A delegation from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation has held talks with senior Taliban officials in Kabul on the country’s political, economic and humanitarian situation, but the OIC’s public statement on the visit made no mention of restrictions on women and girls.
The delegation, led by OIC special envoy for Afghanistan Tarig Ali Bakheet, arrived in Kabul on Sunday for talks with Taliban officials. It is the sixth visit by an OIC delegation to Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021.
Bakheet has so far met Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, their deputy chief minister Abdul Salam Hanafi and public health minister Noor Jalal Jalali.
The OIC said Bakheet and Muttaqi exchanged views on the latest political, humanitarian and economic developments in Afghanistan and affirmed their commitment to continued dialogue and exploring greater cooperation.
The organization’s statement did not mention restrictions imposed by the Taliban on women and girls, including bans on secondary and university education and restrictions on employment.
The omission comes after the OIC and its representatives repeatedly raised the rights of Afghan women and girls during previous visits to Kabul and at regional and international meetings, calling for restrictions on their education and participation in public life to be reconsidered.
In separate talks with Hanafi, Bakheet said the OIC would continue supporting Afghanistan in humanitarian affairs, education and health, according to a statement from the Taliban’s office of the deputy chief minister.
The statement quoted Bakheet as highlighting development projects being implemented with OIC support and pledging continued assistance in health and education.
Bakheet also praised the Taliban’s counternarcotics efforts and said disagreements between “Afghanistan and some neighboring countries” should be resolved through dialogue, according to the Taliban statement.
Hanafi, meanwhile, called on the OIC to play a role in strengthening Afghanistan’s relations with countries in the region and beyond. He said the Taliban would not allow Afghanistan’s territory to be used against other countries and expected neighboring states to make the same commitment.
The delegation’s visit comes as Afghan women continue to call on international and Islamic organizations to press the Taliban over restrictions on their rights.
“The international community and the Islamic world should not forget Afghan women,” Zarifa, a Kabul resident, told Amu TV. She said women had been deprived of their rights and pushed to the margins of society.
She called on the international community to support Afghan women’s demand for their rights “within an Islamic framework.”
The OIC has previously urged the Taliban to reconsider policies restricting women and girls. Its secretary-general also raised the issue on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York.
Taliban authorities have maintained sweeping restrictions on women and girls despite repeated calls from the OIC and other international organizations to reverse them.
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