August 09, 2020

The long walk on the path to gender equality in Afghanistan

topic:	Women's rights
located:	Afghanistan
editor:	Shadi Khan Saif

The camp of Afghan republicans facing Islamic insurgency put up an impressive show by gathering a selective group of more than 3,000 public representatives, mostly men, to ponder over the troubled prison swap.

On the first day of this grand assembly, however, an act of utter disregard towards Bilqis Roshan, a leading woman parliamentarian showed a glimpse of what lays ahead for the war-ravaged country in terms of coexistence, freedom of expression and above all women rights.

The MP simply raised her voice against the Taliban’s brutality during the speech by President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani. But, as an accepted norm, she was dragged out from the assembly by a female official in an utterly disgraceful manner, exposing the violent and authoritarian mindset in the country; arguably a product or side effect of the war.

The top-level leadership of the republican camp under President Ghani vehemently condemned the mishandling of the female MP, but a consequent attempt by another male member of the assembly to snatch the microphone from a female speaker for uttering nuisance against the female MP was a stark reminder of the deep-rooted gender-based and discrimination.

And, all of this took place in the carefully orchestrated show of democratic values by the west-backed government that claims to be the custodian of citizens’ rights and liberties in the face of perceived Islamic fundamentalists who denied women and girls the right to education and work during their regime.

Regardless of how thorny it might be, Afghans need to brace for a long walk on the path to equality, particularly gender equality. For this to happen, there is no need to wait and search for a starting point or the right moment, for instance, a cease-fire or eventual peace deal with the Taliban insurgents. 

The grand gathering of Afghan elders, ‘Loya Jirga’, paid a huge sacrifice in hope for the bloodbath to end by approving the release of some 400 Taliban insurgents. Among them were more than 150 captives convicted of murder.

Bilqis Roshan is among the most vibrant female voices in the Afghan republican camp. For many, she might not fit well in the perceived set of conventional norms with her blatant and unconventional opposition towards the actions and values propagated by the hardline Taliban.

It has been women who bore the brunt of bloodshed for much of history in Afghanistan, while men engaged in bloody power struggles.

Now, for democratic values to nurture in Afghanistan – if it manages to come out of the shackles of war – Afghans need such fearless champions of human rights to be respected.

Image by WikiImages 

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