Reports coming out from Afghanistan only seem to highlight one thing—there’s no space for women in the insurgent group’s rule, despite their claims of giving women their freedom and rights. This has resulted in men, women, and children fleeing the country, including President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, and other political leaders.
However, there were those leaders who decided to stay behind and fight till they could. One of them is Salima Mazari. One of the first women governors in Afghanistan, Mazari is a member of the Hazara community, and the Governor of Chaharkint, Balkh. Reports suggest that she stayed on till the surrender of Balkh province, and took up arms to fight the Taliban. Mazari has reportedly been captured by the insurgent group, and there is no news on her current status.
She had previously said that there will be no place for women if the Taliban take control of the country. “In the provinces controlled by the Taliban, no women exist there anymore, not even in the cities. They are all imprisoned in their homes,” she had said in an interview from Mazar-e-Sharif, before the Taliban gained control of the city.
So what do we know about her? Let’s review:
1. Her place of birth is Iran and Charkint is her ancestral homeland.
2. Her family is said to have fled the Soviet war in Afghanistan.
3. Mazari graduated from University in Tehran, and prior to moving back to Afghanistan, she worked at the International Organization for Migration.
4. In 2018, she applied for the role of district governor and landed the position.
5. She believes that working for the province tarnished by political turmoil and war is far more difficult, because of rampant corruption within the system.
6. In the past, Mazari has survived numerous life-threatening attacks as well as mines planted by the Taliban and other military groups.
7. In the wake of recent events, she formed a military team to fight the Taliban as the group began gaining control over one district at a time.