‘Meant no disrespect to Pashtun culture,’ Pakistan envoy to UN clarifies comments on women education in Afghanistan

NEW YORK – Pakistan’s ambassador to the United Nations (UN) Munir Akram has clarified his recent remarks wherein he equated the ban on women education in Afghanistan with the Pashtun culture. 

The clarification came a couple of days after Akram faced backlash for his remarks he made during a briefing at UN in New York on Wednesday.  

“The restrictions that have been put by the Afghan interim government, flow not so much from a religious perspective as from a peculiar cultural perspective of the Pashtun culture, which requires women to be kept at home,” he remarked during the briefing. “And this is a peculiar, distinctive cultural reality of Afghanistan which has not changed for hundreds of years.”

The comments drew flak from Pakhtuns and human rights with some calling them an insult to the Pashtun culture. 

Responding to the criticism, the senior diplomat said he did not intend to disrespect the Pashtun culture and hurt sentiments of anyone. He clarified that he had referred to the a peculiar perspective. 

“There was no disrespect meant to the Pushtun culture which is highly progressive and deserves all respect across the world,” he was quoted as saying by the state-owned news agency. 

Taliban bans women from attending university in Afghanistan