Mujahid: Educating girls is a minor issue.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid announced in a press conference in Kabul on Tuesday, August 26, that the Taliban leadership has approved a document called the “Development Strategy.”
He said the document is a comprehensive, long-term, five-year plan that will use domestic resources to guide all Taliban government institutions in a single direction.
Part of the document, he said, includes “reforms in governance and the implementation of Sharia law and Islamic justice.”
Mujahid explained that the strategy has three main pillars: good governance and international relations; security and public order; and economy and social development. The document also covers ten key sectors, including the economy, agriculture, natural resources and energy, education, health, telecommunications, and environmental protection, and includes 15 priority programs.
He said the document outlines major development goals and priorities for the next five years and paves the way for coordination between the public and private sectors.
At the press conference, Mujahid was asked about girls’ education, but he dismissed it as a “minor issue” and said the new strategy focuses on larger issues.
The Taliban have banned girls from attending school and university for the past four years and have issued numerous decrees restricting their rights and freedoms. Mujahid also did not respond to a question about drafting a constitution.
