Kabul: The Taliban has said it will promote cricket if it returns to power in Afghanistan in a reply to a query on its webpage.
"There will not be any problems. All sport that is not against religion we do not have a problem with. We also supported the game of cricket during the Taliban times,” The Independent quoted a Taliban spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, as saying.
The development comes after the Afghan cricket team qualified for the Twenty20 World Cup for the second time.
The Taliban’s stance on female education and empowerment is, however, of utmost concern taking into account that girls were banned from attending school during its rule from 1996 to 2001.
But Mujahid stressed it was lack of funds available to ensure girls`` schools were run, according to Islamic rules that caused them to be shut down.
"We want our mothers and sisters to have education according to Islamic framework," he wrote.
The Taliban has issued statements on its Voice of Jihad website claiming it has transformed into a more moderate organisation with a softer stance on education and human rights in the wake of troops gearing to leave the country by 2014.
The Q&A section of the Taliban`s Voice of Jihad website was launched in February, and receives an average of eight questions a day. (ANI)
