Zarifa Ghafari is hiding: “I’m waiting for them to come and get me.” While there is no more news of Salima Mazari and it is feared she may have been captured
“I’m sitting here waiting for them to arrive.” It said so on Sunday at New York Times Zarifa Ghafari, 27, the youngest mayor of Afghanistan, in the province of Maidan Wardak, has always been at the forefront of women’s rights. Appointed in the summer of 2018 by then-president Ashraf Ghani, Ghafari is one of the few women to ever hold a government post in the conservative city of Maidan Shar. «I am destroyed. I don’t know who to rely on. But I won’t stop now, even if they will come looking for me again. I am no longer afraid of dying ».
His father, General Abdul Wasi Ghafari, was killed on November 15 last year, just 20 days after the failure of the third attempt on his life. On her first day as mayor she was stormed by a group of men who forced her to flee. Returning to her post, despite the threats, during her tenure she introduced a campaign against littering in her city and became a role model for other women. Then with the return of the Taliban to Ghafari, a job was given to the Ministry of Defense in Kabul, with responsibility for the welfare of soldiers and civilians injured in terrorist attacks. Three weeks ago he said “Young people are aware of what is happening. They have social media. They communicate. I think they will continue to fight for progress and for our rights. I think there is a future for this country ». Now as the Taliban return to power and promise to respect women’s rights, Ghafari, as well as many other women, are skeptical and remain in hiding fearing for their lives.
There has been no news for days – and there are those who are rumored to have been captured – from Salima Mazari, 41 years old. Born in Iran, after her family fled the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, she is of Hazara ethnicity, a group disliked by both the Taliban and ISIS. After graduating from Tehran, she worked at universities and the International Organization for Migration. Then, the decision to return to Afghanistan. “The most painful thing about being a refugee is the lack of a homeland,” he told al Guardian in the past few weeks. “Nowhere is your country.”
Salima Mazari was one of three female district governors and was in charge of the district of Charkint in the northern province of Balkh. Below her, 30 thousand people. What distinguished this woman from other Afghans was her leadership style. “Sometimes I’m in the office in Charkint, and other times I have to grab a gun and join the fight,” he said. His work involved not only managing the daily bureaucracy, but also organizing military operations. And since July he has met the commanders of his security forces every day. Thus she had managed to keep the Taliban away from Charkint. Last year, Mazari had successfully negotiated the surrender of over 100 fighters in his region. Her reputation as a strong woman, who opposed the brutality of the Taliban, put (and still puts) her life at risk. “There will be no place for women,” said All‘Ap as the Taliban entered Kabul. Then silence. A petition has started on Change.org to ask for his release. “I’m not afraid,” he said. “I believe in the rule of law in Afghanistan.”
August 17, 2021 (change August 17, 2021 | 16:15)
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