The situation in Afghanistan has got bad to worse. The condition has become so severe that Taliban insurgents have taken control of the key eastern city Jalalabad without a fight on Sunday, leaving the territory controlled by the crumbling government to little more than the capital Kabul. As per latest development, Afghanistan has 34 provinces has fallen to, or are being contested by the Islamist militants. Even Afghan President Ashraf Ghani have deserted the country on Sunday with four cars and a helicopter stuffed with cash.
However, Ghani took to social media and wrote, that he left the country in order to avoid “bloodshed” as Kabul fell to the Taliban and terrorists entered the Afghanistan presidential palace. He also said that the Taliban will be responsible for the “honour, wealth and preservation” of Afghanistan’s people. He also said the nation was faced with a “hard choice” between the “armed Taliban” or “leaving the dear country that dedicated my life to protecting the past 20 years”.
As the Taliban is to return to power in Afghanistan, the country’s first female Mayor Zarifa Ghafari is living in fear for her life amid reports of targeted killings by the insurgents. While interacting with the media, “I’m sitting here waiting for them to come. There is no one to help me or my family. I’m just sitting with them and my husband. And they will come for people like me and kill me. I can’t leave my family. And anyway, where would I go?”
Few weeks ago, the first and youngest female mayor of the country’s Maidan Wardak province was quite confident of a better future for the country, however, her hopes has come crushing down. In the past, she had received death threats from the Taliban. Her father General Abdul Wasi Ghafari was gunned down by the militants on 15 November last year, just 20 days after the post attempt to kill her failed.
Ghafari has been hosting her own radio show and founding an NGO focused on empowering women economically. She has been taking care for the welfare of soldiers and civilians injured in terror attacks in Kabul. This was when the Taliban started to up their offensive for the takeover. While back, Ghafari was quoted saying “Younger people are aware of what’s happening. They have social media. They communicate. I think they will continue fighting for progress and our rights. I think there is a future for this country.”
Today, she feels helpless and is scared for her life and the safety of her family. However Tralibans has promised they won’t take revenge on people or officials working with the previous Afghan government, history from their past regime makes it difficult to trust the group. Women are very scared about the new government regime , as in the past the Taliban has been not in support of education for women, barred them from working and meted out barbaric punishments to them in the garb of justice.
Vikramroymehta's Blog 