Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the Taliban to form an inclusive government in Kabul on Thursday before confirming New Delhi's strong support for a "peaceful, secure, and stable Afghanistan."
Modi made the comments during his ongoing state visit to the US where he was hosted by American President Joe Biden at the White House.
"Committing to continue close consultations on the situation in Afghanistan, the leaders emphasized the importance of the formation of an inclusive political structure and called on the Taliban to respect the human rights of all Afghans, including women and girls, and to respect freedom of movement," a joint statement released after discussions between Modi and Biden read.
The remarks of two leaders come at a time when a high-ranking UN official termed the Taliban's actions against women in the war-torn country as "gender apartheid".
"Grave, systematic and institutionalized discrimination against women and girls is at the heart of Taliban ideology and rule, which also gives rise to concerns that they may be responsible for gender apartheid," UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Afghanistan Richard Bennett told reporters in Geneva.
Taliban's Restrictions on Female Rights
The Taliban government has imposed harsh restrictions on women, who have been banned from gaining access to all kinds of education, barring primary school.
Also, there is a complete ban on female employment in Afghanistan. Even the UN's office in Kabul has been prevented from hiring women.
Moreover, women can't visit public places like parks, gyms, restaurants, and hotels.
* under UN sanctions for terrorism