The Taliban’s sudden U-turn on their promise to allow for girls to receive an education in Afghanistan has derailed a plan by the United States to help the new regime to diplomatic recognition.
Last week, the Taliban reneged on a deal that would allow teenage girls to attend secondary school. A week before that, the Taliban’s education ministry announced that schools would be open for all students, including girls.
Diplomats in the United States had been optimistic that the Taliban would follow through on their promise to allow education for girls. There had been so much optimism, in fact, that there was allegedly to be a joint event between the U.S. and Taliban that would take place ahead of the upcoming Doha Forum in Qatar, which was to set in motion the process for the Taliban to have diplomatic recognition.
At the panel, a seat had been reserved for the Taliban group. It was a forum dedicated to women’s and girls’ education. At it, a representative from the Taliban would have addressed the role of women with female activists from Afghanistan.
The unexpected reversal ultimately undermined the argument that the Taliban now exists under a more “moderate” leadership. That optimism was dampened even further after the Taliban ordered televisions in Afghanistan to remove the BBC News bulletins in Pashto, Uzbek, and Persian.
On Sunday, the BBC said that it was a worrying development in a time of turbulence and uncertainty and turbulence for the Afghan people. The BBC statement said that more than 6 million people in Afghanistan consume news from the BBC every week.
Now, officials from western governments have made it clear that international diplomatic recognition will not be possible unless the Taliban reverses its decision on girls’ education.
American diplomats have said they are hopeful there will be another reversal of the decision, and that girls will be allowed to attend school.
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