Monitoring Desk
KABUL : President Ashraf Ghani has apologized to the country’s women over using word “shawl” in a speech, the Presidential Palace said on Sunday.
“Some individuals who want to mislead the minds of common people had misinterpreted the president’s speech,” a statement from the Presidential Palace said.
“The word shawl was meant to use local terminology and never aimed to disgrace and insult women. The President apologizes to the women of the country if their emotions have been hurt,” says the statement.
The president during his address to a gathering marking the transfer of authority of the Afghan Border Police to the Ministry of Defence strongly rejected accusations that some government officials had links with Daesh.
“Those who claim that a high or middle ranking government official has links with Daesh they should prove their claim in the court, if not, they should wear a shawl,” the president had said.
The presidential statement said the women were the “real constructors” of the society and their role in the formation of a society free of violence and inspired from religious cultural guidance.
Ghani to visit Uzbekistan to discuss Afghan-Uzbek relations: President Ashraf Ghani will arrive in Tashkent for an official visit, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry has said.
The visit will take place at an invitation of Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, according to the message.
Afghan government officials also confirmed the visit and added on the condition of anonymity that Ghani was visiting the neighboring country on the invitation of Uzbek president. The current state of the Uzbek-Afghan relations and priorities of development of long-term cooperation, exchange views on key international and regional security issues during the upcoming high-level meetings will be discussed.
A joint statement of heads of government, intergovernmental and interdepartmental documents aimed at further bilateral cooperation in political, trade, economic, investment, transport and communication, scientific and education and other fields, as well as commercial contracts are expected to be signed as a result of Ghani’s visit.
The Afghan president is also expected to visit Bukhara, where the distinguished guest will meet and address students of the Bukhara State University.
