Women stage protest in Kabul, demand representation in govt

Taliban fighters did not interfere in the protest.

KABUL (Dunya News) – In a rare move, women in Afghanistan were seen protesting in Kabul and demanding representation in government.

The protesting women also demand equal rights, involvement in politics and business.

However, the Taliban fighters did not interfere in the protest.

Earlier, Enamullah Samangani, a member of the Taliban s cultural commission, said they don t want women to be "victims" and "they should be in government structure according to Sharia law".

"The structure of government is not fully clear, but based on experience, there should be a fully Islamic leadership and all sides should join," he said.

Samangani also described women as “the main victims of the more than 40 years of crisis in Afghanistan.”

“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan doesn’t want the women to be the victims anymore,” he said. “The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is ready to provide women with environment to work and study, and the presence of women in different (government) structures according to Islamic law and in accordance with our cultural values.”

That would be a marked departure from the last time the Taliban were in power, when women were largely confined to their homes. Samangani didn’t describe exactly what he meant by Islamic law, implying people already knew the rules. He added that “all sides should join” a government.

Under previous Taliban rule, women had been largely confined to their homes and only allowed outside if they were accompanied by a male family member.