Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor, founding chairman of Al Habtoor Group, said in a video posted on X social media platform that he met three Afghan female students who made it to Dubai safely this morning.

“They are among those who received the comprehensive scholarship that I provided them with in collaboration with the University of Dubai. I welcomed them in the safest country in the world, as I stated, I am entirely in charge of seeing to their comfort and safety, including taking care of their studies, housing, and other extensive services like transportation, and health insurance. We are hoping to see the rest of their classmates in Dubai very soon,” he said.

Earlier today (Wednesday),  the head of a Dubai-based conglomerate said the current Afghan government authorities had stopped around 100 women from travelling to the United Arab Emirates where he was to sponsor their university education.
 
Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor, founding chairman of Al Habtoor Group, said in a video posted on X social media platform, that he had planned to sponsor the female students to attend university and a plane he had paid for had been due to fly them to the UAE on Wednesday morning.
 
"Taliban government refused to allow the girls who were coming to study here – a hundred girls sponsored by me - they refused them to board the plane and already we have paid for the aircraft, we have organised everything for them here, accommodation, education, transportation security," he said in the video.

This comes as the UN has called for girls' rights in Afghanistan to be respected in response to the ban on the travel of female Afghan students to Dubai who had been awarded scholarships to study in the United Arab Emirates.
 
The UN called on the Islamic Emirate “to uphold their obligation under international law” and allow girls access to education.
 
Florencia Soto Nino, associate spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, in a press conference said that they continue to advocate for the rights of women, because Afghanistan cannot develop without their full participation.
 
“I think what we will continue to be doing is to call on the de facto authorities to uphold their obligations under international law.  And we will continue to advocate for the rights of women, because Afghanistan cannot develop without their full participation. And it's really heartbreaking that women who want to exercise these rights are being prevented from doing so,” Florencia noted.

In the meantime, the Chargé d'Affaires of the Afghanistan Permanent Mission to the UN also criticized this action of the current Afghan government.
 
“The people of Afghanistan truly appreciate your efforts, generosity & support to women’s & girls’ education. We all know this action of Taliban is un-Islamic, inhumane & deliberate to keep the people in darkness & ignorance,” said Naseer Ahmad Faiq, Chargé d'Affaires of Afghanistan's Permanent Mission to the UN.
 
 
Amnesty International also asked the Islamic Emirate to immediately reverse their decision and allow these female students to travel and study.
 
“Amnesty International condemns the Taliban’s latest action prohibiting female students from traveling to Dubai to start their university. This preposterous decision is a flagrant violation of the right to education and freedom of movement and demonstrates the continued gender persecution against women and girls in Afghanistan. The Taliban de-facto authorities must immediately reverse their decision and allow these female students to travel and study,” the organization said. 
  
Some women’s rights advocates said they consider the full presence of women in the country important and believe that by not respecting women's rights, Afghanistan will become more isolated.
 
"The Taliban will never be able to get the sanctions reversed or solve the problem of formal recognition if they are not prepared with national and international norms,” said Soraya Paikan, a women’s rights activist.
 
"The government should be understood, the current state of Afghanistan must also be understood, and what they say to us from the outside, they should have thought about this from the beginning," said political expert Moin Gol Samkanai.
 
 So far, the Islamic Emirate has not commented on the issue.