"The ban on girls' education is the Taliban culture, not the Pashtuns, which the Pashtuns have fought against."

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Munir Akram, Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, while addressing a United Nations meeting held in New York, said that the ban on girls' education by the Taliban caretaker government is not due to religious reasons, but due to Pashtun culture. , under which women are forced to sit at home.

He said that this is a specific kind of reality in Afghanistan.

His statement is being criticized on social media and people are saying, is it appropriate for an ambassador to make such a statement on a forum like the United Nations?

After criticism on social media, Pakistan's Foreign Office issued a clarification, saying that the statement by the Permanent Representative at the United Nations Headquarters in New York yesterday was a humanitarian statement about Afghanistan. Given during the briefing on the grounds.

The explanatory statement said that "Permanent Delegate (Mayner Akram) regrets if his remarks were misconstrued or hurt anyone's sentiments." According to him, his intention is definitely not to disrespect the Pashtun culture, which is very progressive and deserves full respect all over the world.

The statement said the permanent representative was referring to the "peculiar view" of a small minority, which has resulted in restrictions on women. The point made by the Permanent Representative was that these restrictions are not compatible with Islam and Sharia. Who provide all rights to women including work and education.

Earlier, during the weekly briefing on Thursday, when the spokesperson of the Foreign Office was asked whether this is Pakistan's official position regarding the restrictions imposed on girls in Afghanistan in other areas, including education. The spokesperson said that we have sought the details of this statement to find out the context in which this statement was made.

According to the Foreign Office, Pakistan is a country that gives equal rights to women as far as their policy is concerned. In this regard, Pakistan also values the international agreements and conventions.

We believe that Islam gives equal rights to women, including education, and we have taken a clear stand on the importance of girls' education and their participation in every aspect of life. We have also said that the talented women of Afghanistan should not be denied the right to move forward and fulfill their dreams.

Did the Taliban come to power with the Pashtun vote?

Osama Khilji, a social activist and co-founder of the online rights activist organization 'Bolo Bhi', tweeted this part of Munir Akram's speech and wrote that it was a shameful representation by the delegate of Pakistan because girls' education Banning is not a part of Pashtun culture.

He said that this is the Taliban culture, against which the Pashtuns have been fighting for decades. According to him, this is a terrible racist state policy.

Speaking to BBC Urdu, Osama Khalji said that when the Taliban came to power, girls' education was banned. According to him, when the Taliban came to areas like Swat, such restrictions were imposed here as well.

According to him, it is not the Pashtun culture, but the representative of Pakistan should answer when the Taliban was formed, how it was formed and who supported it and how its particular ideology was promoted.

According to Osama, Pashtuns want a peaceful life like a common man.

According to him, it is not understood whether Munir Akram is our ambassador or that of the Taliban, why he is giving such explanations. Did the Pashtuns vote for the Taliban? When none of these things are true, then how can it be called Pashtun culture?

A user named Zunira Inam Khan wrote that his family and relatives are settled in Bannu, a remote area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but they too will not agree with this position of the ambassador of Pakistan.

He said that everyone among his relatives is educated and working, if necessary, they even wear veil.

Journalist Zeibul-Nisa Barki commented on Muneer Akram's statement that 'Pakistan's Foreign Office should clarify whether it is Pakistan's official position that Pashtun culture means that women should stay at home?' It is likened to prejudice.

Some users have also demanded the immediate dismissal of the Pakistani delegate.

Malala Yousafzai's father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, also termed this statement of the representative of Pakistan as very shameful and said that you should apologize for disrespecting and not properly representing the five million Pashtuns living in Pakistan.

He said that Ghazi Amanullah Khan had opened girls' schools in the year 1921 when he was not even born.

According to him, 4 million girls were studying in schools and universities in Afghanistan. Similarly, thousands of girls are studying in dozens of universities in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. He said that your point of view is biased.

He said that in fact it is your 'specific' misuse of religion that has destroyed us.