Taliban Partially Allows Afghan Girls To Pursue Education In Pakistan

The Taliban in Afghanistan have reportedly agreed to allow female students to pursue higher education in Pakistan, but only if their male guardians (called "mahrams") are also allowed to travel with them. This comes as many Afghan students, including refugees living in Pakistan, recently took exams in cities like Peshawar and Quetta to apply for graduate, postgraduate, and Ph.D. programs. Students in Afghanistan will take the exams online in the next few days.

According to Mohammad Sadiq, Pakistan's special envoy for Afghanistan, over 21,000 Afghan students, including more than 5,000 females, applied for these programs. The Higher Education Commission of Pakistan plans to select up to 2,000 students, with about one-third of them being female.

Pakistan thanked the Afghan government for allowing female students to study, as long as their male guardians are given visas to accompany them, which is a requirement under Afghan law. However, the Taliban has not yet commented on this arrangement.