KABUL (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd February, 2023) The Taliban (under UN sanctions over terrorism) have detained former lecturer Ismail Mashal, who called for girls to be allowed to study at universities in Afghanistan, Abdul Haq Hammad, a Taliban representative and senior official at the Afghan Ministry of Information, said on Friday.
Mashal was detained on charges of alleged "provocation of unrest" in Kabul, Hammad wrote on Twitter, adding that the security agency was looking to investigate him.
Media reported that Mashal had resigned as a lecturer a few months ago after the Taliban banned women from attending university. In December, he caused a public storm by tearing his degree certificates on tv to protest against the Taliban's decision and recently started to share books with passers-by.
The Taliban's rise to power in Afghanistan in August 2021 resulted in deepening economic, humanitarian and security crises in the country. The Taliban government is not inclusive of women or people not affiliated with the Islamist movement. Afghan women have organized several protests in some cities, calling for their rights to be respected.
In late December 2022, the Afghan Education Ministry within the Taliban government ordered the suspension of girls' education in private and public higher educational institutions. The ban has been harshly criticized by international organizations and global leaders.
