Islamabad, Dec 28, (dpa/GNA) – The Pakistani government has voiced rare criticism of the Taliban in Afghanistan, by denouncing the ultra-conservative group’s new travel restrictions on women.
“Women can’t travel alone or go to schools and colleges … this kind of retrogressive thinking is dangerous,” Pakistan’s Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said late on Monday.
“This extremism can spill over into Pakistan and beyond,” the minister said in the capital Islamabad.
His comments come after Taliban authorities said on Sunday, that women seeking to travel long distances should not be offered transport , unless they are accompanied by a close male relative.
The guidance, issued by the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, also called on all vehicle owners to offer rides only to those women who wear the hijab.
Chaudhry’s remarks appear to be the first-ever direct and public criticism of the Taliban by Pakistan. Afghanistan has been seeking global legitimacy for their interim government since they swept to power in August.
Pakistani leaders including Prime Minister Imran Khan, have since been praising the Taliban and staying silent on the harsh new reality for women in the country, including restrictions on their access to education and employment opportunities.
GNA