Imran Khan defends Taliban on female education. Pakistanis say ‘educate yourself’

TENZIN ZOMPA

A Pakistani Twitter user said ‘girls were getting education in Afghanistan even before Pakistan was born.’

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan Sunday drew flak from his own citizens after he said “not educating girls is part of Afghan culture”.

During his address at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit, where the member States decided to establish a humanitarian ‘Trust Fund’ to direct assistance to Afghanistan, Khan, talking about how “Every society’s idea of human rights and women rights are different”, said: “If we are not sensitive to cultural norms of these people, even with stipends people in Afghanistan won’t send their girls to school. If we are sensitive to their cultural norm, without stipends they will send their girls to school. When we are talking about human rights and women rights, we have to be sensitive about this. But my big worry is useless action is taken immediately, Afghanistan is heading for chaos”.

While some Pakistanis praised the PM for hosting OIC and for putting “Pakistan first” and “Islam first”, many attacked him for shamming Afghanistan and assuming that “not allowing girls to study” is part of Afghan culture.

A Twitter user called the Pakistan PM “uneducated”, sharing an old image of their mother when the latter was a teacher in Afghanistan’s Kandahar district in 1959. Another user said it was “ridiculously ignorant statement” to make on part of the PM. “Weeks ago, he called Haqqani network a Pashtoon tribe. Can someone please educate him a bit”, read another comment on the micro-blogging site.

Afrasiab Khattak, former Pakistan Senator of the Kohat Division, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province, and a senior leader of the National Democratic Movement (NDM), also slammed Khan, saying his remarks “exposes anti Afghan/Pashtun colonial nature of Talibanization”.

The Pashtun rights activist wrote, “Imran Khan’s OIC speech further exposes the anti-Afghan/Pashtun colonial nature of Talibanization imposed on both sides of the DL-murdering educated/enlightened people and prohibiting girl’s education. The worst type of colonialism, unacceptable to the daughters/sons of the soil”.

“Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s comments at OIC that not letting girls’ education is part of Afghan culture is the utmost disrespect to Afghanistan and his own forefathers who were Afghans”, wrote another user. There were also those who defended Khan: “Pls do not spread lies and have some shame. Here is what he said…” and shared a clip showing the statement from his speech.

Calling the Pakistan PM’s statement ridiculous, a post questioned “…who the hell are you to be talking on behalf of Afghanistan @ImranKhanPTI? Second, girls were getting education in Afghanistan even before Pakistan was born. Educate yourself! #OIC”.

https://theprint.in/go-to-pakistan/imran-khan-defends-taliban-on-female-education-pakistanis-say-educate-yourself/784599/