Harsh views on women led to school closures: Taliban

 The Taliban have said that "strong views" on education and women's issues led to the closure of girls' schools.

In an interview with China's official TV channel CGTN on Saturday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi said that the closure of schools is temporary, it is not a future ban.

He said that a large part of the society has strict ideas regarding women and education, what women should do and what not.

It has been more than three hundred days that girls' high schools have been closed in Afghanistan. Officials in Kabul said that the matter depends on the decision of the Supreme Leader of the Taliban.

The students have demanded the Taliban authorities to open the school.

A local student named Fareeha says, "This is a very disappointing situation. We demand the Emirate of Islamia to reopen the school."

Another student, Wahida Adalat, says, "If a government wants a progressive and developed society, it has no choice but to live together in education and society."

The international community has repeatedly demanded the Taliban to open schools for girls.

Last week, the United Nations imposed a travel ban on Taliban leaders who have deprived women of their rights in Afghanistan.

Diplomats said on condition of anonymity that travel restrictions were imposed on the Taliban's Acting Deputy Minister of Education Syed Ahmad Shahid Khel and Deputy Minister for Higher Education Abdul Baqi Haqqani.