Senior Afghanistan official who called Taliban’s education ban for girls ‘un-Islamic’ leaves for UAE

An arrest warrant was issued against deputy foreign minister Abbas Stanikzai, say local reports. However, Stanikzai maintains he is travelling to the UAE because of health issues.

Abbas Stanikzai, Afghanistan's deputy foreign minister, reportedly criticised Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada (left) over the restrictions on women's education. | Wikicommons/ Reuters

New Delhi: In what appears to be a rare public rift at the highest levels of the Taliban leadership, Abbas Stanikzai, Afghanistan’s deputy foreign minister had fled to the United Arab Emirates, days after he publicly criticised Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada over the country’s restrictions on women’s education.

Local media reports said Akhundzada had issued a travel ban against Stanikzai, who was due to be arrested and tried in military court. However, Afghanistan International reported that, in an audio message provided exclusively to the local news site, Stanikzai said he was travelling to the UAE because of health issues.

Reports said that Mohammad Naeem Wardak, the former representative to Qatar, had taken over Stanikzai’s position as deputy foreign minister.

ThePrint could not independently verify the claims and it was not immediately clear when the leader left the country.

If true, experts said Stanekzai’s departure could signal a deepening rift between the ultra-Conservative and more moderate factions of the Islamic fundamentalist group. They emphasised that the group was not as united as it had been during the 1990s and this incident could be a sign of an internal power struggle.

The immediate trigger appeared to be Stanikzai’s comments on 18 January at a madrasa graduation ceremony in Khost Province, where he sharply criticised the Taliban’s policy of denying education to girls.

Calling the policy “un-Islamic”, Stanikzai said that the closure of girls’ schools and universities was both unjust and lacked religious justification, according to media reports. He said the decision was rooted in Akhundzada’s personal views, noting the growing global condemnation of the Taliban regime.

“We are denying 20 million people out of a population of 40 million their basic rights. The path we are currently following stems from personal attitudes, not Sharia (Islamic law),” he said, according to a video of the event shared by the media.

The comments, widely considered one of the most direct challenges to the Taliban leadership in recent years, were promptly condemned by hardline elements within the regime.

Signs of internal rift in Taliban

The Taliban took over Afghanistan in August 2021 in a lightning offensive, ousting the government of Ashraf Ghani government after the US ended its military presence in the country after nearly 20 years.

Since then, the regime has introduced several restrictions on women and girls, including in education, employment, and access to public spaces—virtually erasing them from public life. It has left Afghanistan isolated on the global stage with few countries willing to officially recognise its leadership.

This is not the first time Stanikzai has spoken out against the regime’s decision to bar women and girls from education after primary school.

His calls for greater rights for women and girls, including reopening schools, have put him at odds with the Taliban’s hardline faction, which has sought to impose strict interpretations of the Sharia.

In his previous statements, Stanikzai emphasised the importance of education for women, framing it as essential for the country’s future.

“Justice should be ensured. The government should reopen the doors of the schools for everyone,” he said in 2023, urging a more inclusive approach to governance that respected women’s rights while adhering to Sharia law.

Stanikzai previously served as the head of the Taliban’s negotiating team during talks that resulted in the full withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan.

Although the Taliban has denied any internal divisions, there have been growing signs of dissatisfaction within the group, particularly over the women’s rights policies.

Apart from Stanikzai, other senior officials, including Acting Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, have previously expressed concerns about the direction of the Taliban’s policies, though without directly challenging Akhundzada.

Afghan journalist Sami Yousafzai told ThePrint that Stanikzai stood out as a Taliban leader with a “clear vision for the future”.

“His principles pushed him to speak out, not just for his own regime but for the Afghan people…If these issues persist, it’s likely that we’ll see more leaders abandoning the regime, similar to North Korean defectors leaving their own government.”

He further said that Stanikzai’s actions had position him as a key opposition figure for the future, even if he did not have an immediate plan. “Public dissent, especially in such a high-risk environment, often ignites unexpected political momentum.”

Sara Wahedi, CEO Of Civaam, a civic-tech firm, also said that his decision to go to Dubai “suggests there’s more at play—potentially something long-term”.

“They’ve cited health reasons, but the timing raises questions. If it were just COVID, he could have gone to Pakistan for treatment.”

The fact the disagreement became public is a likely indicator that the “internal rifts are deeper than what’s visible,” she said, adding that it highlights the supreme leader’s tightening grip on power.

“With the return of the Trump administration, the geopolitical landscape is shifting. What’s clear is that these restrictive policies are coming directly from Kandahar, and any response needs to take that into account.”

Raj Kumar Sharma, a senior fellow at NatStrat India, said that today’s Taliban was not the unified force it was in the 1990s.

“After being ousted by US-NATO forces in 2001, the group splintered into various factions. Currently, the hardline Kandahari faction, led by Hibatullah Akhundzada, dominates. However, there are significant rifts within the Taliban.”

On one hand, Akhundzada, who is known for his intolerance of dissent, has not taken kindly to criticisms from Stanikzai. “Further tensions have emerged following the killing of Khalil Ur-Rahman Haqqani, the Taliban’s de facto minister of refugees and repatriation, in December 2024. Many believe Akhundzada may have been behind the assassination,” Sharma said.

His nephew, Sirajuddin Haqqani, had been vocal in opposing Akhundzada’s policies before the event. “These fractures at the top of the Taliban’s leadership point to growing internal divisions. Without reconciliation, these rifts could lead to further infighting, jeopardising efforts to form a stable government in Afghanistan,” he added.

‘Left for medical reasons’

Within days of the speech, Akhundzada issued a decree barring Stanikzai from leaving Afghanistan and reportedly ordered the country’s intelligence chief, Abdul Haq Wasiq, to arrest him, according to local media reports.

They also reported Tuesday that Stanikzai had fled the country to escape the arrest warrant, adding that Afghanistan Defence Minister, Mullah Yaqoob, a key ally of Stanikzai, had intervened to facilitate his safe departure and arranged for his travel to Dubai, where he remains in the wake of the fallout.

However, Stanikzai refuted reports and said he had contracted a “coronavirus-like disease” and had travelled to rest and recuperate. He further told Afghanistan International that there was “no disagreement” between him and Akhundzada, insisting that “everything is calm”.

Following initial reports, Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zia Ahmad Takal dismissed the claims. In a statement to local media, Takal said that there were no disagreements among Taliban officials and that Stanikzai had simply gone to rest due to illness.

The India connect 

Stanikzai received military training at the Army Cadet College in Nowgong, Madhya Pradesh, between 1979 and 1982 under an Indo-Afghan cooperation programme.

He also spent a year and a half as an officer cadet with the Keren Company of the Bhagat Battalion at the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun, where he was one of 45 foreign cadets, reports said. His peers at the academy affectionately called him “Sheru”.

After completing his training, Stanikzai was commissioned as a lieutenant in Afghanistan’s Army.

On 30 August 2021, Stanikzai, in an address to the nation, emphasised the Taliban’s desire for friendly relations with the US, NATO, and India. He also said that Afghanistan would not allow Pakistan to use its territory in its ongoing conflict with India.

(Edited by Sanya Mathur)