Afghanistan Future Thought Forum (AFTF) said in a statement the group has examined the key challenges and opportunities that the people of Afghanistan face and has offered its plan to the Taliban Government and the international community, Tolo News reported on January 30. AFTF has thirty members which include former Government employees, Taliban officials, representatives of civil society, and academics.This forum, which convened its fifth session on the situation in Afghanistan at the Hamad Bin Khalifa University's College of Public Policy in Doha on January 23-25, 2023, asked that the Taliban to lift its restrictions on women's employment and education from across Afghanistan.
On January 29, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the Foreign Minister of Iran, said at a meeting with Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, the Foreign Minister of Qatar, that the banning of women from education in Afghanistan is wrong and is against Islamic principles, reports Tolo News. He further said that Tehran is ready to work with the current Afghan administration to provide educational facilities for women and girls in Afghanistan. "We consider denying Afghan women and girls an education a wrong action in conflict with the teachings of the merciful religion of Islam," he added.
On January 28, Former US ambassador to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad said on Twitter,“If they are sincere and want to stop their country’s slide back into a pariah state they must consider more effective measures. Leading Muslim scholars globally, such as Mawlavi Abdul Hamid, have stated unequivocally that this ban is Non-Islamic and lacks religious legitimacy,” reports Hasht-e Subh. “It is now clear that contrary to their assurances there is no intention for this ban to be temporary. This unconscionable decision also indicates that the efforts of Taliban leaders who oppose the ban have been rejected,” he said in a thread on Twitter.