Another senior Taliban official has called upon the group’s leadership to reverse the ban on the education of women in the country.

Taliban’s Deputy Interior Minister Nabi Omari was captured on video that has gone viral on social media as he broke into tears while talking about the ban on women’s education in the country.

Omari was speaking at a girl’s seminary in Khost on January 27 when he had to pause his speech due to the tears. In the speech, he called for sciences to be taught to the female students in the country rather than just focusing on religious studies.

However, the key part of the speech focused on the need for women to be educated. He expressed a fear that an entire generation of students ‘could be lost’ due to the policy.

Omari is the second official to publicly call for a change of policy from the Taliban, a rare sight in the Taliban’s rigid hierarchy of leadership.

Before this, Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Stanikzai had called for an end to the ban on girl’s education, adding that the doors of knowledge were open to all during the time of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). He had gone on to say that the matter was one of religious interpretation.

However, Stanikzai had disappeared from public life after the speech prompting speculation that he had fled after criticising the Taliban leadership. His office had to clarify that he was actually recovering from an illness.

The ban on women’s education has brought much criticism to the Taliban government, which assumed power soon after the withdrawal of American forces in 2021.

Since the takeover, women have not been allowed to study beyond grade six in the country, and university education has been completely banned as well.

The Interim Afghan Government has also denied reports of any agreement with Pakistan or any other country to allow students to study abroad.