Nilofar Ayoubi had never harboured the thought of leaving Afghanistan and she still hopes to stay back in her country. But she is not sure – friends in the know have informed her the Taliban have put her name on a hit list because of her activism and advocacy for human and women’s rights.
Nilofar fears for her own safety and for the lives of her family, especially her three children. Her youngest daughter is just a few months old.
“It is very uncertain what is going to happen next here”, she told The Truth International (TTI) over telephone. “So I probably would wait for a few days to decide whether I should stay or leave the country. In the meantime I at least want to send my children out of Afghanistan but again [I am] still unable to think properly and take a decision due to the shock of the sudden upheaval.”
A mother of three, Nilofar belongs to the more affluent class of Afghanistan, and has been living in Kabul for the last six or seven years. She is associated with an NGO and has been very vocal against extremist policies of Taliban.
Nilofar explained the depressed mental state she has been in for the last few weeks, adding she might be able to decide something that after sending her children to a safer place. She will probably stay back in Afghanistan – depending of course upon how things unfold in the coming days.
The lightning speed with which the Taliban’s sprang from their peripheral haunts to capture major cities including Kabul left the world shell shocked – and Farah shares the shock. “I didn’t have any idea that it would happen so sudden.
“I was hopeful that they would create an interim government of three to six months which will provide choice to people whether they want to remain in or get out from Afghanistan. If it was so, the situation would be far different from today’s”.
Talking about the current situation in the country, Nilofar said that there is chaos everywhere. “Everything is muddled up and everyone is concerned about their safety. No one is ready to leave the earnings and properties which they have acquired from the hard work of the last 20 years. [On the other hand], the statements from the Taliban regime are not very hopeful. That is why there is a complete uncertainty in the whole country. “
Nilofar sees the situation getting worse in the future, as there is resentment against Taliban rule has already started to surface. “We have started to witness it in Panjshir and I am sure that it would spread all over the country and turn into a civil war”, she theorises.
She is also concerned about the status of Afghanistan with the rest of the world as the Taliban regime is yet to secure diplomatic recognition from the comity of nations.
She is critical of the harsh early steps taken by the Taliban and is especially troubled by the release of thousands of criminals from the jails all over the country. “This is a very grave situation as these criminals also include gangsters, kidnappers, and terrorists. It is for sure that they will involve themselves again in bloodshed and killings. Then, the situation is not only uncertain but bleak.”
Besides the overall situation in the country Farah admits that this takeover has left her deeply disturbed on a personal level. “The current situation has robbed me of my whole life in a snap – my business, my 20 years of work, my hard earned money, my security, everything.
“In a matter of a few days, my life has been turned upside down. It is really unbelievable. I am still in shock and still trying to process what has happened.” The activist interviewed above has been evacuated to Poland. We can now reveal
