It is now quite heartening that people of Afghanistan that were under the oppressive regime of the Taliban from 1996 to 2001 have enjoyed a great deal of human rights when they were ruled for about 20 years by the US that ended on August 15.
The women of Afghanistan are not afraid of the Taliban rule, set in motion from August 15. They are now demonstrating and are increasingly raising their voice and concern that their hard-own rights could never be bargained away. Mary Akrami Sahak, Director of Afghanistan Women’s Network, (AWN) has said, “The women of Afghanistan came out of the dark and they will never go back.”
From August 15 till date many women have demonstrated and said, “Death to Pakistan and we need our freedoms.” The Afghan Government meanwhile has opened schools for the boys and has not done so for the girls’ students. On the other hand, the Kabul city Government has opened Government offices, asking male employees to join their work. But at the same time, it has asked the women employees to stay home. This has been very much resented.
Rahullah, a 18-year-old Class XII student in his statement to the Wall Street Journal has freely stated: “Women make up half of the society.. I will not show up at the school until girls’ school opens”.
The Freethought Party of India (FPI) welcomes the attitude of the Afghan boys and girls. It makes the whole thing clear that they are determined not to lie down before the Taliban authorities.
“The UN General Assembly, though not that powerful, is quite strong enough to mobilise global public opinion against the brutal Talibanregime. Outside pressure and inside agitation will surely bend the Taliban to conduct itself in a democratic and humanistic manner,” opined FPI general secretary B Ramchandra CST Voltaire.