Taliban ban on university education for women: Afghans in Punjab worried over kin’s uncertain future

Feroza Amini, who came to India in 2015 and is now pursuing a PhD from Punjabi University, Patiala, said she feels guilty and powerless

Taliban’s ban on university education for women has left their relatives in Punjab anxious about the higher education of their relatives back home.

Afghan women chant slogans in protest against the closure of universities to women by the Taliban in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Thursday. (REUTERS)

Saeeda Dilyadi, 23, who hails from Afghanistan and is pursuing MSc (IT) from a Chandigarh college, said, “Two of my cousin sisters were awaiting college admissions after finishing school. But all their hopes are dashed now. I feel guilty, as I am able to study further here while my cousins are helpless.”

Feroza Amini, who came to India in 2015 and is now pursuing a PhD from Punjabi University, Patiala, said, “Taliban’s diktat is painful. I feel guilty and powerless. I can only tell my elder sister to be patient.”

“My family is in Afghanistan. I have three brothers and one sister, who is a student of Kabul University. We are all worried about her future,” said Suhaila Sama, who is pursuing PhD from Punjabi University, Patiala.

Faiza Ibrahimi, another research scholar at the university, one of her cousins had always dreamt of becoming a doctor, but now she was confined to her home.

Faiza Fallah, a BBA student at Kabul University, lamented that she was only one year short of graduating. “Even my sister had her last exam at the medical university on Wednesday, but Taliban officers forced them out. I also teach girls in an educational centre and when I told them about the ban, they went home crying,” said Fallah, who is also an English instructor and a social activist.