Zarifa Ghafari became the mayor of Maidan Shahr, the capital city of Wardak province, has fled to Germany after the Taliban took over Afghanistan.
New Delhi: Zarifa Ghafari, a former Afghan mayor on Tuesday (August 24), said that Pakistan has a significant role behind the Taliban seizing control of the war-ravaged country, adding that the international community is responsible for the prevailing situation in the country.
She blamed the Afghan people for not raising their voices against terrorism.
"The role of Pakistan is very clear, every child of Afghanistan knows this," Ghafari, who at 26 became the country's first woman mayor of Maidan Shahr city that lies west of Kabul, told ANI.
Ghafari, who at 26 became the mayor of Maidan Shahr, the capital city of Wardak province has fled to Germany after the Taliban takeover. Several former government officials and Afghan experts also accused Pakistan of helping the Taliban in capturing Afghanistan.
"For whatever Afghanistan is facing today, everyone is to be blamed including local people, politicians, children, and the international community. The local people never raised their voices unitedly against all wrong, including terrorism," she added.
Zarifa Ghafari is now considering meeting high-ranking officials, politicians and women of different countries to draw attention to the crisis in Afghanistan.
"My aim 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 for the start of a movement."
Recounting her last few days in Afghanistan, Ghafari said the Taliban, who landed up at her home searching for her, beat up her house guard.
"I can not 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," she said.
She claimed the Taliban was killing "one-by-one" those who spoke against them.
"Taliban have a list of people who took a liberal approach during the earlier internationally recognized regimes, Ghafari said while recalling that the Taliban searched for her at her residence in Afghanistan and thrashed the security guards deployed there.
"Just around nine or 10 am Taliban have been to my house, they were asking for me, and they grabbed my car away they beat my guards. They were all searching for me. And those people who have been always speaking against them against their resistance and everything, and they're killing them one by one, they kill too many people," she said.
"Everyone is to be blamed, including local people, youth, politicians, for the current situation of Afghanistan," said the former mayor of Maidan Shahr, Kabul.
When asked whether the Taliban will face resistance from Afghans, Ghafari urged Afghans to raise their voice against the Taliban: "Yes, definitely. Do you know why they (Taliban) are killing people like me? Because they don't want other people to know what they are. They don't want Afghans to stand against them".
"Afghanistan was ours and it'll remain ours no matter who comes. If women like me are now not there it's because… Just like a tiger who takes two steps back to come back with more force…We have to show to the world the real face of Taliban in Afghanistan."
Following the forceful takeover by the Taliban, fear and panic have engulfed Afghanistan, and many people are trying to flee the country in order to escape the terror group.
On Tuesday, Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said she has received harrowing and credible reports of serious violations of and human rights abuses in Afghanistan under the Taliban, including executions of civilians.
During a UNHRC session on Afghanistan, she has received harrowing and credible reports of serious violations of and human rights abuses in Afghanistan under the Taliban, including executions of civilians.
Courtesy: ANI
