Restrictions on women harming millions, says Potzel

KABUL (Pajhwok): UN secretary-general’s deputy special representative for Afghanistan Markus Potzel has said restrictions on Afghan women are harming millions in need in Afghanistan.

United Nations Assistance Mission for Afghanistan (UNAMA) tweeted that acting UNAMA head Potzel Markus met today with Afghanistan acting deputy prime minister for administrative affairs Mawlavi Abdul Salam Hanafi.

“Banning Afghan women working for aid agencies and locking them out of schools and universities harms millions in Afghanistan and is preventing critical help reaching Afghan men, women and children.”

The Islamic Emirate recently asked public and private universities to prevent girls from attending classes until further notice before banning women from working in domestic and foreign non-governmental organizations.

Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the caretaker government, in an interview told BBC the decree was issued to “protect the dignity and chastity” of women and it also applies to the UN.

sa/ma