Lyons hopes Taliban will put girls back in school

KABUL (Pajhwok): The top UN diplomat in Afghanistan has called for the caretaker Taliban government to launch intra-Afghan talks on national reconciliation.

UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative Deborah Lyons issued the call while addressing the Security Council meeting on Afghanistan on Wednesday.

Lyons told the participants: “No Afghan should live in fear of a knock at their door in the night and no family should be left wondering about the whereabouts and fate of their loved ones.”

The diplomat explained the collapse of the current state in Afghanistan, where millions of people are faced with starvation, was in no one’s interest.

She also referred to concerns at Afghan girls’ inability to attend school and the recent disappearance of women’s rights activists.

The Islamic Emirate had taken some steps to honour its commitments, the envoy noted. At the same time, she said, an environment of intimidation was emerging.

“There is compelling evidence of an emerging environment of intimidation and a deterioration in respect for human rights.

“This suggests the consolidation of government authority may be leading toward control of the population by fear,” she told the UNSC session.

The diplomat also urged the Taliban to demonstrate their commitment to future engagement with the global fraternity.

She was optimistic that the Taliban would demonstrate their commitment to finding a “pathway” towards future engagement with the international community to ensure critical donor funds are “not diverted or misused”.

The Taliban must also deliver on their commitment to girls’ education, she said, hailing recent official statements that girls of all ages would be put back in schools next month.

PAN Monitor/mud