The acting Minister of Interior, Sirajuddin Haqqani, said the Islamic Emirate is committed to the rights of everyone and that it is not forcing women to wear hijab but advising them.

In the second portion released of a CNN interview, Haqqani, the acting Interior Minister, said the hijab is not compulsory but is an Islamic order.

“If we talk about the edict, there is Hijab, education, and work. Hijab is an order according to the Islamic Sharia,” he said. "Within the Islamic government, we are committed to the rights of everyone. We are not forcing women to wear hijab, but we are advising them and preaching to them from time to time. Hijab is also (to) create a dignified environment for women’s education and work, hijab is not compulsory but is an Islamic order that everyone should implement.”

Haqqani called on the international community to engage with the current Afghan government.

“The point is that interpretation of the current situation is not accurate. Instead of seeing Afghanistan from a specific angle from far away, they should come to take a closer look at the situation inside Afghanistan,” he said.

When asked about women’s access to work, he said that the Islamic Emirate is seeking to provide work opportunities for women within the framework of Islamic and national principles. “Here in Afghanistan there are Islamic, national, cultural, and traditional principles; within the limit of those principles, we are working to provide them with opportunities to work and that is our goal,” he said.

He also said in the first part of the interview that the Islamic Emirate wants “good relations with the US and the international community.”

He said that soon good news will be heard about the education of girls and that a mechanism is being developed in this regard.