UN special envoy meets women religious scholars in Kabul, discusses Islamic Law, women's rights issues

A top UN Special Representative in Afghanistan on Sunday met with women religious scholars in Kabul and discussed different aspects of Islamic Law and the key issues concerning rights of girls and women in the country.

Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), Mette Knudsen, has been holding several rounds of talks with all stakeholders in the country including Taliban to address various issues including need for humanitarian aid.

"UNAMA Dep-Head @Metknu hosted women religious scholars in Kabul today. They discussed different aspects of Islamic Law, the importance of girls being able to go to school and women being gainfully employed," UNAMA tweeted.

This meeting came the same day as Islamic clerics from several countries across the world, including India, held a virtual conference, where they called for the formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan.

The participants, from India, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq and Croatia, stressed the need to form a unified position on countering ISIS in Islamic countries, TOLOnews reported.

"Controlling the government by a certain ethnicity and ignoring other ethnicities is impossible. This will cause chaos in Afghanistan because it is obvious that all ethnicities have power and are looking for their rights," said Ayatullah Syed Yasin, a top Iraqi religious cleric. The meeting also highlighted the importance of human rights and women's rights.

Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai had called on the international community to cooperate with Afghanistan on the issue of counter-terrorism.

"If you are really concerned about the security of yourself and the world and remain committed to the pledges on Afghanistan, in such a critical and vital situation and to ensure peace and stability, help the people of Afghanistan," Karzai was quoted as saying by TOLOnews.

Two months have passed since the Taliban regained control of Kabul, as the US and its allies departed, wrapping up their 20-year military presence in Afghanistan.

Going against all promises of inclusive government, the Taliban have appointed an all-male cabinet. They abolished the Ministry of Women's Affairs, and handed over the women's ministry building to the reinstated Ministry of Vice and Virtue, which was responsible for some of the worst abuses against women during the Taliban's previous period in power from 1996-2001.

(ANI)

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