ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday said it had "strongly urged" Afghanistan to revisit its ban on women's education in the country, a few days after the Taliban prevented women from pursuing higher education in the country. 

The Taliban administration last week ordered women to stop attending public and private universities in Afghanistan without giving a reason. The edict triggered a backlash across the world, with various human rights organizations and countries criticizing the Afghan government for rolling back women's rights. 

Earlier this week, the Taliban barred female employees of national and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from workplaces. Many fear the move will be counterproductive in providing aid to millions of women in the country who require humanitarian assistance. 

During a press briefing on Thursday, Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesperson, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, said Islamabad is engaged with Kabul to find a solution to the two countries' security and border management issues. 

"We are also disappointed at the recent decisions taken by the Afghan Interim Government about women education and participation in public life in Afghanistan," Baloch said.

"We have strongly urged Afghanistan to revisit its decisions," she added. "We have emphasized the importance of equal access to education for all segments of society."

On Thursday, the foreign ministers of the intergovernmental organization, G7, called on the Taliban to "urgently reverse" the ban on women working in the aid sector. 

The statement comes after six aid bodies suspended operations in Afghanistan in response to the ban. They included Christian Aid, ActionAid, Save the Children, the Norwegian Refugee Council and CARE.

The International Rescue Committee, which provides emergency response in health, education and other areas and employs 3,000 women across Afghanistan, also said it was suspending services.

Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have strained over the past couple of weeks, as border clashes between the two caused civilian casualties. Both sides traded barbs over the clashes, with Pakistan calling on the Afghan Taliban to rein in the Pakistani Taliban or the TTP.