NEW DELHI — Afghanistan’s first woman mayor who narrowly escaped death recounted her nightmare-esque time back home ever since the Taliban overthrew Afghanistan government. Zarifa Ghafari recently fled to Germany as the terrorist group continues to search for her.
Ghafari, who at the age of 26 became the country’s first woman mayor of Maidan Shahr city west of Kabul, said in an interview on Aug. 24 that the Taliban have a list of people who took a liberal approach earlier and were killing off people one by one.
“Just nearby [sic] nine or 10 am Taliban have been to my house, they were asking for me, and they grabbed my car away, they have beaten my guards,” said Ghafari.
“They were all searching for me. They have a big list of black-listed people and those people who have always been speaking against them against their resistance and everything, and they’re killing them one by one. They kill too many people.”
“I can’t forgive anyone as today I have lost all achievements of the past 20 years. I have nothing left today. I only have the soil from my land with me today.”
Ghafari believes the Taliban is killing critics and progressive people like her to blindside Afghans who could otherwise mobilize against them.
Several Afghan journalists and politicians have fled war-torn Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover.
Afghanistan is witnessing a surge in violence as the Taliban, on Aug. 15, entered the presidential palace in the Afghan capital.
“Afghanistan was ours, and it’ll remain ours,” the former mayor said. “If women like me are now not there, it’s because a tiger takes two steps back to come back with more force.”
She also said that her target is to meet high-ranking officials, politicians, and women of different countries to make them aware of the real situation in Afghanistan and ask them to join me to start a movement.
Ghafari said that she wants to talk to the Taliban and negotiate with them on behalf of every unspoken woman.
“I want to talk to the Taliban leaders,” Ghafari said. “I am taking responsibility. I am even forgetting the death of my father. I want to negotiate with them on behalf of every unspoken woman.”
With the Taliban seizing control of her country, Ghafari on Aug. 24 said Pakistan has a “very clear role” in the current situation of the country.
“The role of Pakistan is very clear; every child of Afghanistan knows this.”
Several former government officials and Afghan experts also hold Pakistan responsible for the Taliban takeover. Pakistan has been accused of providing covert and overt support to the Taliban, who seized control of the country on Aug. 15
Ghafari has blamed everyone, including the international community, for the situation.
“For whatever Afghanistan is facing today, everyone is to be blamed, including local people, politicians, children, and the international community,” she said. “The local people never raised their voices unitedly against all wrong, including terrorism.”
In the past few days, people from the Taliban showed up at her house searching for her and beat up the guard.
Following the forceful takeover by the Taliban, fear and panic have engulfed Afghanistan, and thousands of people are trying to flee the country in order to escape the terror group.
During a United Nations Human Rights Council session on Afghanistan, Michelle Bachelet, High Commissioner for Human Rights, said she had received harrowing and credible reports of serious violations of and human rights abuses in Afghanistan under the Taliban, including executions of civilians.
(With inputs from ANI)
Edited by Amrita Das and Krishna Kakani
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