A gathering of thousands of Afghan clerics and elders has ended with a call for international recognition, but silence on the country’s ban on secondary education for girls.
Nearly a year since their surprise military triumph across Afghanistan, not a single country has officially recognised the Taliban as the legitimate government.
Diplomats say the ban on girls’ education is one of the main reasons the Taliban are still international outcasts.
It is resented by many in the movement’s ranks, who want their own daughters to be educated.
There had been hope they might offer political incentives or cover for the Taliban leadership to reverse course on the ban.
But only two out of more than 4,500 participants called for the reopening of secondary schools for girls, Afghanistan’s Tolo television channel reported.
And in their final communique, the clerics made only passing reference to the need for “religious and modern education” and to respect “the rights of women”. »
