The acting Minister of Higher Education expressed criticism of the travel ban on him and the deputy education minister.

Speaking at a press conference, the acting Minister Abdul Baqi Haqqani called on the international community to remain supportive of the Afghan education sector.

The UN Security Council imposed a travel ban on two officials of the Islamic Emirate including Abdul Baqi Haqqani, who had previously been granted a travel exemption from the sanction.

“If we are lagging behind the world, one reason is that our academic criteria are not equal with world countries,” he said.

Instead of imposing sanctions, Haqqani said that the world must engage in positive interactions with various sections of Afghanistan.

“If the world countries want to be really cooperative, they cannot help the Afghans by imposing these obstacles, he said.

Analysts said the sanctioning of the two Islamic Emirate officials was to signal the international community’s willingness to apply pressure.

“The reason for not continuing the travel ban exemption for these two officials is that the international community wants to give them (Islamic Emirate) a message that there are many other pressure options,” said Sayed Haroon Hashimi, a political analyst.