The acting minister of public health of the Islamic Emirate said that 150,000 women are currently employed in the health sector in Afghanistan and that experienced women have been given jobs.

In his interview with a Malaysian news channel, Astro Awani, Qalandar Ebad said that the Islamic Emirate is not against women’s rights in Afghanistan and they are trying to create a safe environment for the education of girls above the sixth grade in the country.

“The number of women contributing to the health sector is 150, 000 females working in health sector. Here is a huge number, if you see these numbers in the ex-administration, you will never see this number, because many of the females who have the experience in different areas we have given them jobs in the health sector. And we have institutes for nursing, for midwifery and also for the post-graduation in different programs. Through this way, what we want to clarify is that we are not against the rights of the women education, we have allowed and opened doors for all women,” Qalandar Ebad said.

The acting minister of public health added that the government of the Islamic Emirate has the support of the Afghan people and it is time for the government to be recognized.

“In the last two years, we fulfilled all the requirements of the recognition. The UN has its own rules and regulations to recognize somebody or some country, and the international community they have rules and regulations. Look, the first priority inside Afghanistan is the peaceful condition. In last twenty years, there was not any peace inside Afghanistan; on a daily basis, there was killings, war and terror, hundreds of the people were killed at that time. But in the last two years, there has been hundred percent peaceful situation inside Afghanistan, this is a main thing,” Ebad noted.

“The remarks of the acting minister of public health that they are interested in education, is beyond his authority,” said Suraya Paikan, women’s rights activist.

This comes as more than 820 days have passed since girls above the sixth grade have been banned from going to school.