There has been an increasing attempt towards removing women from public life in Afghanan: India

India on Friday voiced concern over the increasing attempt towards removing women from public life in Afghanan, calling for ensuring protection of rights of women and girls and that long-fought gains of the last two decades are not reversed.
“As a contiguous neighbour and long-standing partner of Afghanan, India has direct stakes in ensuring the return of peace and stability to the country,” Ambassador Puneet Agrawal, Deputy Permanent Representative of India, Permanent Mission of India in Geneva.
Speaking at the urgent debate on “the situation of human rights of women and girls in Afghanan” at the 50th Session of the Human Rights Council, he said given India’s strong horical and civilisational linkages to the Afghan people, “we are deeply concerned about the recent developments in Afghanan, which directly impact the well-being of women and girls of Afghanan. There has been an increasing attempt towards removing women from public life in Afghanan”.
“We join others in calling for ensuring the protection of rights of women and girls, including their right to education, and to ensure that the long-fought gains of the last two decades are not reversed,” Agrawal said.
The Taliban returned to power in Afghanan in mid-August 2021 after seizing the capital Kabul, bringing to a swift end almost 20 years of a US-led coalition’s presence in the war-torn country. After taking power, the hardline Islam group has been issuing new laws, saying that women should only leave their homes in cases of necessity and then, with their faces covered in public.
Agrawal also expressed India’s deepest condolences to the victims and their families, and to those impacted the devastating earthquake in Afghanan. He said India shares the grief of the people of Afghanan and “as a true friend of Afghanan and first responder”, has dispatched 27 tonnes of emergency relief assance in two flights for the people of Afghanan.
Noting that the basic rights of civilians, children, girls and women including freedom of speech and opinion, access to education and medical care have been drastically hampered due to the ongoing situation, Agrawal called upon all the parties concerned to allow unhindered access to international assance for all those who are in the need of it.
“In order to closely monitor and coordinate the efforts of various stakeholders for the effective delivery of humanitarian assance and in continuation of our engagement with the Afghan people, an Indian technical team has been deployed in our Embassy there,” he said.
He recalled the UN Security Council’s Resolution on Afghanan and said that expectations of the international community on the way forward in Afghanan have been clearly outlined in the Security Council’s Resolution 2593, which underlines that the territory of Afghanan is not used to launch terror attacks against other countries; formation of a truly inclusive and representative government; combating terrorism and drug trafficking; and preserving the rights of women, children and minorities.
“We join others in their call for ensuring the protection of rights of women and girls in Afghanan,” Agrawal said, adding that India also urges the United Nations Assance Mission in Afghanan to make all efforts to ensure that the rights of women, children and minorities are respected and preserved.