US-backed Karzai govt under fire on Afghan women’s rights
Edict says women are worthless than men:
AFGHANISTAN: President Hamid Karzai’s US-backed government is
under fire this International Women’s Day, accused of selling out on
Afghan women’s rights as it tries to woo the Taliban into peace talks.
Lawmakers, rights organisations and analysts say that the Afghan
leader, by endorsing an edict calling women second-class citizens, has
endangered hard-won progress in women’s rights since the Taliban fell
from power in 2001. The Afghanistan Human Rights and Democracy
Organization denounced authorities for trying to strike a balance
between receiving foreign aid and “keeping the conservative forces of
Afghan society happy”.
“In practice, the demands of extremist elements residing in the
presidential palace, particularly those in the judicial bodies as well
as the Afghan Ulema Council, always outweigh those of the international
community,” it said. AFP |