Kabul: The Taliban's leadership was urged by the United Nations on Tuesday to provide more information regarding the arrest of a well-known Afghan advocate for girls' education who was detained in Kabul this week.

Requests for comment or confirmation of the detention were not immediately answered by the information ministry or intelligence agency spokespeople for the Taliban government.

The head of (Pen Path) and an advocate for girls' education, Matiullah Wesa, was detained in Kabul on Monday, according to a statement from the UN Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

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"UNAMA calls on the de facto authorities to provide clarification on his whereabouts, the circumstances surrounding his arrest, and to guarantee his access to legal counsel and family contact."

Wesa, who is from the southern province of Kandahar, has long been an advocate for girls' education, particularly in conservative rural areas. He made this claim even during the previous foreign government, which received support from the West,

when he claimed that many rural girls were not receiving education services. His group, Pen Path, has met with tribal elders, pushed for the opening of schools by local governments and communities, and distributed books and mobile libraries.

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The Taliban government has prohibited the majority of girls from attending high school and women from attending universities, citing perceived issues, including those related to female Islamic dress. Officials have stated that they are working to reopen schools, but they have not provided a timeline.

According to their interpretation of Islamic law and Afghan custom, they assert that they respect women's rights, and that the increased security in the nation since the withdrawal of foreign forces has made it safer for many young children to attend school.

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Wesa claimed last year that his work was impartial and free of political bias, with a particular focus on supporting local initiatives to promote girls' education.