Tagab militants bar girls from school

MAHMUD RAQI (Pajhwok): Residents of the Tagab district in central Kapisa province say Taliban insurgents have not been allowing girls to attend school.

But they said the fighters in nearby Ala Sayee district let girls attend schools, but those in Taqab were opposed to female education.

A Tagab resident, Farzad, told Pajhwok Afghan News that the Taliban had a stronger presence in the Ala Sayee district than Tagab.

He lamented the Karzai’s government had failed to establish a single school in Tagab over the past 12 years.

Another resident Khitab said the Taliban in the Ala Sayee had promised local resident they would not let foreign militants interfere in the town’s affairs. “Taliban in the Ala Sayee district do not let foreign militants in and they are not against girls’ education,” he added.

Tagab residents complained there were only two girl schools and both had been closed due to insecurity.

“A majority of Tagab residents want their children to seek education that is why most of them have migrated to stable districts or Kabul,” another resident Shaheen said.

Deputy Education Director Abdur Rassoul Khan Safi said they had made available education facilities for both girls and boys in the Ala Sayee, where residents supported education.

Education officials say they want to provide education facilities to residents in Tagab district, but their support in maintaining security is prerequisite in this regard.

A Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said they had no problem with girls getting education within Islamic framework.

However, he said parents should not send their daughters to co-education institutes and that their daughters should keep wearing hijab.

“We have our own education programmes. All our education plans are outlined in line with Sharia Law”, Mujahid said.

mds/ma

Visits: 32