Afghan envoy appreciates India's new President Murmu, compares her rise with deplorable condition of Afghan women
Jul 25, 2022
New Delhi [India], July 26 Afghanistan's Ambassador to India Farid Mamundzay expressed his appreciation for the appointment of the new President of India, Droupadi Murmu, and compared her rise with the deplorable condition of Afghan women under the Taliban regime.
"Hon'ble President Droupadi Murmu - A woman from a marginalized tribe takes India's highest office at a time when Afghan women face erosion of their basic rights. One million girls have been banned from secondary schools, depriving them of education and future," tweeted Mamundzay.
Recently, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) released a report which highlighted that women's rights have eroded in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover.
The report stated that the erosion of women's rights has been one of the most notable aspects of the de facto administration to date. Before the Taliban came to power, women and girls had progressively had their rights to fully participate in education, the workplace and other aspects of public and daily life.
However, these rights have been restricted and in many cases completely taken away following the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban.
"There is no access or entitlement to employment. They cannot participate in public and political life. Afghan women are increasingly facing the worst possible circumstances that many feared a year ago," said the Afghan envoy.
A decision taken by the Taliban prevented girls from returning to secondary school which meant that a generation of girls will not complete their full 12 years of basic education. At the same time, access to justice for victims of gender-based violence has been limited by the dissolution of dedicated reporting pathways, justice mechanisms and shelters, it added.
The atrocities of the Taliban against Afghan women have been on an incessant surge since the group seized power in Afghanistan in August last year, banning young girls and women of basic humanitarian rights.
Lauding India's efforts toward women empowerment, Mamundzay praised the rise of new President Droupadi Murmu and said that her rise is a ray of hope, resilience, and strength for the women of Afghanistan.
"Despite all this, the news of a new female President is a ray of hope, resilience and strength to the women of my country. The election of the new President in India is certainly celebrated by many Afghans, especially by Afghan women," tweeted the Afghan envoy.
Murmu is the youngest President of the country, who was born after India's independence. She is also the first tribal leader to be elected to the highest constitutional post in the country and the second woman President of India.
Chief Justice of India NV Ramana administered her the oath at a ceremony held at Parliament's Central Hall in the presence of outgoing President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President and Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday.
