The european union has placed sanctions on three senior officials of the Taliban government in Pakistan over the ban on women’s access to education.

A total of 18 individuals and five organisations have received sanctions.

The major Taliban figures in the list include Minister of Education Habibullah Agha, Minister of Justice Abdul Hakim Sharei and Acting Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani.

The EU said that not only have women been denied the right of education in Afghanistan, but they have also carried out gender-based discrimination in all walks of life including legal representation.

However, Zabihullah Mujhahid, the spokesman for the Taliban government, said that the sanctions were counter-productive and helped no one.

He added that if there were any concerns they should be solved by agreement.