German minister questions Afghan aid after ban on women in NGOs

A question mark is hanging over aid to Afghanistan following the Taliban's decision to suspend the work of women in non-governmental organizations, German Development Minister Svenja Schulze said in Berlin on Monday, reported dpa.

"Organizations will be unable to continue their work in many areas for half the population without female employees," Schulze said.

"For that reason I am in favour of suspending the support that we are currently providing along with others," she added.

Schulze said she was calling for a meeting together with the World Bank of those involved in the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF), an organization administered by the World Bank that funds parts of Afghanistan's health and education systems.

Germany is taking the initiative in the context of its G7 presidency, which it holds up to the end of this year.

In a letter issued on Saturday, Afghanistan's Economy Ministry ordered all national and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to suspend the work of their female employees until further notice.

The reason given was non-compliance by female employees with the Taliban's government rules regarding the hijab, the head covering women are supposed to wear in public. Any NGO failing to heed the instruction would have its licence terminated, the letter said.