Taliban in Swat ready to reconsider women's education

Islamabad: Taliban of the Swat region are ready to "reconsider" their policy on "education for women" through consultation with Islamic scholars after peace is restored in the area, Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan announced here on Wednesday.

He said Taliban are pro-education and scientific advances, but were against the western way of living and culture that was creeping in the Muslim society.

He was talking exclusively to Gulf News on a cell phone from an undisclosed location of the restive Swat region.

Pakistani security forces have been engaged in a bitter military operation against the Taliban of the Swat region since 2007, where Pakistani Taliban are gathered under the leadership of Maulana Fazlullah, the hardline religious cleric who demands enforcement of Islamic Sharia Law in the valley and Malakand division of NWFP province.

Muslim Khan is the chief spokesman of Maulana Fazlullah who is nowadays hiding at some undisclosed location in the wake of ongoing military operation.

Recent western and Pakistani media reports said the Taliban of Swat have targeted 174 children schools and colleges in the region and were strictly against women's education.

The Taliban spokesman however, said they would abide by any fatwa of religious scholars and ullema regarding women education.

"We are not against education, but we insist that our new generation should be imparted with religious and then scientific and technology education," he reiterated. "The Taliban need doctors, engineers and scientists to strengthen our cause."

Asked why the Taliban were then targeting the schools and education institutions, the spokesman said more than 75 per cent of schools and colleges in the region were being used by security forces to dump their logistics, and as temporary camps.

"When the Taliban encounter forces, these educational institutions...are also hit."