JOHANNESBURG: Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai on Tuesday likened restrictions the Taliban have placed on women in Afghanistan to the treatment of Black people under apartheid in a lecture in South Africa organized by Nelson Mandela’s foundation.
Yousafzai survived being shot in the head when she was 15 in her native Pakistan by a gunman after campaigning against the Pakistani Taliban’s moves to deny girls education.
Since winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014, Yousafzai, now 26, has become a global symbol of the resilience of women in the face of repression.
“If you are a girl in Afghanistan, the Taliban have decided your future for you. You cannot attend a secondary school or university. You cannot find an open library where you can read. You see your mothers and your older sisters confined and constrained,” Yousafzai said during the 21st Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture in Johannesburg.
Yousafzai said the Taliban actions should be considered “gender apartheid” and that they had “in effect ... made girlhood illegal.”
She said international actors should not normalize relations with the Taliban, which returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021 as US-led forces withdrew after 20 years of war.
A Taliban spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Yousafzai’s remarks.
Since returning to power, the Taliban have also stopped most Afghan female staff from working at aid agencies, closed beauty salons, barred women from parks and curtailed travel for women in the absence of a male guardian.
The Taliban say they respect women’s rights in line with their interpretation of Islamic law and Afghan custom and that officials are working on plans to open girls’ high schools, but after over 18 months they have not provided a timeframe.
In an interview after her lecture, Yousafzai said she was concerned the Taliban would take away sciences and critical thinking even from boys.
“It’s so important for the international community to not only step up to protect access to education for girls but also ensure that it is quality education, it is not indoctrination,” she said.
Referring to the war in Gaza, she said she wanted to see an immediate cease-fire and for children to be able return to school and their normal lives.
She added: “We look at wars, ... especially the bombardment that has happened in Gaza, ... that has just taken that normal life away from children.”
Malala Yousafzai likens Taliban’s treatment of women to apartheid in Mandela lecture
https://arab.news/wz4vc
Malala Yousafzai likens Taliban’s treatment of women to apartheid in Mandela lecture
- The Pakistan-born Nobel Peace Prize winner says the Taliban have ‘made girlhood illegal’ in Afghanistan
- She warns the Taliban will take away ‘critical thinking’ from men after implementing ‘gender apartheid’
Pakistan sets up pavilion to showcase safety solutions at Intersec 2026 in Dubai
- Intersec 2026 features exhibitors from over 60 countries, with more than 1,400 companies and an expected turnout of over 50,000 trade visitors
- The exhibition provides an ideal opportunity for Pakistani firms to explore global markets, establish linkages and expand footprint, official says
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has set up a dedicated pavilion at Intersec 2026 in Dubai to showcase its security and safety solutions, its Press Information Department (PID) said on Monday, highlighting the country’s growing capabilities in surveillance systems and emergency response equipment.
The 27th edition of Intersec, one of the world’s largest business exhibitions for security, safety and fire protection, is being held on Jan. 12-14 at the Dubai World Trade Center.
Intersec 2026 features exhibitors from over 60 countries, with more than 1,400 companies and an expected turnout of over 50,000 trade visitors, according to its organizers.
Hussain Muhammad, consul-general of Pakistan, inaugurated the country’s pavilion at the exhibition along with Trade and Investment Counsellor Ali Zeb Khan, according to the PID.
“This year, six Pakistani companies are participating in the exhibition under the auspices of the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) to showcase their products and services,” the PID said in a statement.
Pakistan’s participation in the event comes at a time when Islamabad, currently bolstered by a $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) program, has been making efforts to enhance trade with various countries in the region as well as to attract foreign investment to revive its over $400 billion economy.
International platforms such as Intersec are vital to highlighting Pakistan’s export potential to the United Arab Emirates, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) markets, and beyond.
“Pakistan’s participation in global exhibitions like Intersec underscores the country’s commitment to strengthening trade ties and showcasing its industrial and technological capabilities in the safety sector,” Consul-General Muhammad was quoted as saying.
“Such events provide an ideal opportunity for Pakistani companies to explore international markets, establish business linkages, and expand their global footprint.”
