Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai’s father Ziauddin Yousafzai in response to the remarks of Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UN has said that Munir Akram’s comments are “disgraceful” and he should apologize to 50 million Pashtuns in Pakistan.
Munir Akram, Pakistan Ambassador to the United Nations in a meeting of the organization had said two days ago that restrictions being put by the Afghan interim government flow not so much from a religious perspective as from a peculiar cultural perspective of the Pashtun culture.
“And this is a peculiar, distinctive cultural reality of Afghanistan which has not changed for hundreds of years,” said Ambassador Akram.
Ziauddin Yousafzai has said on Twitter that the remarks of Pakistan’s envoy to the UN are shameful and he should apologize to 50 million Pashtuns in Pakistan.
“You did not even exist when Ghazi Amanullah Khan established girls’ schools in Afghanistan in 1921,” Yousafzai said.
Mr. Yousafzai added that the comments of Pakistan’s representative to the UN are biased, and stated that four million girls were studying in schools and universities in Afghanistan – and thousands of girls’ schools and universities are active in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Meanwhile, Nasir Ahmad Fayeeq Afghanistan Representative to the UN has said that restrictions on Afghan women and girls are rooted in “Taliban Culture”, and it has nothing to do with the culture of Afghanistan.
Some influential Pashtuns in Pakistan and Afghanistan have reacted to Munir Akram’s remarks.
Shah Mahmood Miakhel, former Deputy Defense Minister of Afghanistan has described Munir Akram’s comments as utterly shameful, and accused him of fueling “ethnic games”.
Afrasiab Khattak, former Senator of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has described Akram’s remarks as “disrespect to Pashtuns”, and has asked Akram whether Pakistan was acting as the representative of the Taliban on global states.
