Political System Not Only For Taliban & Clerics, Says Senior Group Official

Mohammad Nabi Omari, Taliban’s deputy interior minister, stated that the presence of the Taliban alone is not sufficient for establishing a political system in Afghanistan.

Omari emphasised that if the leaders of the group believe that the system can be built solely with the Taliban and clerics, it is a mistake that he does not accept.

After the takeover of power in Afghanistan, the Taliban sidelined all political factions and formed an interim government by excluding women and ethnic groups from various aspects of society. The group calls its administration the "Islamic Emirate" and has resisted calls for the formation of an inclusive government with the participation of women, ethnic and social groups.

During an exhibition of Khost Mechanical Institute students, Omari said that modern science education is a serious necessity, and emphasised on the need for specialists in various fields.

The Taliban has primarily focused on religious education, and over the past thirty months, they have established hundreds of new religious madrassas. Additionally, the group has modified the school curriculum, increasing the number of religious subjects.

Previously, a spokesperson of the Taliban’s Ministry of Education had stated that subjects contradicting the "Sharia and Afghan culture" have been removed from the educational curriculum.

The ministry has said that modern sciences compatible with the "national and Islamic culture" will be included in the curriculum.

While most members of the Taliban are conservative towards modern science education, some members of the group occasionally emphasise on the need for modern science education.

Abdul Salam Zaeef, the former Taliban ambassador to Pakistan, previously said that those opposing modern sciences are "ignorant and enemies of Muslims disguised in Islamic clothing”.

Despite widespread domestic and international protests, the Taliban has prohibited girls from receiving education beyond the sixth grade. As of now, the group has not taken any steps to reopen girls' schools.