban has rebutted these reports, calling them baseless. Afghanistan’s Ministry of Higher Education denied claims of an agreement with Pakistan regarding scholarships for Afghan girls. They stated that no such arrangement exists with Pakistan or any other country. In response to a report by Voice of America quoting an anonymous Pakistani official, the Taliban’s Ministry of Higher Education clarified that such claims were “propaganda by a few self-proclaimed elements” with no basis in fact. They further emphasized that if the intention is to include Afghan refugees in a scholarship program in Pakistan, no agreement has been made with the Afghan government on this matter.

The Taliban did not immediately comment on the broader issue of education for women in Pakistan. Under their rule, girls’ education past the sixth grade remains banned, and Afghan women are required to travel with male chaperones.

The HEC’s website highlights that the scholarship program aims to strengthen Pakistan-Afghanistan ties by offering educational opportunities in fields such as medicine, engineering, agriculture, and computer science. Despite the tension over cross-border security issues, both countries have shown interest in strengthening political, trade, and educational cooperation.

The Taliban’s strict policies on women’s rights, condemned as “gender apartheid” by the United Nations, continue to draw international criticism. The Taliban maintain that their actions are consistent with Islamic law and Afghan culture, rejecting external pressure to reverse their policies.

Related: Pakistan Launches Second Tranche of Allama Iqbal Scholarships for Afghan Students
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